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TEAM & ACTORS 

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Shaunic Stanford

Writer/Director

Shaunic Stanford, is a driven storyteller, has a creative imagination, and a  deep love for the arts. She studied acting at the Cincinnati Playhouse where she discovered her passion for writing. Shaunic focused on screenwriting at the Jacob Krueger Studio and learned television comedy from her mentor, Jerry Perzigian (The Jeffersons, Golden Girls). Her screenplay, Decide, was a Semi-Finalist in the 2016 Screencraft Short Film  Production Fund. It was also placed within the top 50 in the Shoot Your  Short competition and was a second-round finalist at the Austin Film  Festival’s Screenplay Competition. Shaunic wrote and directed her first short film in 2021, The Best Time.

 

In addition to her film studies and accomplishments, Shaunic has earned a  Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Mount St. Joseph University,  where she was inspired by interesting stories from her patients and her  love for film.

Stephanie Yuen

1st AD

Stephanie Victoria is a native San Francisco based filmmaker. She has traveled  the world filming documentaries and sharing untold stories. Her travels and  experience has inspired her to begin her own writing feat; which she hopes to  turn into a short film. Starting her professional career as a costume designer, she  has worked her way up to Assistant Directing.

 

She has a keen eye for details  and ensures every department is properly taken care of on every production.  When she isn’t blazing through production she is on the hunt for the trendiest  foods and will travel everywhere for the best bite.

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Alex Ajayi

Cinematographer

Alex Ajayi is a cinematographer from The Bay Area


He got his start working in the grip and electric department on numerous projects ranging from commercials to feature films.

 

From there he has been learning the craftsmanship that goes into shaping light and applying those skills into his cinematography.

Jalea Jackson

Editor

Jalea Jackson is an Atlanta based Director, Producer, and Editor who aims to create films that spark conversation. 

An Honors and Theatre alumna from Louisiana State University (LSU), Jalea has won multiple awards for her work as an editor, filmmaker, and producer. Her short film, "Things With Feathers", a short narrative that challenges the cultural silence black women have created as a coping method for sexual assault, has won several awards and had successful screenings in New Orleans (New Orleans Film Festival), Los Angeles (Pan African Film Festival), and Atlanta (Atlanta Independent Film Festival). In 2018, a short film she edited, "Blood Runs Down", won "Best Louisiana Short" at the New Orleans Film Festival. 

Jalea has served as a Media Loader on the feature film "Wellwood" and was an Assistant Editor for the Sundance 2021 Award-Winning Feature Film "Ma Belle My Beauty", a New Orleanian-French inspired love story. She also was the Assistant Editor for the feature documentary "Commuted", a lyrical, poetic documentary that follows the life of Daniele Metz after her release from prison by the Clemency Act. 

Jalea currently serves as a Video Producer and Editor for Victory Church and is also a Producer, Editor, and Mentor for the Nate Parker Foundation (NPF). NPF is a non-profit organization that seeks to break the barriers in the film industry by empowering young voices of African descent to “tell their unique and diverse stories that may otherwise not be heard.” Through her work, Jalea intentionally focuses on telling stories centered on highlighting the culture and authenticity of marginalized communities and the human condition, all while reclaiming the narrative of stories that are often misconstrued or untold.

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Chris Camacho

Sound Design

I'm Chris Camacho, a San Francisco based production sound mixer and sound designer for film, tv, and commercial. I graduated from San Francisco State University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and a minor in Education. Up to that point, I had been working in education for 4 years as an English
instructor and intended to follow suite in the education field after graduating. However, after interning at SFFILM, the presenter of the San Francisco Film Festival, I soon realized how exciting the film industry was and wanted to jump headfirst into it.

 

I began working and learning under as many experienced sound mixers as I could and started building up my connections. Since then, I have worked with companies including Google, Salesforce, Facebook, Apple, ESPN, Levi's and Vice, amongst many others. I strive to work with clients from start to finish on every kind of project, while ensuring I'm able to help tell a compelling story
through the auditory medium.

