Shorts 3: Bittersweets – Francis Bacon

About the Filmmaker

Darcy Cagen is a writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She currently works as a Development Coordinator for Ninetythree Media, a multi-cultural production company, and as a freelance screenwriter. Her debut short film, FRANCIS BACON, is currently on the film festival circuit and has screened at several festivals thus far, including the Academy-Qualifying Palm Springs International ShortFest, where it received a nomination for Best U.S. Short. She has a Bachelor’s in Film Studies from Barnard College of Columbia University.

Director’s Statement

In my work I am interested in exploring the universal human experiences of searching for meaning and human connection in a world that can often feel alienating and perplexing. I wanted to tell the story of a young woman, who is at a crossroads in her life, searching for a way forward after dropping out of school. Often we feel like a failure after giving up on something we worked so hard to achieve, and can be left wondering what new milestone we should latch onto next. In FRANCIS BACON, I wanted to show what this journey of self-discovery may look like through a female lens. Although there has been an influx in female-oriented stories, there is still a tremendous scarcity for coming-of-age stories for young women in comparison to their male on-screen counterparts. My hope for FRANCIS BACON is to create space and validity for experiences which may differ from what is usually depicted in the mainstream.

Inspired by my own personal experience of leaving my graduate playwriting program, it was important to authentically depict Liz’s displacement and disillusionment in the world. I also wanted to subvert expectations and have Liz find human connection in an elderly bookstore owner rather than a romantic connection with a guy closer to her age to show how sometimes the most impactful connections we have in life are the most fleeting and unexpected.