Two weeks after terrorists have blown apart the U.S., and unleashed deadly airborne viruses into the atmosphere a group of diverse friends sit in a room together hoping to survive except for Tim who wants to kill himself because of his broken heart.
As if 334 hours filled with hangman, tic-tac-toe and passive-aggressive dialogue isn’t enough to drive someone over the edge multiply it times three then divide by one young persistent drunk lesbian stalker (played by Katrina Phillips).

This film was shot on minidv. It has a running time of 12 minutes. The project was a labor of love, and the budget was spent mostly on food and water rations. The cast includes James Burkhammer, Tracey Leigh, Katrina Phillips, and Naropa Sabine.

Sara (Tracey Leigh)

Leo (Naropa Sabine) and Tim (James Burkammer)
Photos by Eve Bregman

Statement of the Director:

The film SAFEROOM began with a flight back home to Los Angeles cross-country on a low cost airline pass. 48 hours after being bumped from countless flights, and having to patronize a big bad corporate coffee shop for the first time in over eight years my already slight hold on sanity was tethered to a mere thread. As I sat staring at airplanes that I wasn’t departing on, and reading a copy of the Nation magazine, I glanced down at my Chai Tea. Its ironic green logo and the swirling clumps of soymilk lulled me into a hypnotic trance. I began to joke: What if a straight man, a gay man and a lesbian were in a room at the end of the world? Who would get the last Twinkie?
I chose to depart from documentary filmmaking, but not from its ability to present a real problem. The last United States Presidential "election" has seriously affected this country. I feel somewhat like Hamlet with the visiting ghosts of ancestral radical activists whispering about the death of democracy.
In order to encourage people to vote I chose an extreme situation that was also extremely possible. The audience cannot physically interact with the world onscreen, but off screen they can alter the fiction we have ascribed to. The mainstream media is not as interested in the truth as independent art. The truth is that every vote adds up to form the larger world we live in, and every voice is a part of that “Movie”. As one of the many directors on this project I’m unhappy with our production. We need to hire some different producers, and focus the wide shots while there is still time to do so. This set is on loan, and nobody has an insurance policy large enough to cover the potential damage of the epic war scenes on the shooting schedule.
This short film is a reflection and a reminder that there is no such thing as a safe room.

The Brilliant Crew

The Bitchass Cowgirls and Company enjoying the vegan spread!

Cast:

James Burkhammer as Tim

Tracey Leigh as Sara

Katrina Phillips as Nin

Naropa Sabine as Leo

Written, Directed and Edited: Hilary Goldberg

Director of Photography: Michelle Van Sandt

Producers: Christina Hulen and Jeff Perlmutter

Executive Producers: Staci Witt and Jody Perlmutter

Original Score: Jennifer Turner

Pirate Rado Broadcast: Erick Brownstein

Production Design: Christina Hulen

Script Supervisor: Brett Whitlow

Key Make-Up and Hair: Staci Witt

Costumes: Lisa Davis

Sound Mixers: Erica Quitzow and Tina DiGeorge

Sound Supervisor: Sam Omeechevarria

Boom Operator: Klaire Ethridge

Still Photography: Eve Bregman

Production Assistants: Janel Jones and Mercedes Younger

Score Musicians: Jennifer Turner, Sam Omeechevarria, Erica Quitzow, Hilary Goldberg

"Don't Take It Away" written by Dustin O'Halloran and Sara Lov, Published by Bellaunion Music /Bug Performed by Devics (c) 2002 BMI

Special Thanks:

The Nation, Luna Bar, Learned Lumber, POWER UP, Derek Pippert, Jamie Babbit, Bev Chin, Inner, Devics, Bitchass Cowgirls, The Compound, Friends and Family