Genre
Synopsis
Undiscovered prodigy harmonica composer Natalia is an outsider in her rural town. Living in self-imposed silence with her restrictive family, she hears and sees the music of life all around her. But music is a non-starter for her single dad, unable to forgive Nat's mom for choosing her own music career over mothering. Natalia's life reaches a figurative dead-end just as free-spirited singer Annie arrives to rent their empty lot next door. Annie has chosen to flee her stalled music career. The two meet over a stolen ipod and privately jam together, combining their unique sounds and creating a completely new style of music, a mashup of their unusual backgrounds and sounds.
When they're noticed by an up and coming DJ turned record producer, they're presented with difficult choices over which life path to pursue - even if it means breaking up with their former lives, families, and identities.
Bio
Donna is a narrative director and writer whose brand is stories about women with unusual and heroic skills, humanity, or insights. She explores cultural silencing and erasure, ancestral powers, and rugged individualism and isolationism, versus community and belonging.
Her projects are Nicholl SFs, Gotham No Borders, Slamdance Labs, Austin Film Fest, and MIPTV/Cannes Series selects, among others. Her imaginative mockumentary-mystery, Death of a Saleswoman, about glass ceilings faced by high-achieving women, took home wins from international festivals, sold at Cannes/ AFM/ Berlin markets, and streams globally on multiple platforms.
Her short film, The Girl Next Door, about a voiceless harmonica virtuoso, screened at 56+ international and U.S. festivals. She's developing the feature version, Natalia Rising, in addition to other feature projects.
Donna created and leads the #MentorLatinaDirectors Fellowship for Latina and Indigenous TV and Film Directors via Alliance of Women Directors. She also happily directs theatre, and is a member of Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative.
She develops her works with support from Film Fatales, Alliance of Women Directors, CA Center for Cultural Innovation, Sundance Institute Collab, Reel Sisters/African Voices, PageCraft, and Women in Film. She's a former skydiver, rock climber, and experienced off-road driver.
Updated Comedy/Dramedy Reel: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/978561720/8afb75910e
Awards History
Stowe Story Labs 2021
Sundance Institute Workshop for Screenplay and Directing
DTLA Film Festival 2019 - Best Screenplay
Credits
Executive Producer - Forrest Murray
Casting Director - Sunday Boling
Writer - Donna Bonilla Wheeler
Director - Donna Bonilla Wheeler
