Lizard
From the Archives
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Drama, Short Films, 07-Sep-2022
Trafficked and labeled "high mileage," Bee looks to bargain for her freedom. Kayana W directs “Lizard,” a dark drama centered around sex trafficking, drug dealing, and cyclical consequences. Seeking a way out, Bee attempts to recruit a younger girl to enter the ring, hoping to free herself from servitude. At a laundromat she spots a target and moves in, inviting her to a party and hoping to appease her captor. The film refrains from much of the sensationalism and moralizing that can often be found in portrayals of this subject matter, leaning into an immersive moment-to-moment reality of nights on the streets and seedy motel gatherings where cycles of trauma and abuse are locked in place. -KA. Director: Kayana W. Cast: Deychen Volino-Gyesta, Yasmin Pascall-Varma, Rodney Williams, David Ospina. Director of Photography: Clark Ivers. Editor: Bernardo Porto. Producer(s): Brandon Rieff, Taylor Davis.
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