Screenwriter, Playwright, Director
ANDRE FUAD DEGAS
Nadene, a published writer who advocated for women’s rights in Syria, can only get work as a hotel maid in America where she shares a small apartment with her teenage son, Al- fie, an aspiring actor. They both await the return of Ramsey; Nadene’s estranged husband, they have an application pend- ing for citizenship. One day they receive a visit from Emily Santiago, a Latina FBI officer who requests the use of a win- dow in Nadene’s apartment. Emily needs to survey Jo-Jo, a person living across the street involved in fraud activities. Based upon stories of immigrant hardships, the friendship between Nadene and Emily is strained when Emily reveals that Alfie is secretly involved in selling fake IDs for Jo-Jo, the suspect that Emily wants to nab. Alfie confesses to Nadene that he has been earning money illegally to help her get their visa and that the father will not be returning, he has found another wife. Nadene fights to preserve Alfie’s citizenship aspirations at the risk of losing her own. The Window opens meaningful perspectives on the social complexities inherent in America’s immigration policies. Survival caught between assimilation and alienation defines an American dream that is more dream than reality.
THE WINDOW
– Written and directed by –
Andre F. Degas
Andre Degas is a Screenwriter, Playwright and Director. He graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the School of Visual Arts (SVA), NYC. His debut film, First Coda, won many Festival awards. His first feature, American Autobahn, was distributed worldwide. Both films are now part of a MOMA collection (Filmmakers of the 1980’s). He wrote and directed ‘The Kitchen’, a television drama which aired on American Playhouse, PBS and garned 9 million views. He also wrote the screenplay for ‘Condition Red’, a prison drama, for HBO. ‘Crossing the Line’, a short film about a Muslim track runner, was funded by New York State Council On The Arts. His play ‘The House Of Charity’ had a six week run at Theatre for the New City. His latest play, ‘The Window’, is a finalist at the upcoming Rave Theatre Festival (The Soho-Rep, New York City). Andre worked for CBS as a producer and editor. His most recent documentary I Walked With Heroes aired on PBS in Florida and was selected by film festivals in France and Switzerland. Andre holds an MFA in Screenwriting from Hollins University and a Master’s degree in Playwriting from Queens College, where he also taught several creative writing courses. He is currently a Professor of Screenwriting at SVA, NYC.
– Executive Producer –
Steve Stabbath
– Producer –
Jodi Lahaye
Jodi Lahaye began her media career producing independent film: The Kitchen, Office Killer, Frogs for Snakes, The Bumblebee Flies Anyway - and then became an award-winning executive with MTV. She currently acts as a content creation advisor to filmmakers and media companies. Jodi lives in New York City with her husband and two kids.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
NADENE, 35, Middle Easterner, attractive and not without a sense of humor. Although she is a poet and a writer in her homeland, she can only get a job as a hard-working maid in a Las Vegas hotel. She grows from a passive state to a committed, independent, and liberated woman who will sacrifice her own life to save her son.
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EMILY, 36, Latina, pretty but tries to downplay her looks. Very reserved and measured but harbors a lot of hurt and resentments on the inside. She overrides the job and its procedural limitations when she gets to know Nadene. She tastes a true human connection with Alfie and Nadene and becomes a strong ‘partner’ prospect for Nadene.
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ALFIE, 16, Nadene’s son. A bundle of hormones and chemical imbalance as with all teenagers. He chose to be a panto- mime artist not just for artistic reasons but to ‘fit in’, friends teased him about his accent, so he chose ‘silence and ges- tures’ as an art form. The fitting in took him to another dangerous sideline where he and his friend create fake IDs to help immigrants and outsiders. He presumed it’s a way to help his mother financially. But it wasn’t until Julian, a miss- ing father figure became an influence in his life that he was able to recognize that he is endangering his family and their stay in America.
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JOJO, 27, a very smart and savvy neighbor who is a scammer and dangerous criminal. He becomes Alfie’s friend and protector in the neighborhood in. exchange for having him sell fake ID’s. Jo-Jo means well and has a brilliant budding business minded guy, but what he craves the most is prestige, he too needs to fit in, to be admired.
– Producer –
Eloïse Descleves
Eloïse Descleves is an internationally recognized Franco-vietnamese producer with a diverse portfolio spanning France, the UK, and the US. An alumni of USC’s prestigious Stark Producing Program, she produced Rachel Suissa’s sec- ond feature Greek Mothers Never Die, while her latest short film, SOLID, debuted at Palm Springs ShortFest. Eloïse has previously worked in the production teams of major Netflix, Amazon and HBO features and series, as well as in development at Ubsifoft Film and TV, Dirty Films and Autopilot. She’s notorious for her penchant for terrible dad jokes and French cheese.
– Cinematographer –
James Callanan
James Callanan lensed seminal PBS productions with director David Grubin which won four coveted Peabodys and four Emmys. “Napoleon”, “Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided” for which James was nominated for an Emmy for cinematography; and Emmy nominated “the Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer” His feature films include the acclaimed “Manhattan by Numbers” with director Amir Naderi and the thriller“The Attic” with director Mary Lambert starring Elizabeth Moss and John Savage. James Callanan works on premium cable dramas as a camera operator and tandem DP on such recent hit TV series including ‘the Americans’ (FX), ’The GetDown (Netflix), and ’Divorce’ (HBO).
ANDRE F. DEGAS DIRECTOR’S REEL
Tension in the convenience store between father and son. New World ambition old versus old world tradition. Jamal wants the key to the basement to practice his music, his father wants him to run the store. They argue about the past and what happened to Jamal’s mother. Jamal flashbacks on the day his mother left him as a child. His father is critical of the woman Jamal is enamored because she is “too old for him”. Jamal dating an older woman tells a lot about missing his mother while growing up.
Crossing the Line is the story of Khadija, a Muslim High School female track runner, who defies gender
and cultural norms when she falls for a Catholic “All American” Football player, setting the stage for a dramatic ending during the college championship meet in Queens, New York. Scenes from the first act, set up of protagonist her goals and the conflicts she faces....
Telling stories that reveal the hidden language of the human heart, always finding humor and compassion to display how people can coexist.
The Window is also funded by:
