About this submission

In Ohio, for fun, me and my friends would drive from one fast-food restaurant to the next. Sitting and avoiding eye contact led to vulnerable conversations: “I haven’t told anyone this. I’ve wanted to kill myself for a while.” This is how we got close. I wanted to see if these vulnerable conversations could be replicated in Europe with strangers. This was important to me, because when I was in the car with my dad, I couldn’t speak because of a deep ingrained fear. Ultimately, I wanted proof that it wasn’t my fault he doesn’t talk to me.

Kiubon Kokko

Creator

Kiubon Kokko is a documentary filmmaker from Columbus, Ohio. He earned his B.A. in Media Studies from Claremont McKenna College. Since then, he has completed three short films and is currently working on his first feature documentary. His work has received recognition at the IES Abroad Film Festival, the Oscar-qualifying Drama International Short Film Festival, and has been featured at the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival. In 2024 he was a finalist for Kartemquin’s DVID Fellowship. He has also received support from O’Shaughnessy Ventures, which provided a $100,000 grant, as well as from Sundance and SXSW award winner Jim Cummings, and the Ohio Wexner Film/Video Fellowship. He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt and proud member of A-Doc and the Gold House Future’s Network. more...

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