Filmmaker Elizabeth Hogenson’s revealing animation Dani shares a personal tale about her former roommate’s phone call with her mother, in which she reveals a life threatening illness. This topical film won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated Short at Mammoth Lakes Film Festival 2019 and the Best Animated Short Award at Palm Springs International ShortFest 2019.

At only 30 years old, Danielle Hernandez is forced to have a phone conversation with her mother that no one should ever have. DANI is a universal portrait of strength, love, and courage.

Director and producer Elizabeth Hogenson is a visual artist who was drawn to stop motion animation after taking a class whilst she was pursuing a master’s degree in Cinema and Media Studies at USC. Hogenson’s works explore women’s issues, using touches of whimsy humor. Elizabeth lives in Los Angeles with her partner and pug and is currently developing a new project that will focus on Alzheimer’s disease, which was inspired by her former ballet teacher after she was recently diagnosed. This new project will incorporate both actual footage and stop-motion animation.

Danielle Hernandez was diagnosed with stage 4 Breast Cancer at the age of 30.  She recorded her journey and experiences on her podcast Well This Sucks with the support of her two best friends Heather Alacon Higginbotham and Tana Hamilton. Hernandez was born and raised in Miami, Florida and now currently resides in Los Angeles with her cat, Moonie.

The film was executively produced by Kyle McClary and edited by Robert Panico.

Dani will be screening at numerous upcoming film festivals such as Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival, Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival and many more.

Dani Trailer 2019 from Lizzy Hogenson on Vimeo.