Anna Marie Sharpe

Actress

Anna Marie Sharpe is an actor in the Bay Area. In the past year, she has cultivated her craft in the filmed production of [hieroglyph] at SF Playhouse, and made her film debut in 2021 in the short film, “The Best Time,” as Sydney.

 

She has appeared in several UC Berkeley main stage shows such as, Unstable Connection: A Devised Performance, and House of the Spirits, and served as an understudy for School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play at Berkeley Repertory Theater.

 

She received her BA from UC Berkeley where she double majored in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies and was the honored recipient of the 2021 Departmental Citation Award. In addition to performing, Anna is a dedicated mother, director, and writer.

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Austin Dean Ashford

Actor

Austin Dean Ashford is a Creative, and Renaissance man who is also pursuing
his doctoral degree at Texas Tech University in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts. Born
and raised in California's Bay Area, but his passion for performance has taken
him all over the world!

 

From the Kennedy Center in DC to the United Solo Festival in NYC, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and New Zealand Fringe Festivals! In 2019, Austin was selected as a OneBeat Colombia fellow where he collaborated with musicians from around the world to write, produce, and perform original music.

Tajianna Okechukwu

Actress

Tajianna is an actress, filmmaker, and teaching artist based in the Bay Area. She obtained a double degree in Acting and Film & TV Studies from Azusa Pacific University. After graduating, she has returned home to appear in brand commercials & short films as well as direct her own films and music videos. Her 2019 mini documentary Flexin’ in My Complexion which explores the effects of colorism on Black women was selected to premiere at the Mbongui Square Festival film screening at Eastside Arts Alliance in Oakland. After that, it was installed at the Unbound Roots exhibition at SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco.

 

Her work in front and behind the camera centers stories that explore various narratives through the lens of the Black experience. Tajianna is always seeking to tell stories that will shift paradigms and shake culture in our society. 

Tajianna is an actress & director from the Bay Area. She obtained a double degree in Acting and Film & TV Studies from Azusa Pacific University. After graduating, she has returned home to appear in brand commercials, plays, & short films as well as direct her own films and music videos. Her work in front & behind the camera centers stories that explore various narratives through the lens of the Black experience. Tajianna is always seeking to tell stories that will shift paradigms and shake culture in our society.

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THE BEST TIME

Credits 

Written, Directed, and Produced by Shaunic Stanford

Associate Production Company:

WE MAKE MOVIES, INC

Associate Producers:

Eric Kochmer

Stephanie Victoria Yuen 

Producer

Edrei Hutson

Executive Producer

Shaunic Stanford

Assistant Director: Stephanie Victoria Yuen

Cast

Sydney: Anna Marie Sharpe 

Derrick: Austin Dean Ashford 

Terry: Tajianna Okechukwu 

Baby: Aasar Anderson

Crew

Director of Photography: Alex Ajayi 

Production Design: Sahar Yousefi 

Key Makeup/Hair Artist: Carla Fajardo 

1st Assistant Camera: Jessica Le 

Gaffer: Callum Ruston 

Key grip: Michael Lena 

Sound Mixer: Gabe Martinez 

Still Photographer: Pablo Circa 

BTS: Carla Fajardo 

Set Production Assistant: Tajianna Okechukwu 

Set Production Assistant: Alan Dexter 

Set Production Assistant: David Vargas 

Set Production Assistant: Kip Pearson

Set Production Assistant: Michael Fauni 

Casting 

Alan Dexter

Casting Support Services - Breakdown Services

Post Production 

Editor & Colorist: Jalea Jackson 

Editorial Consultant: Jennifer Leo 

Sound Design : Chris Camacho 

Music by John T. Mickevich

"U Are"

Written by: Austin Dean Ashford

Performed by: Austin Dean Ashford

Special Thanks

Krystina Jackson 

Jeanna Overstreet 

Ronnisha Jordan 

Kelly M. Ransom, PhD 

Julia Silbergeld 

K2 & K3

THE BEST TIME

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CAST

Anna Marie Sharpe

Austin Dean Ashford

Tajianna Okechukwu

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