El Cerrito is making its big screen debut. Well, maybe not its big screen debut, but according to the El Cerrito Patch it is the setting for the opening scene of a soon to be released short film.
Emily and Billy is a film that focuses on Face Blindness, also known as prosopagnosia and was shot right here in the bay area.
The movie written and directed by Ari Sigal, an Albany High graduate, is about a girl who is unable to distinguish between faces even those of loved ones such as a mother, sister, or brother and a boy who has a featureless face.
In a past blog, Humintell wrote about the serious neurological disorder, Prosopagnosia, where people cannot recognize faces.
“I just thought it was a really interesting condition, cause it’s just something we take for granted—that we can recognize people,” Sigal said. “I thought the psychology of it was really interesting as well, so I wanted to explore it.”
The opening scene of Sigal’s 10-minute short film features child actors and was shot at Tehiyah Day School in El Cerrito. The 29 year-old director will shoot additional scenes in Pinole, Santa Rosa and Richmond.
She stated, “I guess emotionally I really like this project, because it’s ultimately a story about kids that feel like outcasts. I guess I sorta like telling stories about people that feel a little outside or different.”
At the 2011 Albany FilmFest, Ari won the Short Narrative category for her project “I Love You, Houseplant,” the story of a man who visits the doctor about a tree branch sprouting from his side.
If you would like to watch the trailer for Ari Sigal’s Bay Area film “Emily and Billy” click here.