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Perfected in sound.
Annivalentines Day Short Film
This page includes the official storyline, cast and crew credits, production notes, and behind-the-scenes context for the project Annivalentines Day. If you are building a film portfolio or festival archive, this layout is also structured for search visibility and clean navigation.
Annivalentines Day is a 10-minute American short film released in February 2015. The film was created for the 10-10-10 Challenge at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF), a production format that requires filmmakers to deliver a complete short under strict real-world constraints: 10 days, 10 people, 10 minutes.
Directed by Aleksandar Adzic and written by Joe Arciniega, Annivalentines Day combines drama and dark comedy to explore what happens when a long-term relationship reaches a breaking point. The story is built around emotional tension, uncomfortable honesty, and the strange moments that surface when two people stop pretending. The project Annivalentines Day premiered at SBIFF and received the Best Screenplay Award as part of the challenge.
Storyline
After a long life together, a couple discovers each other’s dark sides and faces the truth in a weird way. As the tension rises, familiar routines become sharp, personal, and unpredictable. Annivalentines Day uses a short runtime to deliver a focused emotional turn, moving quickly from subtle discomfort to direct confrontation.
The narrative works because it respects the limits of the format while still giving each beat space to land. It is both intimate and unsettling, and it stays grounded in relationship behavior that feels real, even when the tone becomes strange.
Festival Project Background
The 10-10-10 Challenge at SBIFF is designed to pressure-test storytelling and production discipline. Annivalentines Day was produced within a compressed timeline that demanded fast decisions, efficient scheduling, and careful on-set coordination.
Constraints like these often reveal what matters most in a film: clarity of intention, performance direction, and pacing. In this case, the limitation became the structure. The team built the film around practical locations, controlled coverage, and editing choices that keep the story moving without losing emotional weight.
For filmmakers and students, projects created under challenge rules are a useful example of how to balance ambition with realism. Annivalentines Day is a strong reference for short film planning, collaboration, and script-first execution.
Learn more about the festival:
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Director
- Aleksandar Adzic
Writer
- Joe Arciniega
Cast
- Nick Base as Gardener
- Eddie Eisele as Bill
- Ivana Jovanovic as Marty’s Wife
- Joseph Makkar as Marty
- Rebecca Tennison as Carrie
- Duke Way as Mail Man
Producers
- Aleksandar Adzic, Producer
- Olivia Garcia, Producer
- Steven Norris, Producer
- Andy Samarasena, Executive Producer
- Gianmarco Speciale, Associate Producer
Key Crew
- Composer: Vladislav Juric
- Cinematographer: Rapha Bola
- Editor: Gabrielle Lunger
- Production Designer: Michael Kelleher
- Art Director: Shanea Furze
- Costume Designer: Ak Liesenfeld
- Makeup: Alisha Tennison
Additional Departments
- Assistant Directors: Olivia Garcia, Steven Norris
- Sound: Alex Fails (Boom Operator), Shanea Furze (Boom Operator / Sound Editor), Ivan Rodriguez (Sound Mixer)
- Special Effects: Joel Pfeiffer
- Visual Effects: Joel Pfeiffer
- Camera and Electrical: Jose Babcock (Camera Operator), JD Fordyce (Assistant Camera / Key Grip), Luke Homay (Assistant Camera / Gaffer), Joaquim Pujol (Grip)
- Production Department: Steven Norris (Production Coordinator), Gianmarco Speciale (Production Coordinator)
Technical Specifications
- Runtime: 10 minutes
- Release Date: February 2015 (United States)
- Country: United States
- Language: English
- Color: Color
- Genres: Short, Comedy, Drama
Awards and Recognition
Annivalentines Day was created for SBIFF’s 10-10-10 Challenge and received the Best Screenplay Award. The project also premiered as part of the festival program, marking a significant milestone for the cast and crew involved.
Festival recognition matters because it reflects both the creative outcome and the production discipline required to finish under real constraints. The award also highlights the strength of the script and the effectiveness of the story structure within a short runtime.
Behind the Scenes
Annivalentines Day film was built through tight collaboration across directing, performance, cinematography, and post-production. The behind-the-scenes stills from the journey represent more than the shoot itself. They capture the pace of the challenge and the shared focus required to finish on time.
If you are adding a gallery, use a curated set of images that show the production environment, the crew at work, and selected stills that reflect the tone of the story. Keep file sizes optimized for the web, and use descriptive alt text for each image.
Watch and Follow
If you are tracking the film’s updates, releases, or related work, you can follow Sunlight Productions Holdings LLC on the platforms below.