"The Nail Salon" - Short Film
Donation protected
A racist incident at her local nail salon puts Crystal, a single mother, in the center of a revolution she did not sign up for. Her main concerns were raising her son and keeping up with social media, now she has to either do the "right thing" and take part in the boycott sweeping her community or just remain indifferent.
During the Summer of 2018, in Flatbush Brooklyn, an altercation occurred at an Asian owned nail salon, in which the Asian employees attack a Black Woman customer. The viral video of the brawl took the city by storm and sparked protests and boycotts against this particular nail salon leading up to its ultimate closing a few months later. "The Nail Salon" is inspired by this true story, following the struggle of one woman in the community who isn't necessarily an "activist" and does not quite know what to do. This fictional short explores racial tension, personal discovery, and the possible activism behind getting a full set. With this film we plan to push forward the "Support Black-Owned Businesses" movement, not just in Brooklyn, but across the U.S. We will support organizations such as "Black-Owned Brooklyn" and "BlackBookLA" and more, via social media and networking. "TheNail Salon" will spread the word about Black-Owned nail salons in NYC while drawing attention to organizations which are already doing the work behind supporting Black-owned businesses nationwide, and reinforcing their message. We hope to partner with these organizations for film screenings and events to encourage others to understand the impact they have in their own communities.
It is early one morning, Crystal’s son Raja(10) is getting ready for school. Crystal is in her room, updating her Instagram page with her morning routine, as she is posting photos of her favorite products she keeps hearing an annoying noise, some sort of arguing or commotion, over and over. She goes into the kitchen to see Raja watching a video on her tablet. She yells at him, saying she doesn’t like him looking at violence, taking the tablet away from him. She looks at the video, a fight broke out at a nail salon between a Black Woman customer and the Chinese owners/employees. Crystal is in awe and disgust, the man swung on this woman, the employees try to shoo her out using brooms, it is revolting. This is not just any nail salon, but it is the nail salon just blocks away from Crystal’s apartment, the one she has been frequenting for years. Crystal tries to remain calm and assure her son that it was probably a misunderstanding, however, Raja is left confused and asks his mother “are you gonna boycott?”. This question leaves Crystal speechless but she just brushed him off, telling him to get ready to go. As the day progresses Crystal is practically haunted by her son’s question and the responsibility she has to her people. She goes back to the nail salon, pushing through people of the community protesting and encouraging a boycott, just so she can simply get her nails done. Yet this is her abyss, she is met with internal conflict as the employees of this business that she supports fail to understand the fault in their actions. Later that night Crystal is in a deep internal state of “what now?”. The next day, like fate, she stumbles across her solution. How she can make a subtle change that impacts many others and sets an example for her son.
What exactly will funds go towards? Well here's an overview of our most recent budget breakdown:
Equipment, Camera/sound/lighting etc. - $3,000
Locations/set up - $2,000
Props/Set design -$300
Wardrobe - $500
Hair and Makeup - $700
Travel expenses- $1,000
Marketing and distribution - $500
Legal/Accounting - 1,500
Contingency- $500
During the Summer of 2018, in Flatbush Brooklyn, an altercation occurred at an Asian owned nail salon, in which the Asian employees attack a Black Woman customer. The viral video of the brawl took the city by storm and sparked protests and boycotts against this particular nail salon leading up to its ultimate closing a few months later. "The Nail Salon" is inspired by this true story, following the struggle of one woman in the community who isn't necessarily an "activist" and does not quite know what to do. This fictional short explores racial tension, personal discovery, and the possible activism behind getting a full set. With this film we plan to push forward the "Support Black-Owned Businesses" movement, not just in Brooklyn, but across the U.S. We will support organizations such as "Black-Owned Brooklyn" and "BlackBookLA" and more, via social media and networking. "TheNail Salon" will spread the word about Black-Owned nail salons in NYC while drawing attention to organizations which are already doing the work behind supporting Black-owned businesses nationwide, and reinforcing their message. We hope to partner with these organizations for film screenings and events to encourage others to understand the impact they have in their own communities.
It is early one morning, Crystal’s son Raja(10) is getting ready for school. Crystal is in her room, updating her Instagram page with her morning routine, as she is posting photos of her favorite products she keeps hearing an annoying noise, some sort of arguing or commotion, over and over. She goes into the kitchen to see Raja watching a video on her tablet. She yells at him, saying she doesn’t like him looking at violence, taking the tablet away from him. She looks at the video, a fight broke out at a nail salon between a Black Woman customer and the Chinese owners/employees. Crystal is in awe and disgust, the man swung on this woman, the employees try to shoo her out using brooms, it is revolting. This is not just any nail salon, but it is the nail salon just blocks away from Crystal’s apartment, the one she has been frequenting for years. Crystal tries to remain calm and assure her son that it was probably a misunderstanding, however, Raja is left confused and asks his mother “are you gonna boycott?”. This question leaves Crystal speechless but she just brushed him off, telling him to get ready to go. As the day progresses Crystal is practically haunted by her son’s question and the responsibility she has to her people. She goes back to the nail salon, pushing through people of the community protesting and encouraging a boycott, just so she can simply get her nails done. Yet this is her abyss, she is met with internal conflict as the employees of this business that she supports fail to understand the fault in their actions. Later that night Crystal is in a deep internal state of “what now?”. The next day, like fate, she stumbles across her solution. How she can make a subtle change that impacts many others and sets an example for her son.
What exactly will funds go towards? Well here's an overview of our most recent budget breakdown:
Equipment, Camera/sound/lighting etc. - $3,000
Locations/set up - $2,000
Props/Set design -$300
Wardrobe - $500
Hair and Makeup - $700
Travel expenses- $1,000
Marketing and distribution - $500
Legal/Accounting - 1,500
Contingency- $500
Organizer
Kearah Armonie
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY