Bye Bi Love

HD, 17 min, 2010

Synopsis

An invitation to your ex-girlfriend's wedding.
Presided over by your ex-husband.
Til death do you part with your past?

"How do you open an invitation to the wedding of your ex-girlfriend?" As Vera (Allison Findlater-Galinsky) asks this question, a calligraphed envelope lands with a thud. Her present girlfriend, Carla (Tisa Key), responds, "With your teeth."

So opens Bye Bi Love, a short fiction film that doubles as a study of objects and their attendant memory. As Vera conjures her previous relationships over one sleepless night -- be they with her ex-husband Craig (Tobin Tyler) or with her ex-girlfriend, Felicia (Tatiana Dellepiane) -- that bygone time moves fluidly and impressionistically. Vera's memories of ex-lovers are evoked by the objects they bring with them, as they both enter into and depart from her home.

Relating to relationships both gay and straight, either legally recognized or else banned by the legislative state, Bye Bi Love bypasses the standard controversies of the matter to consider the very real trappings of marriage and relationships. We are left to ponder whether or not we ever let go of past loves so that we may truly embrace the present.

Shot by the renowned cinematographer Ann T. Rossetti (By Hook or By Crook, Go Fish) and art directed by Jessica Ennis, Bye Bi Love is a sumptuous film.

Screenings

LGBTQ Film Festival, Mufreesboro, TN - April 2015
Reel Affirmations, Washington, DC - Nov 4, 2012
Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD - Feb 14, 2012
Cinemarosa, Queens, NY - Feb 19, 2012
Long Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival - November 2011
Image+Nation, Montreal, Canada - Oct 2011 , FL - Oct 2011
Emerging Filmmakers Series, Rochester, NY - July 2011
Rhode Island International Film Festival - Aug 2011
Long Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Benefit - Women's Short Films - July 21, 2011
Emerging Filmmakers Series, Rochester, NY - July 29, 2011
Philadelphia Q Fest, Ritz Bourse Theater - July 10 & 17, 2011
Out Here Now Short Film Competition, Kansas City, June 30, 2011
Vermont CineSlam, Hooker Dunham Theater in Brattleboro, VT - June 2011
Boston LGBT Film Festival, May 2011
KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, May 2011
Boston LGBT Film Festival, May 11, 2011
Pride of the Ocean, May 29-June 5, 2011
Society for Photographic Education, Atlanta, March 10-13, 2011 Lesbian Looks Film & Video Series, Feb 25, 2011
Reeling 29: Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival, Nov 8, 2010
Anthology Film Archives, Eye Am - Women Behind the Lens, night of films by Giovanna Chesler and NYC premiere of Bye Bi Love, October 12th, 2010
Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, in Girl's Shorts , October 10, 2010, Egyptian Theater, Seattle, WA

Cast and Crew

Allison F Phillipps (formerly Findlater-Galinsky) as Vera
Tatiana Dellepiane as Felicia
Tisa Key as Carla
Tobin Tyler as Craig
Screenplay - Giovanna Chesler
Cinematography - Ann T. Rossetti
Casting Director - Katherine Hinchey
Sound Design - Allison Jackson
Editing - Giovanna Chesler
Music Composer - Ko Seungyeon
Production Deisgn - Jessica Ennis
Title Design & CGI - Kylos Brannon
Artwork - Pascal Folly
Trailer - Gina Tolentino

Awarded Honorable Mention in Fiction Filmmaking, University Film and Video Association

Press

Shewired.com reviews Bye Bi Love at the Chicago Reeling Film Festival: "Giovanna Chesler's Bye Bi Love was one of the more fleshed out and solid shorts of the two programs...Findlater-Galinsky carries the film near flawlessly as the conflicted Vera."

Interview with Giovanna at Prideindex.com about BBL and other work.

Arizona Daily Star buzzes about the screening of Bye Bi Love at Lesbian Looks.