I’m Fine (Thanks For Asking) – Watch the trailer for the new indie drama

Bulldog Film Distribution has released the trailer for Kelley Kali & Angelique Molina’s debut feature I’m Fine (Thanks For Asking) in cinemas and on demand from 3 March.

The film is set in Southern California and follows recently widowed hairdresser Danny (played by Kali) who becomes houseless and convinces her 8-year-old daughter Wes (Wesley Moss) that they are only camping for fun while working to get them off the streets. As Danny works to find permanent housing, Wes grows increasingly tired of weeks in the heat, so her mother promises her that they will go home by the end of the day. With clients lined up, Danny is confident that she will have the final cash she needs to secure an apartment, but a series of mishaps threatens to derail her plans. Under mounting pressure, and with roller skates as her only means of transportation, she has to somehow manage to get the money she needs in order to keep her promise to her daughter.

Starring co-writer/director Kelley Kali alongside Deon Cole (Blackish, Babershop: The Next Cut) and newcomer Wesley Moss, I’M FINE (THANKS FOR ASKING) premiered at SXSW where Kali received Special Jury Recognition for Multi-Hyphenate Storyteller.

During the pandemic in 2020, Kelley Kali, Angelique Molina and Roma Kong decided to use their free time during lockdown to finally make a movie together, something they had wanted to do since graduating from USC School of Cinematic Arts. They began to brainstorm ideas about the current state of the country, and one of the many issues that hit them all, was the threat of not being able to pay rent and the lingering danger of becoming houseless. As Kelley explains: “We all had recently begun noticing more women living on the streets than we had seen before. Knowing that it could have been us or any of our friends and family, this became the salient topic for us to address. We incorporated my passion for roller skating, and only two weeks later, this spark of an idea became, I’M FINE (Thanks For Asking), a labor of love, grit, determination and teamwork.”

Kelley Kali is a native of Los Angeles, Howard University & USC School of Cinematic Arts Alumna, and has directed, written, and produced award-winning films in Belize, Haiti, China and theUS. She was a recipient of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences domestic Academy Gold Fellowship for Women in 2021. After graduation, Kelley worked at National Geographic Television and Film, and became the only woman selected to direct the first creole dramatic TV series in the country of Belize, Noh Matta Wat, for which she won the Paul Robeson Award. She was selected to work with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s New Form Digital, to develop her web series, The Discovery of Dit Dodson, and in 2018, Kelley wrote and directed Lalo’s House, which went on to win the 45th Annual Student Academy Award and was in consideration for the 91st Annual Academy Awards. Kelley also won the Directors Guild of America Student Filmmaker Award, the KCET Fine Cut Award, Shadow & Act’s Rising Award, the Programmers’ Award at the PanAfrican Film Festival and the Jury Award at the Diversity in Cannes Showcase sponsored by Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions. Her work hasbeen featured at the AmericanBlack Film Festival as one of the top Emerging Directors and I’M FINE (THANKS FOR ASKING) has been selected by festivals including Seattle, the American Black Film Festival Miami and SXSW where it won the Special Jury Prize. Kelley’s goal is to be known as a director and content creator who addresses issues within often marginalized communities by using the art of filmmaking to create dialogue and action towards positive change.