LILY, 10min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Chloe Stafford, Suneina Badoni
Desperate for a cure for their daughter’s illness, a California couple finds hope from an unexpected source.

Get to know the filmmakers:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

- I think what motivated us to make this film was the story of Lily. Suneina is close to the family so she already knew about the story. We felt like this triumph and these medical mushrooms were something that needed to be shared on a large level.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

- This idea was first born in September , filmed in October and fully finished in January of this year, so around 4 months.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

- Astonishing, heartfelt

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

- I would say one of the biggest obstacles was knowing exactly what would be important to the plot when filming Broll and other mise-en-scene footage. For instance, Lily has 2 siblings that we got a lot of footage of yet, we ended up not featuring them in the film at all. It’s always just about trying to figure out a balance and covering as much as possible.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

- I thought it was super cool. I am so used to getting feedback just from people in my film program at school so hearing the audience talking about my film was so so so cool and a new experience for me.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

- Chloe: I realized I wanted to make films in my sophomore year in high school when I took my first filmmaking class. I was HOOKED right away.

- Suneina: I’ve always been an avid movie lover, but it wasn’t until senior year of high school that I figured out I wanted to make films. There were no film classes offered at my high school, but I was in a film studies club and I looked forward to every meeting! My college counselor told me I could actually make films in college, and I took that and ran.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

- Chloe: I have personally since Ferris Bueller's Day Off the most. I took a class my sophomore year of college that required me to make a different video essay about this film every week, so I have seen it a bunch!

- Suneina: I have seen Inception the most times in my life! My dad made me watch it when I was in junior high, and it ended up being the movie that really sparked my interest in film. I’m constantly watching and quoting it.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

- Just getting into these festivals has been a huge deal for our filmmaking careers! More importantly, though, we are so grateful that Lily’s story is being shared on a larger scale. The Boylan family has been through so much, so we love and appreciate all the positive reception the documentary is getting!

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

- This site has been great! It really streamlined the submission process and helped us stay organized.

10. What is your favorite meal?

- Chloe: Salmon! I love seafood.

- Suneina: My mom makes this Indian dish called rajma and it tastes like heaven.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

- Chloe: Starting in July I will be working for the NY Jets on their Documentary Team.

- Suneina: Hopefully lots of films are in my future! I’ll be moving out to LA with some friends this summer and doing as much writing/fixing up old scripts as I can!