Liselle Mei


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Lower East Side Stories

Series of short films, 16mm 40 mins

Cast: Stephanie Serga, Elie Finkelstein, Gioia de Cari Stefanie Imhoff, Fabian Rodriguez, Jon Bennet
Writer & Director: Liselle Mei
Producers: Anadil Hossain & Mike Hoy



A dramatic short feature, presented in a series of four sequential portraits of women of varying ages and ethnicities living in the Lower East Side of New York City.

SOFIA is a thirteen year old Puerto Rican girl in a growing pains story about puberty, childish infatuation and the safety of paternal love.

KATHRYN is a bereaved urban professional, dealing with the death of her baby and its effect on her relationship with her husband.

DORIS is an elderly Jewish woman, who has lived in the quarter for years, resisting the neighborhood’s changing face and her daughter’s lesbian sexuality.

MIA is a young European woman, betrayed by her boyfriend and forced to face personal identity issues.

Set against the unique social and cultural backdrop of the Lower East Side, each story presents a day in the life of these four women living in the neighborhood. Connected by location and time, each character’s struggles, hopes and realizations reflect the other, creating a  poignant film about unity and dissonance within the urban community.



“LOWER EAST SIDE STORIES looks at the fragility of life and relationships through thoughtful, poignant
portraits of disparate characters living in New York City. It’s a mature film in every sense of that word. “

—Leonard Maltin




The Jerome Foundation Media Arts Award 2003

The Women In Film Finishing Fund Award 2003

New York Foundation of the Arts Screenwriting Fellowship Award 2004

IFP Market Short Film Finalist 2004
Slamdance 2005 (Official Selection in Competition for Best Short and Kodak Award)

Kodak Cinematography Award nomination 2005

Grand Jury Best Short Film Nomination, Slamdance Film Festival 2005

Women with Vision, Walker Foundation 2005

VC Film Festival 2005

IFP Buzz Cuts Series 2005

Museum of Modern Art Jerome Centennial Selection 2005

Aired on PBS Reel NY, Channel Thirteen/WNET 2005