Dead Period

DE/US 2024, 10 min

English

synopsis

Caleb and Duarte have been immersed in the world of basketball from a young age, their shared passion for this magical sport connecting them. Initially, it was all about the thrill of dunks, stepbacks and threes. But as they grew older, the stakes got higher. When Caleb discovers that a coach from Chapel Hill, his dream university, has reached out to Duarte, he feels a sense of betrayal. They decide to hash it out on the court. But can their friendship weather the storm for one last match?

Dead Period is a production of Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF in co-production with the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

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director’s statement

Dead Period tells the story of a break-up against the backdrop of racism and the uncertain status of Latino Dreamers – child migrants who grew up in the USA but whose permanency there is not guaranteed. Two best friends, both underprivileged in their own ways, are pitted against each other. What was once a game of innocence becomes a battle for survival. After looking at police brutality through the lens of a musical, I wanted to use rhythm and dance to explore the fallacy of meritocratic discourse in the United States.