10 minutes / 2021 / Color / USA
Director / Producer / Cinematographer / Editor
For Deon “Sonnie” Casey, life has not gone according to plan. Raised by his grandmother after the death of his parents, Deon is now a single parent himself, working over 60 hours a week. Despite setbacks, Deon is determined to provide a better life for his son. Finding strength and solace in competitive weightlifting and his work at the YMCA, Deon pushes onward in hope that things will get better. SONNIE is an intimate, verite documentary short that illuminates determination, redemption, and fatherhood.
AWARDS:
Bronze Award Grant for Excellence in Filmmaking, Kodak Motion Picture Film (2020)
Best Sports Documentary, Regional Emmy® Award (2021)
Best Cinematography: Long Form Content [longer than 10-minutes], Regional Emmy® Award (2021)
Best Director: Post-Produced, Regional Emmy® Award (2021)
Silver Telly Award for Best Student Film (2021)
Indiana Spotlight Audience Choice Award, Indy Shorts International Film Festival, Presented by Heartland Film (2020)
Director’s Choice Award, Thomas Edison Black Maria Film Festival (2021)
Best Hoosier Lens Film Award, Indy Film Fest (2020)
Best Indiana Reel Award, Hobnobben Film Festival (2020)
Best of Fest Program, Nevada City Film Festival (2020)
FESTIVAL SCREENINGS:
Black History Shorts Program Presented by Milwaukee Film | Milwaukee, Wisconsin (February 2021)
Thomas Edison Black Maria Film Festival | Hoboken, New Jersey (February 2021)
Chattanooga Film Festival (in partnership with Microsoft) | Chattanooga, Tennessee (April 2020)
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival | Fort Lauderdale, Florida (November 2020)
Julien Dubuque International Film Festival | Dubuque, Iowa (April 2021)
United Nations Association Film Festival | San Francisco, California (October 2020)
Independent Film Festival Boston (IFFBoston) | Boston, Massachusetts (May 2021)
Golden Door International Film Festival | Jersey City, New Jersey (April 2021)
Port Townsend Film Festival | Port Townsend, Washington (September 2021)
Gasparilla International Film Festival | Tampa, Florida (March 2020)
Ivy Film Festival | Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island (April 2021)
Indy Shorts International Film Festival, Presented by Heartland Film | Indianapolis, Indiana (July 2020)
Maryland International Film Festival | Hagerstown, Maryland (March 2021)
Chagrin Documentary Film Festival | Chagrin Falls, Ohio (October 2020)
St. Louis International Film Festival | St. Louis, Missouri (November 2020)
Naples International Film Festival | Naples, Florida (October 2020)
Hoosier Films Annual Festival | Bloomington, Indiana (September 2020)
SCAD Savannah Film Festival | Savannah, Georgia (October 2020)
Indie Memphis Film Festival | Memphis, Tennessee (October 2020)
Global Impact Film Festival | Washington, D.C. (August 2020)
Nevada City Film Festival | Nevada City, California (August 2020)
Lake Michigan Film Festival | East Lansing, Michigan (February 2021)
Hobnobben Film Festival | Fort Wayne, Indiana (October 2020)
Frozen River Film Festival | Winona, Minnesota (February 2021)
River Bend Film Festival | Goshen, Indiana (October 2020)
Heartland Film Festival | Indianapolis, Indiana (October 2020)
The Valley Film Festival | North Hollywood, California (November 2020)
Bushwick Film Festival | Brooklyn, New York (October 2020)
Lone Star Film Festival | Fort Worth, Texas (November 2020)
Charlotte Film Festival | Charlotte, North Carolina (September 2020)
Tallgrass Film Festival | Wichita, Kansas (October 2020)
Atlanta DocuFest | Atlanta, Georgia (November 2020)
Indy Film Fest | Indianapolis, Indiana (August 2020)
