The Strawberry Jam
^{Short Film (2022)}

Charlie Chaplin Award for Best Short
Chicago Arthouse, 2023

Best International Short Film
Swedish International Film Festival, November 2023

Best First-Time Filmmaker
Beyond the Curve, November 2023

Best Comedy Short
Yale in Hollywood, 2023

Best Editing – Comedy
New Jersey WebFest, 2023

The Strawberry Jam tells the story of Mrs. Doodle, a ’90s housewife who is frugal in every possible way: frugal with her budget, with her calories (she’s on a diet), and with her desires.  Like many moms, Mrs. Doodle spends all of her time perseverating over how to get everyone else what they want, never stopping to consider what she might want herself.  Mrs. Doodle’s frugal world is finally disrupted by a tempting jar of gourmet strawberry jam and a charming Jack-of-All-Trades (played deliciously by Julian Morris) who just keeps popping up in grocery store aisles, television sets, and even magazine pages. Happily, in this love letter to Moms everywhere, Mrs. Doodle gets what she wants (and Mr. Doodle, of course, gets what he deserves).

Drawing inspiration from Wes Anderson and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, writer-director Laura Lionetta utilizes theatrical production design, original visual storytelling, and a powerful original score to infuse an everyday story with beauty and whimsy, reminding us that our greatest victories are often the smallest ones.

Written and Directed by:
Laura Lionetta

Producers:
Sarah Vick
Bernice Yu
Laura Lionetta
Lauren Sowa

Director of Photography:
Justin Lee

Cameras:
Alexa Mini LF ProRes4444
Fuji X-T3 ProRes 422 HQ

Running Time:
16m 45s