Chicken Boy

Directed by Kayla Arend

Type of Project: Drama
Length: 8:20 minutes
Producer: Tang Yi
Editor: Alexandra Wallace
Cinematographer: Zamarin Wahdat

Chicken Boy is a dark coming-of-age story in which a lonely boy recognizes parallels between the bullying he endures at school and the neglect he experiences at home. Born and raised in a low-income family, Jacob truly has to fend for himself.

We are with Jacob as he receives some of the harshest bullying he has ever experienced on his bus ride home from school. Once he arrives home, Jacob takes to his normal routine of feeding the chickens and taking care of his mother. Jacob hears a noise in coming from the chicken coop. He investigates and discovers a raccoon attacking the chickens. He goes to tell his mother but she is unsympathetic. She angrily urges Jacob to pick up a gun and do what his daddy taught him, rid the chicken coop of the pest.

Graduate
kma451@nyu.edu

Kayla's familiarities in film and life amount to a wide-ranging collection of landscapes. Originally from Minnesota and currently living in New York City, Kayla has worked on set in Rwanda, Wyoming, Spain, Ghana, and Nepal. Having navigated her way to NYU graduate film school she has evolved her lifelong passion into her vessel for creative expression. Kayla's skill as a director have been shaped and sharpened as she has traveled from the deep wilderness of the rocky mountains to concrete jungle of Manhattan. Her dedication to experiential learning is reflected in the diverse films she makes.