WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO REMEMBER?
PLEASE BE ADVISED THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS REFERENCES TO SELF-HARM AND SUICIDE. MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY.
A SHORT FILM
DIRECTED & WRITTEN BY JONATHAN BANACH
THE STORY
Peter Emerson, after a failed moment of sexual intimacy, moved away from his family in Chicago to Milwaukee for art school. Years later, Peter lives alone and rarely sees his family anymore.
In an effort to cope with his loneliness and a fading memory, Peter burns his right thigh with cigarettes, forming a lesion that he has thus far kept under wraps.
On his birthday, after a rough phone call from Mom, Peter ventures on a date with an art therapist, Hailey Williams, who challenges Peter to confront his fear of connection, honesty, and his inability to believe in his worthiness to be loved.
THE NEED
In 2024, 23.40% of U.S adults,
or 60 million+ individuals,
experienced a mental illness.
Within one month of death by suicide,
only about 19% of individuals
had seen a mental health professional.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
15-17% of adolescents
and young adults
report engaging in self-harm.
OUR MISSION
To inspire vulnerability, healing, and connection from within
the individual to within the community, for all those who engage with this project, both on-screen and off.
FROM THE
DIRECTOR
My name's Jonathan Banach and I'm the writer and director of "Lesion".
This story is not an autobiography. But it does come from a scary, personal place. And in telling the personal, I hope to communicate the universal. That said, here’s my personal why for this project.
I’m almost thirty. It’s been ten plus years since I’ve last felt the touch, the genuine, honest connection from a woman. This, of course, prompts a lot of embarrassment. A lot of self-doubt. A lot of questions.
What was lost then that has made it so difficult to connect and be vulnerable with others? Have I ever actually loved myself the way I hope to be? Have I ever actually been okay with who I am?
Being honest, I haven’t. In fact, I quite often hate myself.
For so long I shied away from this truth and siloed myself emotionally from my family and those closest to me… out of fear if they really knew me, as the broken person I am, they wouldn’t love me.
Through years of therapy, I started to break through some of these negative belief patterns and, am ever slowly, beginning to be more open and vulnerable with my family and myself. This film is a continuation of that journey and an expression of my desire to connect and be truthful with myself and my family.
I believe our world is broken, made up of broken individuals, but despite this, I believe that we can be broken and still be loved.
It is my desire with this film to scream this truth out to the world.
THE TEAM
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Jonathan Banach
DIRECTOR & WRITER
Born and raised in Brookfield, Wisconsin, Jon is a writer and director currently living in Pomona, CA pursuing a career in narrative storytelling. He received his MFA in Film and Television Production from Loyola Marymount University in May of 2024, where he had the privilege of being a student of Amy Vincent, ASC for a full academic year. Jonathan brings with him an innate desire to foster connection and empathy in every story that he tells. With several short films as a director under his belt, Jonathan’s films explore the intersection of vulnerability, masculinity, and family. -
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McCristol Harris III
PRODUCER
McCristol’s work is deeply informed by his journey through mental health challenges and his commitment to resolving complex family dynamics. By infusing themes of grief with a resilient sense of hope, he creates art that empowers others to pursue their own paths toward clarity and progress. McCristol specializes in exploring unconventional masculinity and innovative approaches to mental wellness. Driven by the conviction that art is a catalyst for discovery and healing, he is dedicated to projects that examine the profound impact of human connections, both realized and lost. -
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Simone Thomas Rowe
1st ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Simone is a filmmaker and 1st Assistant Director whose work is rooted in curiosity about identity, mental health, the body, and social justice. Through immersive, emotionally grounded storytelling, her films explore the quiet tensions between personal experience and the world around us. She has 1st Assistant Directed nearly 20 projects and directed 12 films, five of which are award-winning. Her film ‘Before My Eyes’ is featured on Apple TV as part of Changing Minds: Young Filmmakers, moderated by John Turturro and she has also received on stage recognition at the first annual Children and Family Emmy Awards. -
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Kieran Armstrong
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Kieran is a passionate cinematographer who believes every frame is an opportunity to feel something deeper. An Independent Shorts Cinematography Award winner, his work spans powerful collaborations with NASCAR, UFC, TETRIS, and UNLV, blending cinematic craft with raw emotion. Kieran shot Blown Chances, directed by India Bey, which premiered at the American Black Film Festival, and Mothering Mirrors, directed by Simone Thomas-Rowe, winner of the CONNECTHER Film Festival and selection at numerous others. Guided by intuition and heart, Kieran uses light and color to tell stories rooted in love, growth, truth, and human understanding. -
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Sean Staples
COMPOSER
Sean is an award-winning California-based film, television, media composer and professional songwriter. Sean has written the scores for dozens of feature and independent films as well as multiple television shows and worldwide commercial licensing spots as a professional composer. Sean has won several awards including a “Best Original Score” from the Independent Short Awards, in 2021 and another in 2022. In addition to his film scores, Sean is also a songwriter with multiple hit singles with Flo Rida and Michael Austin (The Voice), and regularly writes with artists and producers in New York, LA, Nashville, and worldwide. This is his eighth short-film collaboration with Jon.
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Faye Liege
PRODUCTION DESIGNER/MUSICAL ARTIST
Faye Liege (b. 1997, Oconomowoc, WI), a Milwaukee-based musician and visual artist who has produced an extensive body of visual art and music, and has led community organizing efforts under different aliases and groups. Notable efforts include co-founding and leading the mutual aid art organization MIDCOAST COLLECTIVE, fronting the electronica group Mood Migration, and producing alternative hip-hop projects like Nocturnals Forever. Her personal work is signified by sampling, speculative science fiction and a dreamy aesthetic. In 2023 she began pursuing her own aesthetic interests through the visual and sonic wax cherubs project. She released her debut EP “and the sky’s warm blood” on September 3rd, 2023. Her sophomore effort “House Bird” EP released on May 6th, 2024. A debut album and corresponding animations are slated for a 2026 release.
