“My first evening in Club Quarantine, I kept my camera off. I was anxious about having my face broadcast to hundreds of strangers on the internet. But quickly that fear was replaced with awe; I attended the party each evening and increasingly became comfortable with my camera on. Whenever I logged onto Club Quarantine, hundreds of beautiful, brightly lit boxes twinkled at me. As a young queer person coming into my own identity, gay clubs have been my refuge. In college I would frequent a predominantly Latinx gay club in Pomona, Calif., called 340. There I experienced a sense of ease and safety that I could not find elsewhere. My friends and I grew into ourselves in that club. When the pandemic began, I found similar comfort in Club Quarantine. Historically, nightlife has been one of the few safe spaces for the queer community. It is no surprise that in this time of devastation, queer people have once again sought community in the club, albeit a virtual one. The nightly parties lasted for nearly four months, and in June 2020 they came to an end. Club Quarantine still exists, but the parties happen weekly now. As life begins to creep back to normal, I feel nostalgic for that time. In the midst of such intense isolation, my life came alive each evening as I was absorbed in a glittering world of queer people all seeking to connect.”

Aurora Brachman is an award-winning documentary filmmaker drawn to stories about intimate relationships within families and communities. Her film Club Quarantine, about a virtual queer dance party, premiered on the New York Times Op-Docs. And her short documentary, Joychild, about a young gender-expansive child, was acquired by The New Yorker, broadcast on POV, and shortlisted for an IDA Award. Her work has screened at numerous festivals including Sundance, True/False, Hot Docs, AFI Docs, DOC NYC, and selected for Vimeo Staff Picks. Aurora primarily makes work about the experiences of Black, brown, and Queer people and is committed to collaborative and ethical storytelling. Aurora is a graduate of the MFA program in Documentary Film at Stanford University, a 2020 Sundance Ignite Fellow, and a 2022 SFFilm House Resident. She is also the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship in filmmaking. She currently works as a producer for A24.

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But upon meeting them it was Carl and Susan’s unique and evolving relationship that moved me. I started filming knowing that I wanted to capture this moment in their lives, as roles shifted and challenges emerged. In the intervening time the story took an unexpected turn: unable to engage in the scientific inquiry of his prior career, Carl found solace in his basement, dismantling discarded electronics in search of the valuable copper inside. The metaphorical power of the act was striking, but it went one step further when Susan, an art teacher and artist, started framing the copper, leading to a fruitful collaboration (and now traveling art show!) that enriched their relationship in a difficult time.

The thread that has emerged is one of resiliency and love in the face of a life-changing diagnosis. My hope is that this short documentary can reflect this time.”

Mike Attie is an award-winning filmmaker whose films have screened at major international film festivals including CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, San Francisco and Sundance. He is a professor of film and the Film program director at the University of the Arts.

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“I began making the film out of curiosity – to not only know more about the effects PTSD can have on a person and their family, but to also find out if there was a connection between Guy’s struggles and his passion for all things Disney. I learned Guy’s lifelong fascination with Disney was not only centered around its innocence and warmth, but has been a constant source of his own self-worth and motivation. By surrounding himself with Disney, he’s also able to enter a place that allows him to escape loneliness and the negative thought patterns that can occur in isolation.”

Brent Bandemer is a Chicago-based filmmaker and freelance editor who discovered documentary filmmaking while attending Columbia College Chicago. He believes in using film to give the underrepresented a voice, and to allow the viewer to empathize with them in a thoughtful and honest way.

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“We believe in the spirit of being helpful. And we believe that it’s difficult to help someone else in a meaningful way. You have to be tuned in to who they are and what their needs are. We wanted to highlight what true helpfulness looks like.”

Sindha Agha is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker who has quickly made a name for herself by creating viral digital pieces with distinct & vibrant visuals. Sindha kicked off her career by writing & directing “Birth Control Your Own Adventure,” a tragicomic short acquired by The New York Times. “Birth Control” quickly reached 12.5 million organic Facebook views and was nominated for a 2019 News & Documentary Emmy. The film was also accepted into Tribeca and Palm Springs Film Festivals as a part of their official selection.

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“The first time I saw Jonah do stand-up comedy, he told a joke about how he could die at any time. The punchline was that his doctor was trying to kill him. People laughed, a lot. And I was immediately struck by his confidence, dark sense of humor and his ease he had telling a room full of strangers he was dying. In addition to comedy, Jonah was able to connect with people and effectively communicate his experience as a visual artist, activist and mayoral candidate. In Jonah’s own words, “I think all different things that I’m doing are related. It’s taking things that are real and things that can be serious or difficult to deal with, flipping them around so they seem fun or funny.”

Jonah wasn’t alone. He had a huge community of people who supported and adored him: family, friends, fellow comedians. And he mastered the ability to humorously discuss his mortality and confront others on their assumptions about his use of a wheelchair. I made this film to showcase Jonah’s life and legacy, not his disability. Disability narratives are typically framed to inspire us just by the thought of someone who is “confined” to a wheelchair doing something mundane or able to accomplish “despite all the odds.”

Jonah’s disability is one aspect of a much more complex and interesting picture, it’s not something to be pitied, it’s just a fact of his life. Everyone adapts to the body they have, but Jonah couldn’t ride the streetcar, enter certain restaurants, and even had to leave high school because it wasn’t wheelchair accessible. By creating media that accurately and honestly depicts his experience, we are getting a window into the life of so many other people who are more comfortable with themselves than our society is with them.”

Hannah Engelson is a documentary filmmaker and freelance cinematographer. With a background in photojournalism, she specializes in capturing compelling moments using an observational approach. She has contributed to various publications and broadcasts including NBC Universal, Business Insider, American Masters, VICE News Tonight, Short of the Weak and numerous independent short and feature length documentaries.

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“Now, with many countries on lockdown and people isolated at home, the issue of loneliness has never felt more relevant. Before the pandemic I had been researching the issue of loneliness for a year and have worked closely with charities in London that offer befriending services to lonely people. I came across a number of different stories, this is one of them.

We are social beings; the need to connect with others is at the heart of what it means to be human. In these strange times across the world the current pandemic has meant that countless people, forced into social isolation for their own good, are, perhaps for the first time in their life, suffering from a sense of isolation and loneliness.

Loneliness has always been with us, it is not a new problem; in an age of increased tech, smaller communities and increased isolation it is an experience that many already endure.

At the start of 2019, interested in this issue, I volunteered for a charity that matched befrienders with people experiencing loneliness. I was keen to help out, but also in telling the stories of some of these pairings and making a film with a focus on an unusual pair that transcended backgrounds, genders and races, enabling the piece to reach as wide an audience as possible.

This film follows two individuals who, even before the current pandemic, have experienced acute loneliness. We will see how, through reaching out and connecting with others, they overcame it, providing timely inspiration for those at home going through their own experience of loneliness.”

Liam Saint-Pierre is a filmmaker of documentaries, music videos and commercials, who is always on the lookout for compelling stories in strange places. He was born in Blackburn, in the north of England and with a desire to tell stories, he began making films. Initially this was in documentaries, but a focus on narrative has translated into other forms.

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Tom Basis has worked as a writer/director alongside some of the entertainment industry’s most sought-after storytellers. He has directed campaigns in fashion, design, and technology, for companies such as IBM, Zappos, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. 

Elizabeth Myer Boulton is SALT Project’s President, Creative Director, and chief storyteller. A proud graduate of Trent University and the University of Chicago, she loves experimenting with film and animation to change minds, hearts, and maybe even the world! A proud mom and vegetarian for over 15 years, Liz wants to live in a world where kindness is queen, emails are short, and pots of tea never get cold.