The Courtroom
Feature adaptation of a play production design
Director Lee Sunday Evans
DP Daisy Zhou
Produced by Arian Moayed, Jonathan Olson, Damon Owlia
Tribeca Film Festival, Topic

We experience one woman's immigration nightmare as she is faced with deportation. Based on court transcripts & originally a Waterwell stage production. Our film adaptation required two built courtrooms. The challenge was making the sets visually engaging to hold the compelling story. I drew from the theater black box, an understanding of the spaces being socially constructed sets. The audience participates as a voyeur. With the murky color palette & wood tones, we feel the nausea of the experience. The first county courtroom is cramped & dated. The state appeals court is grander & intimidating, her lawyer looks small against a giant wall.