Title: Runaways The Trailer
Runtime: 9 min
Country: USA
Director: Jamila Smith
Placement: Honorable Mention
Competition: January, 2017

Synopsis: Runaways is a story of four girls who come from completely different backgrounds, but come together when they escape a traumatic and horrendous encounter. Meet Rianna who is from Phoenix. She has a face of an angel, but a rough- around- the- edges mentality with a mean streak. Rianna is never afraid to defend herself if others stand in her way. Yet she truly has a soft heart when it comes to protecting her family and receiving attention from her lover, who has the perfect touch. Simone is a naïve diva from Los Angeles who has many odds against her: a striking beauty that girls envy and a smoking body that guys kill to tamper with. Despite that dilemma, she engages in her art work to escape from any drama that threatens her. All she wants is security with her family and acceptance from her rough neck boyfriend, Jamal. Amy is often perceived as the “perfect Malibu Barbie” from Beverly Hills. She has many secrets and struggles to be heard. Instead, she decides to bottle them inside and has strange outbursts when she finally releases her demons. At other times she remains in her private world since most people don’t seem to understand her. Melanie is an edgy red head with a sultry vibe. She knows all about the hard knocks of working the streets of the slummy side of Santa Monica. She stays determined when it comes to hustling and scheming others who stand in her way. Yet, internally, Melanie struggles with confronting her fears and fights the urge of running from her past. With these different dynamics, the girls have just one thing in common: searching for personal security. But with such different pasts, can these teens learn to bond and support each other through the brutal storms of hard times? Or do they fall for the temptation of chasing fast money, indulging in promiscuity, and tampering in crimes that can have them on the constant run forever?