Alexandra Mulligan’s short documentary 'Imperfect' wins short documentary category at Albany Film Festival

Communications student Alexandra Mulligan’s short documentary “Imperfect” has won the short documentary category of the 2022 Albany Film Festival, presented by the New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany. “Imperfect” stars Danielle, Mulligan’s mother, on her journey to embrace her love for arts. 

“My mom overcame the challenge of a huge life change. It is always scary to make a decision that you know will change your routine, income, and lifestyle, but she stepped out in faith and did it anyway,” said Mulligan ’22 “She has told me that she has spent time in prayer over the subject and felt led by God to take the leap and live a creative life. Implementing creativity and art into her lifestyle has been a dream of hers, and now she practices art as more than just a hobby but as a professional and as a human being who worships, relaxes, and has fun through art.” 

We recently caught up with Mulligan to discuss her award-winning film: 

What prompted you to write about this subject? 

This documentary originated as a project for my advanced video production class for Professor (Liz) Richards last year. The prompt was to take a deep dive into a place or person. As I racked my empty brain for ideas at my desk at home, I heard my mother cooking upstairs and thought, “Ah, she’s a person. Cool, how convenient.” 

Who was the actress/actor? What was the motivation behind using them?

The subject of this documentary is my mother, Danielle. In recent years, I have witnessed her life change as she has moved from working as a front desk receptionist to embracing her love for creativity and implementing that passion into her lifestyle. She quit her job and started working at a custom frame shop, working with her hands. She then transformed our guest room into a fully functioning art studio and spends hours per day painting, drawing, and molding clay in there. It is very inspiring to me, and I wanted to articulate that story through film.

How long did it take you to  produce the film from writing to final editing?

This was actually one of the briefest production and editing projects I have ever made as a student. It took a bit of planning what shots I wanted to get and what questions to ask for the interview. Then I just shot the whole doc with my mom in her studio in one afternoon. I asked her the questions over a cup of tea at night. Editing probably took me around a week, which is fast for me. 

What was your biggest takeaway from this experience?

My biggest takeaway is that it’s worth pushing through uncomfortableness to put your work out there. Any art you create can be kind of embarrassing to show people because it is inherently personal. Showing friends and family is vulnerable, but screening it to classmates, professors, and festivals is another level of yikes. I never had it in mind to enter any of my projects in festivals yet, though it has always been a goal of mine, but after screening “Imperfect” with my class last year, I was really encouraged by their feedback! 

What was your reaction when you found out you won the category?

A few weeks after entering the film and finding out it had been selected to be screened at the festival, I sort of forgot about it. Then I remembered and dug through my email and found the notification that “Imperfect” actually won. I think I audibly said, “nice,” then closed my laptop. 

Any future projects/plans with film, and what are your career goals?

I am currently in the post-production phase with my final senior film project. It is definitely the most ambitious film I have had the joy of making, and I have learned so much through the experience! 

I would absolutely love to have a career in film and be a professional in the industry. I have been approaching that dream one step at a time and will continue to do so after graduation! 

By Kaseem Gomez ’22