Something Bigger
Story
Teea and her best friend Amandah have a philosophical discussion over coffee in Teea’s kitchen. Amandah alludes to some tragedy in Teea’s life as she tries to comfort her. Just at the two appear to get on the same wavelength, a dark figure appears with unknown intentions for Teea.
From the Director
The questions that interest me are always the biggest ones, the ones that take the most time and mental energy to hash out and don’t usually result in a clear answer. The journey that those questions take us on is what makes the human experience so endlessly compelling and yet, for most people, they are questions that are rarely explored.
Most of us don’t question our own perception or imagine that the reality we see in front of us is more fluid than it appears. That is, until something shakes us to the core and forces us to see “reality” through a different lens.
Those moments are the ones that have the potential to show us the true nature of our connectedness and open our minds to the infinite mysteries that come with it. Once the Truth makes itself known to you, can you ever unknow it? That is the question at the heart of Something Bigger that I hope viewers will come away discussing with one another long after the credits roll.
-Chris Anthony Hamilton
The Team
Writer/Director
Chris is an award-winning director and writer currently living in Atlanta. Born in New York City and raised in smalltown Massachusetts, he experienced what he believes to be the best of both worlds, which is clearly reflected in his work. His short screenplay “Body and Son” was a Finalist in the 2015 Harlem International Film Festival Screenwriting Competition and a Semi-Finalist in the 2016 Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition among others. With the help of his tremendous team Something Bigger won the Audience Choice Award at the 2017 Atlanta Horror Film Festival and was an Official Selection at the 2017 Rome International Film Festival.
Producer
Nina Marinov has a Masters in business management received while working as a line producer at the largest science and documentary studio in Russia. Her passion for the stories she tells and the people she collaborates with to tell them is the engine behind the success of the projects she chooses. Along with that she exercises a deep commitment to diversity both in front of and behind the camera noting her memories of living in an environment where acceptance is a rare animal. In 2017 she produced Soul Fire, which one the top prize at the inaugural Gentleman Jack Real to Reel Short Film Competition. She then produced Chris' films Something Bigger and Broken Branches which is currently screening at film festivals.
Producer
Janlataé “Jan” Mullins is an award winning filmmaker as well as a graduate of the New York Film Academy and the Art Institute of Atlanta. Jan has helmed several critically acclaimed independent short films – one of which where she was named Best Director at the 2014 International Black Women Film Festival. Being a strong believer in the power of collaboration, Jan’s ability to pull together the strongest team possible for a given project sets her apart. She received an Award of Merit from the Southern Shorts Awards for her role as a producer on Something Bigger.
Producer
Carrie Schrader is a Writer/Director whose short films and screenplays have won film festival audience awards internationally. She directed an award-winning short film, called Don’t Mess With Texas, written by Ethan Coen (Coen bros.) and her feature-length documentary The Founders recently won the audience award for “Best Feature Film” at the Atlanta Film Festival. Her short films and screenplays have won film festival audience awards internationally and she was labeled one of the "Top Ten Directors To Watch Out For" by IndieWire.com. She has been a participant at the IFP Market in NYC and was an Outfest Screenwriting Lab fellow. She has an MFA in directing from Columbia University and is co-founder of Mighty Fine pictures.
Director of Photogaphy
After studying Steadicam at the Maine Workshops, Alfeo had the opportunity to work alongside Steve Harris, Kimberly Elise and Tyler Perry, and yet again with Isaiah Washington and Shemar Moore. Alfeo returned to Maine for the completion of the Masters DP course and returned a third time to for 3D studies in stereoscopic cinema. Alfeo has worked with George Clooney, Janet Jackson, Kathy Bates, Alfre Woodard, Paula Abdul, Cecily Tyson, Angela Bassett, Sybil Shepard, Blair Underwood Robin Givens and Robert Rodriquez to drop a few more names. He recently received an Award of Merit for his outstanding cinematography on Something Bigger.
The Cast
Teea Loreal
"Teea"
Teea is a talented stage and screen actress of the rarest order hailing from Cincinatti, OH where she performed at the Aronoff Theater. She credits her grandmother who performed at the Apollo Theater as her muse and the source of her tremendous work ethic. After receiving a BA in Film/Video from Georgia State University, Teea now calls Atlanta home. She has performed on stage at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center and the Village Theater. She has appeared on screen in several web series, short films and was most recently cast in Steven Soderberg’s latest feature film. She received an Award of Merit from the Southern Shorts Awards for her starring role in Chris’ short film Something Bigger which was an Official Selection at the 2018 Atlanta Film Festival. She then went on to play a lead role in Chris' film Body and Son.
"Amanda"
Amandah Rochelle is an up and coming Actress/ filmmaker born in Milwaukee, WI. Amandah knew as a young girl that she wanted to leave her mark on the world. At that time she didn’t know it would be in the ever-so-vast Entertainment industry. When she was 8yrs old she won 2nd place state wide for the “I Have a Dream” essay contest. After meeting Dr. King’s youngest daughter on stage in the spotlight, in front of thousands, this sparked her dream of creating content while acting in it. Shortly after, she and her family moved to Minnesota where she remained in performing art schools through high school. After Graduating, Amandah studied at the University Of Minnesota in the Theater Arts program. She stayed for 3 years before she made a drastic decision to leave school altogether and move to Atlanta to follow her passion in Acting. In 2017 she co-starred in Chris' award-winning short film Something Bigger for which she received an Award of Merit from the Southern Shorts Awards.