Dayva Summer Escobar, Actress (Oee)

Filming Mermaids’ Lament felt like a daydream. Yet, it was simultaneously the most present I’ve ever felt. Becoming Oee felt childlike, like experiencing the world for the first time. Depression’s dread was a pause that started each day with an exclamation point instead. Behind the arduous tasks of breath holding, deep diving, and trekking up waterfalls, there was bliss. The challenge felt like wisdom — Defying my physical limitations when my body, quite literally, wanted to give out. The blessing to be able to create art that meant something, that held a vulnerable piece of myself and everyone who worked on this film, and act alongside my favorite college acting professor/mentor. A family. I met my best friend there, as he held my head still to get the right shot of my eyeball, lol. That Director of Photography later became my love. I met happiness there too, a deepened love for acting, and myself, in between.

Justina Mattos, Actress (Dr. Nell Jamison)

I am grateful to our director for taking a chance on this. Creating a film aimed at a female audience, a film that touches upon issues like mental health and environmental awareness, and most of all, taking a chance by casting two unknown actresses. During the Covid pandemic, we spent an incredible summer filming in and near the ocean. Every day, I was excited to wake up and go to “work.” Most of the scenes involving my character were emotionally taxing, but I loved every minute of it. I count myself extremely lucky to have been able to collaborate with the kind and talented artists who aligned themselves with this project. Our tiny team functioned like a well-oiled machine, each person contributing in multiple ways to bring the project to fruition. Mahalo nui, e GB, no ka hoʻomanawanui a me ka hoʻomau ʻana i kēia hana noʻeau.

JoJo Guevara, Art Director

Mermaids' Lament was the first project I became a part of when I first moved to the Big Island. I was so uncertain as to what the experience would be like or what would come from this. Having left a big community back in California and not having a community established here yet, I believed at the very least it would be a good opportunity to meet new folks. This venture quickly became more than that. It was one of the most ambitious projects I’ve been involved in, consuming my life for the next couple of months as we all poured hours a day materializing this fantasy world. More so, we all became such a strong unit of individuals, collectively focused on telling such a wild story. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity and immensely thankful to GB for bringing me on board. We all worked our fingers and fins down to the bone, and I couldn’t be prouder of the team.

Camron Verbarg, Key Grip

Mermaids Lament' was such an incredible project to be a part of. I had just moved to Big Island and wanted to get involved with the film and art community as quickly as possible. I can’t thank GB enough for trusting me to be a part of his team and for the rest of the cast and crew who have become some of my closest friends. I’m thrilled the world gets to view this special story, and see the hard work, dedication, and love from all of us.

Elizabeth Saras, Script Supervisor

This is such a special project for many reasons. I was able to be part of the writing process, and some of the events that take place in the film are from the crew's own personal experiences. We would sit in a circle for hours and come up with all kinds of concepts; no idea was a bad one. It was truly a collaboration of some great minds. The people I met, and connections have carried through to many other creative projects. I’m thankful for the experience and excited to show the world what we made.

Roselio Hernandez, Director of Photography

If you had told me in the beginning, that this production would have a significant impact on my life, I would probably have thought it affected my career. On the last day on set, I realized I got something more special from this experience. Mermaids’ Lament felt like a wonderful adventure of creativity with my buddies from summer camp. From holding the head still of my now girlfriend to get a shot, to the laughter and memories I can share with long lasting friends, this production ignited my love for the industry. Congratulations to the cast and crew! I love you all. 

Jessica Jarvis, Composer

When I first saw Mermaid's Lament, I was immediately drawn to the timely themes of this film. As more and more people in our communities are struggling with unresolved trauma, anxiety and mental illness, Oee and Nell teach us that we don't have to go through it alone and in fact, the whole world opens up when we navigate the waters with someone else we trust. Having the opportunity to dive into the worlds of Oee and Nell and write music that captured Oee's sense of beauty, wonder, and otherworldliness as well as follow Nell's struggle with anxiety gave me a newfound appreciation for navigating towards the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. As I've struggled to find my own voice over the years, it was cathartic to be able to do so alongside Oee and to incorporate many vocal elements into the score that hopefully encourage others to find their voices again too.

Sharneisha Joyner, Composer

My journey working on Mermaid’s Lament taught me a lot in terms of the process of working on a feature film but also with the inner themes of this film. As one of my first larger scale projects and working from virtually across the world with this team, I really gained the technical skills a composer needed to facilitate a successful musical score and communicate with GB as our director and all the members of the musical team. As for the themes of this film, it strongly resonated with me how many of us can be going through the motions of what society expects us to be, especially as women, and sometimes how jarring it can be when you come across someone who does not conform to that in any way. Experiencing the two lead characters, Oee and Nell, learn from each other as they interact throughout the film rather than one personality overpowering the other really gives me hope for how we can all learn to communicate with each other today.

Catherine Kalama Becker, Mermaid & Author of Mermaids’ Lament: Undercurrents (with G.B. Hajim)

I’ve been a mermaid all my life; I come from the sea. My birth mother met my father scuba diving, and I was conceived underwater. After completing my memoir, "The Mother Road," which delves into my search for identity as a black-market adoptee, I shared my plan to write my next book on mermaids with GB Hajim (while swimming—of course). He replied, “I’m writing a screenplay about mermaids” and droplets of collaboration began to form. I found my pod working on this film and am grateful to have been able to come out of two years of isolation from writing and covid to be surrounded by incredible talent, immersed in breathtaking scenes amidst the natural beauty of Hawaii, long swims in the ocean in a mermaid tail, crazy antics, and love.

GB Hajim, Producer - Director

When I make a movie, I like to give everyone participating as much agency to be creative as possible from the first moment to the last. With Mermaids’ Lament, the key actors and our small crew even participated in the screenwriting. Almost everyone held the camera for at least a few shots. No ideas were bad ones. This made a shoot full of plenty of craziness verging on absolute insanity. We committed or were committable – through nausea inducing bumpy roads, hot dusty days, freezing ocean night shoots, bruising on river rocks… even slashed my foot open and had a toenail ripped off. Like any band of adventurers, we bonded more from the struggle of it. In post, it was no different. Months of collaboration. Bending ideas and minds. Finding the right color and the right sounding tone for each small moment. And because of these people involved, this wonderful passionate film family, we created something remarkable with just a hint of magic. Enjoy.