Director Statement

"Northern Star" was an idea that came to me during a drive home in the middle of the night while I was listening to music. I had the image of a band that was on track to blow up on the scene, but tragedy struck and only one of them survived a horrific accident. I wanted to dive into what it would be like for a character to go through something so traumatic. When I was auditioning for the lead role, I found this song "Helium Minds" sung by Kathryn Rheault and I was incredibly moved that I had her audition. Her song moved me to tears and inspired some of the character as well. This film took 2 years to write and produce for the whole month of shooting we did. Everything was completely self-financed and I'm so proud of the team I worked on this with. This film means the world to me with everything it tackles especially on a personal level. I hope people really leave watching the film feeling that there is still hope for a better tomorrow.”

-Jason Cortez

Screenings and Awards

• Latin Shorts Film Fest

• Independent Shorts Awards

• Best Acting Duo at Independent Shorts Awards

• Independent Cinema Showcase

• Austin After Dark Film Festival

• Jersey Shore Film Festival

Press

• https://www.facebook.com/AustinAfterDarkFilmFestival/posts/congratulations-northern-star-directed-by-jason-cortez-virginia-is-an-official-s/120264602663078/

• https://independentshortsawards.com/2019/01/16/northern-star/

• https://www.jerseyshorefilmfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/JSFF-PROGRAM-Low-Res.pdf