On an afternoon at a skatepark, a 17-year-old girl makes an effort to fit in with her edgier friends while also tending to her shaky relationship with her younger sister. Emma Hall-Martin directs “Daughter of Wands,” a coming-of-age story set in the suburbs about teen pressures and the complexities of sisterhood. Bickering throughout, Cass and her younger teenage sister, Ruby, make their way to the park. Cass is going to meet with two of her alleged friends and Ruby is going to a meet-up with a boy. Ripped jeans, white Air Force Ones, and spiked Big Gulps occupy the scene. While Cass tries to keep up with the banter, she’s also occupied making sure her little sister isn’t around. All attention shifts, however, when the girls notice that Ruby’s meeting with a boy they all know. In an effort to gain some approval, Cass heads to the gas station to get a vape and a slurpee, but returns to less than pleasant reactions, followed by the return of her sister. In a film with plenty of passive, sometimes more aggressive, spats between teenagers, Hall-Martin’s writing offers an earnest look at efforts to maintain friends and the bonds that may naturally occur at unexpected times. We previously featured Hall-Martin last year with "Congratulations." -JM. Director: Emma Hall-Martin, Cast: Naomi Nelson, Makenna Weyburne, Elizabeth Meckler, Mayelah Barrera, DP: Daniel Christopher-Blackwell, Editor: Andrei Zakow, Producers: Clarissa Blau, AC Smallwood, Costume Designer: Rowen Hall.

Congratulations: https://www.nobudge.com/videos/congratulations