From an Objective Point of View

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Runtime: 10 minutes
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Synopsis

This is a story of two best friends who make a pact not to have sex without consulting the other. With their agreement on the verge of being broken, the result is an honest look at teenage desire.

From an Objective Point of View deals with friendship, communication, pressure, and self-awareness.

Credits

From an Objective Point of View was written by 16-year old Janet Aponte of Forest Hills High School in Queens, NY. The film was directed by Jim McKay (Our Song) and Hannah Weyer (La Boda), shot by Lee Daniel (Slacker, Dazed & Confused) and produced by Avram Ludwig (Swingers; Fast Food, Fast Women) and stars Melonie Diaz and Judy Marte (Raising Victor Vargas).

Click here for the full cast and crew.

Honors

2001 New York Contest Winner, Queens, NY
Aired on Showtime
Aired on Sundance Channel's 24 Frame News
Featured in NPR's On the Media
YALSA's Select DVD's and Videos for Young Adults
Outstanding Teen Film Program, International Student Film Festival
Featured at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival & Taos Talking Picture Festival
Used in various school districts across the US including the NYC School District

The story behind the story

From an Objective Point of View was adapted from a short story written by 16-year old Janet Aponte. Janet formed a unique friendship with husband and wife filmmakers, Jim McKay and Hannah Weyer, as they spent over four months transforming her short story into a shooting script. The team met bi-monthly in Jim and Hannah’s apartment in New York’s Lower East Side; with Janet's mom and the directors’ newborn baby watching in the background as the excitement unfolded.

The film was shot in a beautiful brownstone house in Brooklyn, NY. The two day shoot occurred on an unusually cold weekend in the city, leading many of the cast and crew to huddle around the catering (craft services) truck for warmth! Janet was at the directors' sides soaking in the process and giving her opinion. She also recruited five of her friends to participate as interns on-set.

For Janet and the actresses of From an Objective Point of View, the fame didn't end after wrapping the Scenarios shoot. In December 2002, Janet's Scenarios experience was profiled by the Sundance Channel. They interviewed and filmed Janet at her school and at the screening party for her film in New York's trendy Tribeca district. Actresses Melonie Diaz and Judy Marte would later co-star together in the critically-acclaimed independent feature, Raising Victor Vargas.

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