A love letter to NYC

Director Victoria Rivera has created a three minute short film which celebrates New York while also voicing the concerns of those not living in the city. 

The film follows a young woman, Rtusha Kulkarni, a friend of Rivera's, as she travels around, often on roller skates, losing herself in the architecture, streets and parks of NY. There's a dreamlike quality to the film, with relaxing, peaceful music playing over Kulkarni's explorations. All the while, though, we can hear voicemails left by Kulkarni's mother and father, expressing their concern for her and, at times, attempting to coax her back home.

"Amma was born out of the constant paradox that is loving New York," explains Rivera. "Every day, we choose to stay despite knowing it would be fine without us — a fact it’s never shy to remind us. We love it because it’s where we’ve grown into ourselves, giving us a new start to do so and making us work so hard to get there. We love it because it’s the home we’ve made, even though ‘home home’ never ceases to call, and those calls never seem to lose their pull. This film celebrates that choice, or whatever choice someone makes about New York today.

The film was inspired by Kulkarni sharing with Rivera the difficult conversations she has with her parents about returning home. "I felt a pit of recognition in my stomach," continues Rivera. "It was a conversation I had had a million times with my friends, my family, and my own head. I recognised a feeling I knew any person living away from home would know: there are days when the choice to stay is unequivocal and others when it’s not so clear at all.

Rivera used the real voices of Kulkarni's parents, wanting to express their real conversations through calls Kulkarni would have chosen not to answer. "Although the voicemails weren’t scripted," says Rivera, "they were recorded specifically for the film by Rtusha’s generous parents, whose love for their daughter comes through in every word. Everybody who worked on this film has made New York their home, choosing every day to either stay or pick up the call from home."