A short film about an L.A. woman who struggles to find a job, a home, and a meal, only to go unseen for the help she really needs.
We spend the day with Darcine Thomas (Kyla Diane Kennedy), divorced and jobless, as she struggles to get back on her feet. She plans to start a new business to help those living on the street, and struggles to find her own new job. Hitting obstacles at every turn, she comes face to face with the L.A. housing crisis.
Director’s Statement
In making DARCINE’S DAY we learned about “hidden homelessness,” where many people living in Los Angeles find it difficult to attain fair-paying work AND nutritious food AND affordable housing. They "double up,” sleep on friend’s couches, and as such are not technically counted as "homeless." Being “hidden” they lack access to government support, and public sympathy.
As the script for DARCINE’S DAY developed, many crew members identified with these concepts either from personal experience or through friends who were living “hidden.”
We signed a DGA agreement and a SAG contract and we were very fortunate to meet star Kyla Diane Kennedy who brought DARCINE to life in a most beautiful and authentic way.
Audiences have told us that the message of DARCINE’S DAY is universal.
About The Director
Aaron Goffman
Property Master, and “oh yeah, what I really want to do is direct.”
I was born in Hollywood and have been a life-long Valley Boy. As a teenager I snuck into Universal Studios with my moped and have been pursuing work in the film business ever since. I have been a member of the Directors Guild, the Art Directors Guild, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, IATSE Local 44 Affiliated Property Craftspersons, and the Property Masters Guild.
I have worked as a production assistant, assistant director, production coordinator, production manager, line producer, art department p.a., assistant art director, commercial art director, property master, and now I’ve tried on a new hat as writer/director for my first short film, DARCINE’S DAY.
I think all of us in the film business feel a deep need to tell stories and during the 2023 strikes, with nothing else to do, I decided to create a story of my own. At first the idea was to create a sample reel for an actor friend, but it evolved into a 16-page script. I shared the script with film-biz friends, who were also twiddling their thumbs, a few liked the script and volunteered to help produce a film. The result is DARCINE’S DAY, a short film about an L.A. woman who struggles to find a job, a home, and a meal, only to go unseen for the help she really needs.
DARCINE’S DAY had its world premiere at the Oscar-Qualifying LA SHORTS International Film Festival and has gone on to screen at more than fifty other festivals worldwide. It has won several festival awards for best writing, best director, best short film, and best actress.
I love working as a property master and plan to do so for many more years. But the high-feeling I got from writing and directing my own project was intoxicating - and I want more of that too.