#LoveYourz

Members of a teenage self-love creative collective search for love, adventure, good vibes, and a way forward as they traipse through the outer boroughs of NYC.
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#LoveYourz by Nick Bentgen
nickbentgen.com/
"Embarking on a film about teenagers immediately made me recall my own youth. I grew up a 90s theater kid in a blue collar town in Wisconsin. Like every teenager, I felt I didn’t belong. My mom had cancer, my dad felt impossible to reach. I had so much creative expression welling up inside of me with too few meaningful outlets. The truth is I didn’t know how I fit in anywhere, and I felt I couldn’t share that with my friends.
Music videos and movies were my lifeline. Dazed and Confused, Pulp Fiction, Boogie Nights, Kids, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Y Tu Mama Tambien. Those films spoke to me. It’s life-changing to see an emotional experience that reflects your own, if only through media. I had to wait until I was in my twenties and moved to New York to find a sense of community and belonging. But the kids of #LoveYourz were sussing that whole identity thing out much earlier and creating a community for each other right here right now. I wanted to capture the feelings they were going through as they built that beautifully messy punk safety net for each other."
Read our full interview with Nick
directorsnotes.com/2024/04/22...
// Credits //
Music by
Princess Nokia
Small Black
Sneaks
Saunder Jurriaans & Danny Bensi
Divine Council
CAVIAR presents
#LoveYourz
Directed by
Nick Bentgen
Produced by
Lisa Kjerulff
Executive Producers
Jasper Thomlinson
Michael Sagol
Associate Producer
Zach Stoltzfus
Photographed by
Sam Wootton
Greta Zozula
Visual Effects by
Dan Anthony Kelly
Edited by
Eavvon O’Neal
Sound Design and Re-Recording Mixer
Juan Aboites
Colorist
Sam Daley
Featuring:
Teiarra Wallace aka Chris Manson
Jasmine Brown
Kaya Vialva
Infinity Kinsey
Sensei "Shi Zen" Ibraheem
Trish Anna
Tim Spacely
Chanel Renee Baldwin
Aliya Sway
Nakeel Mcclean
Yasheen Wilson
Diani Eshe
Lani De Gannes
Malik Edwards
Khaalik Edwards
Kyle Gardner
Keyanna Cummings
Justin Holder
Hanifiah
KC
Denzel Thomas
Corey Nelson
Khadija Dublin
Bubba Hubba aka Shenekwa
Suky Burgs
Kainan
Smooth
Sherman
Dante
Sean
Sammy
Jion
Keara
Tati
Isiah
Caeley
Victoria
Bobbie
Six
Leslie
Melissa
Kayla
Afia
Post-Production Coordinator
Megan Amicucci
Production Assistants
Bex Frankeberger
Trotter Gollihar
Annalise Lockhart
Callie Lyons
Carlos Zozaya
Mixed at
Duotone Audio Post
Audio Post-Producer
Greg Tiefenbrun
Sound Effects Editor
Eleanor Osborne
Digital Intermediate by
Technicolor Postworks NY
Director of Sales
Barbara Jean Kearney
Project Manager
Nicole Guillermo
ABOUT DIRECTORS NOTES
Since 2006 Directors Notes has curated the world's best independent films alongside exclusive daily deep dive interviews which provide behind the scenes insights into the inspirations and production stories of the most talented filmmakers on the planet.