A company that creates thought-provoking media for science and the arts.
Berkshire International Film Festival
The 24 min version of our film Reflection screened at this year’s Berkshire International Film Festival. Despite its awkward length, we received many encouraging reviews. The theme of the film seemed to have struck a cord with a lot of people, and we were happy to see it be so welcomed.
“My son, who is 5, is all about barbies and dresses,” one person came up to us and said as he flipped through the BIFF booklet. “And that is why I was marking your film. It’s really a relevant topic.” 
We must admit that we had no idea how this film would be received. There is no apparent category that it will fall under. But what a relief that it was taken so well! A huge encouragement indeed, and we hope that the film will take off to more festivals in the future.
Film for New Yorker -MAIDAN-
During a timely chain of events in Ukraine, Andrey worked on this short film as editor for The New Yorker. Being from Donetsk, Ukraine, himself, the content of this film hit very close to home. The film takes us to Maidan, when the new Ukrainian government was being forced to reckon with the far right. During the initial protests that forced out the corrupt government of Viktor Yanukovych, the ultra-nationalist group Right Sector played a crucial role, providing muscle to protesters who were largely unequipped to do their own fighting. The Right Sector had been viewed with some distaste in cosmopolitan Kiev. Now its members found themselves tolerated, even respected, by other protesters in the square.
“Reflection” short film trailer
Wow. It’s been almost 2 whole years since we started working on this short film. We are so happy to share with you the trailer of “Reflection” which is going to compete in film festivals this year.
Reflection is a short film about a young single mother struggling to raise a gender non-conforming child. Despite her frustrations and anxiety, she is forced to come to terms with her child’s potential transgender identity and realizes that, ultimately, her love for her son trumps all her fears. This film explores the cultural perception of “the normal kid” and the difficulties with accepting a LGBTQ family member.
Many studies show that relationships between LGBTQ youth and their parents are often challenged. There are higher documented cases of suicide attempts, substance use, depression, and sexual health risks among LGBT adolescents than straight adolescents; researchers note these physical, emotional, and social health risks related to social stigma and negative societal responses, including the lack of family acceptance. This film proposes that families have a central and enduring influence on a child’s life, and that the family’s understanding of a child’s gender orientation is essential to the child’s future.
Our hope is that the film will speak to the hearts of LGBT youth who are seeking a sense of acceptance and security, as well as to the hearts of families and friends, who need to know that their struggles to accept and understand are not theirs alone. Currently we are at the final stages of post-production and are in need of funds for completion; this includes fees associated with color correction, sound correction, music rights and producing press kit materials such as flyers, posters, and various exhibition copies of the film. We would like to ask for your help and would love for you to join our team to push this film out to the world. No amount is too small. For information on how to make a tax deductible donation, please see here: http://nokafilms.com/reflection-donation/
VANDALS
We made some cool videos for the first edition of fashion photography magazine VANDALS. Short, scary-sweet, and unbelievably fun to make. More of these kind of gigs are so very welcome. Happy watching!
The Circle Bridge
At the start of this year, we created an art video for The Circle Bridge, an experimental dance performance by Blue Muse Dance and Movie House. It was a tricky shoot with live audience and car traffic (!!), swaying bridge floors and multiple performers, multiple locations, multiple cameras, and multiple versions of choreography. Editing was a bit tougher that we originally though.
But at the end of the day, we are happy that our clients loved the video. We think it captured the mood of the place and time of the performance, as our eyes would drift off to anything it sought to see.
The Circle Bridge was a site-specific performance that combined live choreography of Mayuna Shimizu‘s Blue Muse Dance NY and the large-scale animated projections of Nathan Punwar to tell a story of interconnectivity, travel and history. Audience members followed their own distinct narrative as they walked the span of the 2,810-foot Pulaski Bridge that connects Greenpoint, Brooklyn with Long Island City, Queens across the Newtown Creek.
Happy 2014, the year of the horse!
They say the Chinese calendar, but we think it’s the Japanese calendar…
May the year of the horse bring everyone happiness, good health, good surprises, and fulfillment. The spirit of the horse is recognized to be “making unremitting efforts to improve oneself”….which is exactly what Noka is determined to be this year. We are entering Year 4 of operation, supported by our clients, friends, and colleagues more than ever before. We’ve come quite a bit, but there is much more room to grow. We thank you very much, and we look forward to more collaborations in 2014!