Sorry, We’re Dead
(86 min)
A feature film by Alex Zajicek
Alex Zajicek’s SORRY, WE’RE DEAD is a film for a new generation of creatives, challenging expectations and delving deep into an absurd and comedically original subconscious. The film embodies a rare and refreshing representation of Asian American artists without tokenizing the protagonist or essentializing her experiences. Its creative and tonal consistency is striking, embodying an unwavering chaos and erraticism that adds nuance to Lana’s depressive spiral while teasing out the queer tensions inherent in the struggle to make art beneath repressive and restrictive systems, and the decision to persevere nonetheless.
-Seattle Asian American Film Festival 2024, Grand Jury “Best Narrative Feature” award
Won “Best Narrative Feature” at the Seattle Asian American Film Festival 2024
Won “Best Feature Film About Women” at the Paris Lady MovieMakers Festival 2024
Won “Best Belly Laugh - Feature” at The Comedy Film Festival 2024 (Austin, TX)
Won “Best Narrative Feature” at the Royal Starr Film Festival 2024 (Birmingham, MI)
Semi-Finalist Feature Film at the Blow-Up Arthouse Filmfest 2024 (Chicago, IL)
Nominated for “Best Editing” and “Breakout Actress - Sarah Lee” at the Festival of Cinema NYC 2024
A burned-out lecture editor juggles her soul-crushing job, quirky coworkers, and a secret admirer, all while grappling with the fear that her dreams of making movies are slipping away—until a series of lies and absurd fourth-wall-breaking incidents force her to reconsider what truly matters in life.
The ennui of a filmmaker, trapped between aspiration and reality, frames Lana Jing’s quirky, sarcastic, and cinematic-joke filled quarter-life crisis. At her lecture hall job, where aging white men wax on, self-involved, Lana accidentally frames her friend and co-worker when she destroys the only copy of an aging tech-bro’s high-profile lecture. Lana is forced to navigate stop motion animation, a secret admirer, and terrible bridge traffic to sort out a way forward to her destiny… kinda.
PRESS:
https://www.kqed.org/arts/13951958/sf-indiefest-is-a-valentine-to-movies-and-movie-lovers
https://www.kqed.org/arts/13964353/sorry-were-dead-review-oakland-international-film-festival
https://filmthreat.com/reviews/sorry-were-dead/
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/sf-indiefest-movie-highlights-18651787
https://localnewsmatters.org/2024/02/05/pass-the-remote-dozens-of-eclectic-offerings-at-26th-sf-indie-film-fest/
https://48hills.org/2024/02/pack-the-popcorn-indiefest-2024-is-adventure-time-for-moviegoers/
https://alamedapost.com/features/arts/catch-an-alamedan-actor-in-sorry-were-dead/
https://ccpulse.org/2024/02/10/behind-the-scenes-local-filmmaker-details-his-first-feature-length-movie/
https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2023/11/08/el-sobrantes-alex-zajicek-to-debut-first-feature-film/
https://richmondstandard.com/richmond/2024/01/30/el-sobrante-filmmakers-movie-poised-for-bay-area-premiere/
https://www.zekefilm.org/2024/06/25/sorry-were-dead-film-review/#
Past Screenings:
Ethos Film Awards International Film Festival - Santa Monica, CA, 11/12/2023
Paris Lady MovieMakers Festival - Paris, France, 02/06/2024 - Won “Best Feature Film About Women”
San Francisco Independent Film Festival - San Francisco, CA, 02/10/2024
Seattle Asian American Film Festival - Seattle, WA, 02/25/2024 - Won Grand Jury “Best Narrative Feature”
Atlanta Film & Webfest International - Atlanta, GA, 04/05/2024
The Comedy Film Festival - Austin, TX, 04/07/2024 - Won “Best Belly Laugh - Feature”
Hysteria Fest 2024 - St. Louis, MO, 06/29/2024
The BraveMaker Film Festival - Redwood City, CA, 07/13/2024
Festival of Cinema NYC - Queens, NY, 08/03/2024 (Nominated for “Breakthrough Female Performance” and “Best Picture Editing”)
The Worst Film Festival - Oakland, CA, 08/29/2024
Nòt Film Fest 2024 - Santarcangelo di Romagna, Italy, 09/08/2024
Royal Starr Film Festival - Birmingham, MI, 09/13/2024 - Won “Best Narrative Feature”
The 22nd Oakland International Film Festival - Oakland, CA, 09/20/2024
Public screening at “The New Parkway Theater” - Oakland, CA, 09/29/2024
Raleigh Film & Art Festival - Raleigh, NC, 10/05/2024
Lost River Film Festival - San Marcos, TX, 10/17/2024
Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival 2024 - San Jose, CA, Oct 18- 27, 2024
Orlando Film Festival - Orlando, FL, 11/03/2024
Chico Independent Film Festival - Chico, CA, Nov 1-3, 2024
