{"id":229916,"date":"2026-05-13T13:29:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T13:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/229916\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T13:29:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T13:29:40","slug":"invisible-labor-takes-center-stage-in-brooklyn-short-film-backed-by-chelsea-film-festival-incubator-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/229916\/","title":{"rendered":"Invisible labor takes center stage in Brooklyn short film, backed by Chelsea Film Festival incubator \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a Gowanus <\/a>film set, emerging filmmaker Amber Jesse<\/a> stood surrounded by a crew of nearly 20 people, cameras rolling on her debut short film, \u201cI Almost Forgot.\u201d But behind the production itself was another story \u2014 one about the city\u2019s growing effort to support independent and BIPOC filmmakers before they ever reach Hollywood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The short film, produced through the incubator program at the Chelsea Film Festival, follows Amelia, an administrative assistant navigating the emotional and professional toll of unseen workplace labor. The three-day shoot ran from May 8-10.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe film is really kind of about invisible labor and what that means \u2014 people that are working behind the scenes getting stuff done, but they\u2019re not being recognized for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the story unfolds, Amelia spends the day attempting to secure a meeting with her boss while juggling constant office demands. By the film\u2019s conclusion, the title itself becomes symbolic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the film, Amelia realizes she kind of almost forgot herself in a sense,\u201d Jesse said. \u201cSo the title becomes a metaphor, and it\u2019s also literal.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Jesse, the story evolved into something more personal during development.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of it I\u2019m like, \u2018Wow, this actually reminds me a lot of my mom,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cSo that\u2019s become a big process with everything, too. This is kind of a dedication to my mom and just anyone that feels like they\u2019re doing stuff and they\u2019re not being recognized.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project is part of the Chelsea Film Festival\u2019s <\/a>nine-month incubator program focused on supporting emerging BIPOC filmmakers. The \u201chighly selective\u201d program is \u201cdesigned for storytellers with bold ideas, fresh perspectives, and a passion for pushing boundaries in film.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ChelseaJean-Baptiste (right), director of the Chelsea Film Festival, said that the program provides a unique and comprehensive opportunity to BIPOC directors.Photo by Olivia Seaman<\/p>\n

According to the Chelsea Film Festival\u2019s director, Ingrid Jean-Baptiste, Jesse was selected as part of the 2026 cohort after impressing mentors and organizers throughout the development process.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the fourth season that this initiative has been in action,\u201d Jean-Baptiste said. \u201cWe\u2019re very proud to have her because she is a very dedicated, very strong filmmaker.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jean-Baptiste said the incubator supports filmmakers through screenwriting mentorship, production grants, post-production assistance and eventually a world premiere screening at the festival in October.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need more emerging BIPOC filmmakers, especially at the screenwriting stage,\u201d she said. \u201cNow that it\u2019s done, now that it\u2019s shot, now that it\u2019s edited, now it\u2019s time to let it out into the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Backing the production is the New York City Mayor\u2019s Office of Media and Entertainment<\/a>, led by Commissioner Rafael Espinal, who visited the Brooklyn set during filming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Espinal connected the film\u2019s themes to the city\u2019s broader economic priorities under the current administration.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe measure the strength of our city\u2019s economy not by how well corporations and companies are doing, but by how well the people who are actually producing the work are doing,\u201d Espinal said. \u201cAre they able to afford the rents? Are they able to buy groceries? Are they able to care for their families?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mayor\u2019s Office oversees film permitting across New York City while also funding programs and festivals designed to create opportunities for emerging creators. Espinal said initiatives like the Chelsea Film Festival incubator are essential because they connect filmmakers directly with industry access and membership.<\/p>\n

\"\"Amber Jesse not only directs the film, but stars at its protagonist.Photo by Olivia Seaman<\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime we invest in a film, we\u2019re investing in our local economy because we are giving people work,\u201d Espinal said. \u201cIt really is a full ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n

The production itself relied heavily on Brooklyn-based collaboration, local vendors and donated equipment support from AbelCine. Jesse\u2019s crew shot the film using an ARRI Alexa Mini camera package while operating out of a local creative space in the borough.<\/p>\n

For Espinal, who grew up in Brooklyn and once dreamed of becoming a filmmaker himself, seeing productions like this emerge at the grassroots level feels especially meaningful.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up wanting to be a filmmaker,\u201d he said. \u201cBut programs like this just didn\u2019t exist when I graduated college, and I just didn\u2019t know how to get my foot in the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Commissioner Rafael Espinal took time to offer advice to Amber Jesse and her crew about filmmaking.Photo by Olivia Seaman<\/p>\n

Espinal added that he did not direct his first professional short film until he was 40 years old.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s amazing to see younger generations actually have the opportunity while they\u2019re still young and in their prime to make it happen,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n

Jesse said one of the most valuable parts of the process has been learning how to ask for support and trust her own creative voice.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really all starts with starting,\u201d she said. \u201cYou have to start somewhere, start writing, start pitching yourself. And the worst that someone can say is no.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI Almost Forgot\u201d will make its world premiere this October at the Chelsea Film Festival in Manhattan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On a Gowanus film set, emerging filmmaker Amber Jesse stood surrounded by a crew of nearly 20 people,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229917,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[90271,90272,98,23161,90273,100,99,90274,82222,90275,2995,90276,90277,18516,9,24,39424,12,370,63,90278,45069,90279],"class_list":["post-229916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-amber-jessee","tag-bipoc-filmmakers","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-arts","tag-brooklyn-film","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-chelsea-film-festival","tag-emerging-filmmakers","tag-film-incubator","tag-independent-film","tag-indie-cinema","tag-ingrid-jean-baptiste","tag-mayors-office-of-media-and-entertainment","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-arts","tag-news","tag-newsletter","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-film-industry","tag-rafael-espinal","tag-short-films"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}