Filmmaker Statement

Moving to New York City for better opportunities inspired my writing and directing debut, “Rent Control,” a chamber drama shot on film with supernatural and melodrama genre influences that includes a kinetic techno set piece. The story follows a woman who scams her younger Latina roommate for rent. Eden is the subletting roommate from Puerto Rico who, after moving in, discovers that June, her seemingly successful roommate, uses her position of power as the leaseholder to take financial advantage of the situation behind Eden’s back. Tensions develop between the two women when Eden tries to force June to take accountability after performing a ritual based on her ancestral teachings, using electronic music with Afro-Caribbean influences. The story explores the challenges of sharing an apartment with a stranger in a highly competitive city.