Contemporary America — Short Film (Director / Producer)

Contemporary America is a short-form visual work created from an excerpt of Wide Awake by Diana Winston, a leading mindfulness teacher and educator. Winston is the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, where she has played a foundational role in bringing mindfulness programs into higher education since 2006. She has also taught extensively at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.

The film translates Winston’s written work into a visual meditation on awareness, presence, and modern life. Contemporary America uses imagery, pacing, and mood to mirror the internal experience described in Wide Awake, allowing the audience to feel the tension between distraction and attention that defines contemporary culture.

Contemporary America was shortlisted for YouTube Play at the Guggenheim Museum, selected from over 23,000 global submissions, recognizing the film’s ability to communicate complex inner experience through visual storytelling.