Genre
Synopsis
Rayelle Martin (played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste) works as a commercial cleaner in Gary, Indiana. She's mischievous, playful, and as a Black woman in her 30s, skilled at adapting to her surroundings. One day while at work, Ray is approached by an Indian man, Dr. Neeraj Patel, who hires her to work as his housekeeper. Who's going to say no to extra money? Not Ray. He then presents her another offer she can't refuse: a second job cleaning his mistress's home. At first Ray is just an observer, but then, after growing tired of being a witness, she impulsively tells one small lie: that she can speak to the dead. As Ray attempts to gain ownership over her own identity, she finds herself in an odd new position of power. An in-depth character study from Anu Valia, whose short film, LUCIA BEFORE AND AFTER, won the Jury Award for US Fiction at Sundance in 2017.
Bio
Anu Valia is a writer/director whose roots are in India and Indiana. A graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Anu's award-winning short films have screened around the world. Her short film, LUCIA, BEFORE AND AFTER premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was awarded the Short Film Jury Award for US Fiction.
Anu’s TV directing credits include SHE-HULK (Marvel, Disney+), The AFTERPARTY (Apple), And Just Like That (HBO), SHRILL(Hulu), LOVE LIFE (HBO Max), NEVER HAVE I EVER (Netflix), MIXED-ISH (ABC), AP BIO (Peacock), LOVE VICTOR (Hulu), AT HOME WITH AMY SEDARIS (TruTV), FIRST WIVES CLUB (BET+), AWKWAFINA IS NORA FROM QUEENS, THE OTHER TWO (HBO Max). She directed the pilot for Apple TV's BIG DOOR PRIZE created by Emmy-winning writer David West Read (Schitt's Creek).
Her debut feature, WE STRANGERS, premiered at SXSW in 2024 and is supported by Cinereach, Sundance Institute, Women in Film, Tribeca Institute, IFP, and Hamptons Screenwriters Lab.
