Oh Yeah
written and directed by LILENA MARINOU
Oh Yeah is an open letter from a young woman who describes her coming-of-sexual age in exploring how to give pleasure to herself and eventually allowing others to join her in doing so too. Above all, it is an ode to the lightheartedness of sexuality through the discovery that the body is very much like a playground, a place where sex can be playful.
Semi-Finalist
Student Academy Awards (2020)
Best Director - Female
Indie Short Fest (2019)
Finalist - Cinematography
ARFF Barcelona (2019)
National Film Festival for Talented Youth
Thessaloniki Queer Arts Festival
London Greek Film Festival
Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival
Phoenix Film Festival
New Jersey International Film Festival
Treasure Island International Film Festival
Carmarthen Bay Film Festival
This was the first NYU film that I produced - fall semester, sophomore year - and it laid the groundwork for me. It was a small, friendly, synergistic team, and every crew member had a special connection to the project. Which - considering the abundance of ego in NYU film - was a miracle for being my first producing endeavor.
We shot this film in 2 days - one day at a neighborhood park, requiring a permit, and one day at my co-producer’s house. The script called for a merry-go-round and a seesaw, which was tricky, because the city banned merry-go-rounds and seesaws about 10 years ago. We scoured the tristate area and finally found a traditional merry-go-round in Islip, Long Island. We outsourced the construction of a seesaw.
My co-producer, Kara Bartek, took the lead on this project. Mainly, I was at the ready to relieve her of tedious tasks and to absorb her knowledge. I took care of the catering. I was also the travel captain. I discovered that the U.P.M. role is very important when dietary restrictions figure prominently in your crew.
My biggest challenge on this project was dealing with a Long Island mom at the park who kept sending her kids into our frame. I asked her nicely twice to please respect us - and if not us, then our permit - but she did not believe that we had a permit, and she called the police. I almost lost my temper. I backed off. We waited for the police to come, showed them our permit, and nodded politely when they told us that our permit didn’t allow us exclusive access to the merry-go-round. I learned that there are always going to be uncontrollable factors when you are shooting in a public space, even if you’ve cleared your shoot with the town government. We could have cleared it with the neighborhood board or posted signs in the days leading up to our shoot. Not that any of these steps would have prevented the sabotage, but they may have given us a little more control.
In spite of the holdup, the film got finished and has performed incredibly well at festivals. This is 100% to Lilena Marinou's credit. My biggest takeaway from this project was that I seek out passionate, goodhearted directors, and I prioritize the synergy of the crew. Since then, all of my productions have been efficient and good-vibey.
starring
MAIYA PASCOUCHE,
QIMANI WALKER,
& ANDREA PEREZ
narration by
ELISABETH LIGONNET LAM
writer/director
LILENA MARINOU
producers
MYSELF,
KARA BARTEK,
& LILENA MARINOU
director of photography
MARTIN BLANCO
1st assistant director
STEPHANIE LEMESIANOU
1st a.c.
MORGAN GARDINER
2nd a.c.
SINCLAIR NEFF
steadicam op
JESSE BRONSTEIN
gaffer
LUC UNG
key grip
SAMON SIRIPANICHGON
production designer
DANNIE PETROVNA GIGLEVITCH
editor & colorist
LILENA MARINOU
composer
THEO SHIER