Directed by Thommy Kane & Bojan Vanovac

THE TIES THAT BIND

Young Tristan (Jacob Moran) desperately needs new shoes, but his mother struggles between feeding her drug addiction and providing for her child.

The Ties That Bind

New Shoes delves into the troubling relationship between a young boy and his drug-addicted mother.

Elaine supports both her son and her habit the only way she knows how. Her son, Tristan, protects her the only way he knows how, on the front porch with his trusty brick. After telling Tristan she plans to spend her recent payday on her next fix, he reminds her again that he needs new shoes for school. Elaine angrily decides to burden her son with the guilt of placing herself in harm’s way in order to provide him with the shoes.

When things go awry, Tristan tries to be supportive only to become a victim of more of his mother’s guilt. The overwhelming remorse he feels prevents him from going through with buying the new shoes, only to return home to find his mother bleeding out from an attempted suicide. After saving her life, Tristan is forced to examine his own life and decide whether or not he wants to continue to be her savior, or decide to finally save himself.

IN THE NEWS

JACOB MORAN

LAURA WHITELY

DAVID AFFLICK

JOE VINGI

COURTNEY RUSH

DENISE MONTEIRO

The Crew Who Made This Film Possible

Luc Ung – Director of Photography | Enver Perez – Editor | Nicholas Natale – Sound Recording & Mixing | Joshua Duncan – Colorist | Dawn Periquito & Shayna Passaretti – Hair & Make-Up | Garrett Clare – BTS Footage | JD Fernando Acha Jr. – 1st Assistant Camera | Forrest Shearer – 2nd Assistant Camera | Matt Iacono – Gaffer | Jonathan Charles – Key Grip | Marlee Schulman & Ariel Hackworth – Production Assistants

Director/Writer/Executive Producer

THOMMY KANE

Thommy Kane was born outside of Boston, Massachusetts. After overcoming the setbacks of living on the streets with a drug-addicted mother, by 18, he turned his love of music into a career as a hip-hop artist. By 23, he signed a record deal with Ted Field, the founder of Interscope Records, before releasing two albums independently. After acting in the movie “Waist Deep,” Thommy shifted his focus to writing, composing, and directing films, a true passion since acting in school plays at the age of nine. “New Shoes” is his directorial debut.
Director/Executive Producer

Bojan Vanovac

Bojan Vanovac was born in Bosnia during the turmoil of the 90’s war. Bojan and his family were forced to move to the United States. His immigration experience and discovery of a new identity are defining influences in his storytelling. Bojan lives in New York. After many successful years working in Boston and winning Best Documentary at MFA’s Roxbury Film Festival, he made the leap and moved to New York City to further pursue his dreams. “New Shoes” is his directorial debut.

A very impressive short film that I would love to see turned into a feature.

-Ted Field

THE TIES THAT BIND

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