SHORT FILMS

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Narrative - Short

Logline: Drifting through a monotonous existence, a lonely office worker embarks on a journey into the wilderness, where the rhythm of nature allows her to rekindle the spirit of the dancer she once was. 

Directed, Written, and Edited by: Joel Pau

Cast: Francisca Wijaya, Wyna Hermawan

Executive Producer: Candace Walker

Director of Photography: Stephen Brainerd

Assistant Director: Ian Stein

Assistant Camera: Logan Aery

Click here to watch: https://youtu.be/x_smtzkSQu4 

- currently being submitted to film festivals across the US

Narrative - Short

Logline:  After winning the Diversity Immigrant Visa lottery, an immigrant journeys to New York City to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a filmmaker. Through intimate recorded dialogues with his mother, the film poignantly explores the immigrant experience, the bittersweet act of leaving one's roots, and the complex allure of the American Dream. 

Directed, Written, Edited, and Scored by:  Joel Pau

Click here to watch: https://youtu.be/deFmrUSovX4

Awards:

1.  Independent Shorts Awards, Los Angeles 

- Official Selection and Finalist 

2. Zepstone International Film Awards, Salt Lake City, Utah 

- Official Selection

- Nominated for Best International Short Film in the annual awards

- Screened at the 2nd annual Zepstone Arts Festival 

Narrative - Short

Logline: A young dancer crumbles under the pressure of an upcoming competition and her instructor’s relentless perfectionism, until she breaks free from the suffocating control and rediscovers joy in movement on her own terms. 

Directed, Written, Edited by:  Joel Pau

Cast: Adriana Alfaro Liendo, Stephen Brainerd

Click here to watch:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ywlp9ZOuekKfQDTvYCC5VPdPx3zb-rhC/view?usp=sharing

16mm film, shot on Bolex; edited on Steenbeck.

Documentary - Short

Logline: An archival portrait of Javanese gamelan at Wesleyan University, tracing its lineage, transmission, and the labor of preserving tradition across cultural distance.

A film by:  Joel Pau

Special thanks: Tracy Heather Strain

Click here to watch:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YVLZtbIefuhykbf4OfmlZ0XyUkJNp_g9/view?usp=drive_link

Produced as a class project for Wesleyan University; includes archival footage used for educational purposes.

Documentary - Short

Logline:  Azeem Blessings Kareem is inspired by his childhood in Hartford, his relationship with his wife, and his creative work as a Hip-Hop artist to forge a new life as a young black farmer in Connecticut.

A film by: Joel Pau, Nola Busansky, Ronald Ceesay

Special thanks: Sadia Shepard

Click here to watch:  https://vimeo.com/895431341

Awards: 

1. BronzeLens Film Festival, Atlanta 

- Official Selection

- Screened at the 15th Annual BronzeLens Film Festival

2. DocuJam Youth Film Festival, New York

- Honorable Mention

3. Pan African Film & Arts Festival, Los Angeles

- Official Selection

4. Roxbury International Film Festival, Massachusetts

- Official Selection