WE STRANGERS follows a commercial cleaning woman whose life is turned upside down when she starts working for a rich family across town, and in doing so, she begins to shift her personality to fit in with her new employers
Rayelle Martin works as a commercial cleaner in Gary, Indiana. She's mischievous, playful, and skilled at adapting to her surroundings. One day while at work, Ray is approached by Dr. Neeraj Patel, a therapist who hires her to work as his housekeeper. Who’s going to say no to extra money? Not Ray. Dr. Patel then presents her with another offer she can't refuse: a second job cleaning his mistress’s home. At first Ray is just an observer, but then, after growing tired of being a witness, she impulsively tells one small lie: that she can speak to the dead. As Ray attempts to gain ownership over her own identity, she finds herself in an odd new position of power.
Anu Valia is a writer/director whose roots are in India and Indiana. A graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Anu's award-winning short films have screened around the world. Her short film, LUCIA, BEFORE AND AFTER premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was awarded the Short Film Jury Award for US Fiction. Anu’s TV directing credits include SHE-HULK (Marvel, Disney+), The AFTERPARTY (Apple), And Just Like That (HBO), SHRILL(Hulu), LOVE LIFE (HBO Max), NEVER HAVE I EVER (Netflix), MIXED-ISH (ABC), AP BIO (Peacock), LOVE VICTOR (Hulu), AT HOME WITH AMY SEDARIS (TruTV), FIRST WIVES CLUB (BET+), AWKWAFINA IS NORA FROM QUEENS, THE OTHER TWO (HBO Max). She directed the pilot for Apple TV's BIG DOOR PRIZE. Her debut feature, WE STRANGERS, premiered at SXSW in 2024 and is supported by Cinereach, Sundance Institute, Women in Film, Tribeca Institute, IFP, and Hamptons Screenwriters Lab.
South by Southwest 2024
Munich Film Festival 2024
Seattle International Film Festival 2024
Atlanta Film Festival 2024
Seattle International Film Festival 2024 - New American Cinema Winner
Atlanta Film Festival 2024 - Honorable Mention
New Orleans Film Festival - Narrative Jury Award
New Hampshire Film Festival - Narrative Jury Award
Actor - Kirby Howell-Baptiste
Actor - Sarah Goldberg
Cinematographer - Charlotte Hornsby
