THE NEXT BELLS, 16min., USA
Directed by Joey LaFrance
In this musical, Lily is waiting for an important phone call and navigates life assuming the worst, leading her down a dance-filled, spiraling path of self-discovery.

https://www.instagram.com/the.next.bells_film/

Watch the Audience Feedback Video:
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-the-next-bells

Director Statement

This is a story about appreciating what you have in situations where you might be worried about something that might happen. This theme called to be because in this day and age, especially amongst the young people of the world, many people are engulfed in what their future is going to look like, or are dwelling on the past too much. It can be difficult to break that spell of spiraling thinking, which is something all of us have encountered at some point. I made this film to serve as a reminder to those people to try to live in the moment and not worry about things that are out of their control.

Musicals have always been ingrained in me since I was young. Growing up, my mom showed my brothers and I musicals all the time. We watched and rewatched Mary Poppins, saw The Lion King on Broadway, and even went to live performances of The Wiggles. Even as a child, I was fascinated by the grand scale and amazing performances of the classic musicals. Additionally, my upbringing was heavily influenced by music itself; my mom was a dancer and dance teacher, my dad was a DJ. I played piano as a toddler, French Horn through high school, and back to piano in college. Subconsciously, these elements have stuck with me in the back of my mind as I saw La La Land as a teenager and The Young Girls of Rochefort in college. Looking back on it all, it is clear why I felt like I needed to tell this story as a musical. It is a deeply personal story to me, and I am someone who has always had music and musicals intertwined in my life. It just made sense.

The idea for a musical was the perfect way to put my own personal flair on this film. I could tell a realistic story through an impossible lens. I could show Lily's deeper emotions in an authentic, expressive way that normally would be hidden. At the same time, I can pay homage to an under-appreciated genre of film that I love, creating an exciting project to summarize my film education thus far.