In the aftermath of a conspiracy-minded father’s unexpected death, his daughter receives his patent for an experimental healing device. Featuring archive from actress Callie Hernandez’s actual late father, INVENTION explores the process of grieving a complicated parent, and the filmmaking itself becomes a part of the process.
A hybrid work narrating the process of mourning in its most fanciful forms. Driven by a collaborative effort between Courtney Stephens and actress Callie Hernandez, both of whom have lost their fathers, Invention is a quest where shadows and objects mysteriously come to life.
“With only their wits and imagination at their disposal and not a lot of money, Stephens and Hernandez deliver a superior, singular and arresting film that will bring credit to both their careers.”
Ankit Jhunjhunwala International Cinephile Society 14/08/2024
Winner for Best Performance, Locarno Film Festival 2024, 2024, af
Prix d’Aide à la Distribution Ciné+ OCS, Festival Entrevues Belfort, 2024, fr
Courtney STEPHENS
Courtney Stephens is an American writer and director. Her documentary The American Sector, co-directed with Pacho Velez, was named as one the best films of 2021 by The New Yorker. Her films have been exhibited at numerous institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Barbican, and Walker Art Center, and have screened at major film festivals including the Berlinale and the Viennale. Courtney Stephens is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Fulbright Scholarship.
