A Voicemail To My Freshman Self
NARRATIVE
Description
As graduation approaches, Sejal leaves a heartfelt voicemail for her freshman-year self, reflecting on the growth and uncertainty she experienced over her four years of college.
Inspired by her real first day on campus, the film looks back on a chaotic beginning that slowly became the start of new friendships, self-discovery, and the journey ahead.
Credits
CREW
Director, DP, Producer, Editor Andrea Kim
Writers Sejal Kunigiri Andrea Kim
Camera Assistant Radha Ghate
Foley Assistant Eric Sun
SPECIAL THANKS
Premiere Event Support Snehal Sinha Elizabeth Johnson
CAST
Main Sejal Kunigiri
Friend Suchi Borkar
I wanted to tell someone else’s story for a change, something personal, grounded, and real. When I got the opportunity to share Sejal’s story as she neared graduation, it felt like the right project to do.
The project was inspired by the call scene from Lady Bird, especially the feeling of looking back at a place with love, distance, and uncertainty. I wanted to bring that same emotional honesty into Sejal’s story.
The story was based on her real first day of college, when Tropical Storm Idalia left her late to class, drenched, and stranded on campus. That chaotic beginning ended up leading to new friends and memories that shaped the years that followed…
With only my camera and newly bought DaVinci Resolve Studio software, I wanted to focus on learning color grading and working with natural lighting. I had always avoided recording dialogue since I didn’t have a microphone, but with the school microphone available, I finally had the chance to experiment. We were supposed to use that mic for dubbing, but the iPhone audio we recorded just for syncing actually worked out. A few significant tweaks in Resolve, and it sounded solid.
STILLS
EXTRAS