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WRITER | DIRECTOR
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SPECIAL JURY AWARD
NOMINATED BEST FOREIGN PROJECT
WorldFest
Houston
Central Florida Film Festival
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TAKEN FOR GRANTED
This powerful psychological drama in documentary-style format traces the last day
in the life of housewife Martha Michaels (Ilka Urbach), unraveling her intriguing personality and the striking circumstances of her death. The film opens a window onto the minds of those whose need for love and nurturance drives them to the extremes.
Written & directed by Gabby Egito (psychological drama, 12 minutes)
AWARDS
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Special Jury Award at WorldFest Houston
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Nominated Best Foreign Project at the
Central Florida Film Festival
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
How well do we really know the people around us, even the most beloved ones? What leads a person with Munchausen Syndrome to often do unimaginable things? Would it be a deep sense of isolation and disconnection with their peers? Or would it be mere compulsion to deceit triggered by a mental illness?
Driven by these questions, I tried to unravel this psychological universe little known by the general public, although socially relevant, trying to fit the pieces of a complex behavioral puzzle through the lens of the characters surrounding the protagonist Martha Michaels.
In this brief character study, I counted with the invaluable creative collaboration of the actors. They line up the story in interviews taped and edited just like in a documentary.
The technique, which powerfully delivers truthfulness to the film, is the result of actors' improv based on data about the syndrome and a biography of each character that I previously provided them.
Like in Interiors (1978), Woody Allen's tribute to Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, photography and production design of TAKEN FOR GRANTED play neatness and brightness, countering the psychological darkness and insulation of the characters. Another great source of inspiration for my film are German director Douglas Sirk's masterful melodramas in Hollywood '50s, such as Imitation of Life (1959) and All That Heaven Allows (1955).
I sincerely hope this short film can sensitize the viewers to this serious topic.
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CAST
MARTHA MICHAELS
BILL MICHAELS
JENNIFER MICHAELS
NURSE ELIZABETH LANE
DOCTOR GEORGE MURPHY
CREW
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY
PRODUCED BY
MUSIC BY
CINEMATOGRAPHY BY
FILM EDITING BY