Bushwitches
JASIA KA | USA | 2023 | 8 MIN | ENGLISH
JASIA KA | USA | 2023 | 8 MIN | ENGLISH
Synopsis
Created and directed by Jasia Ka, BUSHWITCHES is a supernatural dark comedy about a coven of witches living in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The Bushwitches embark on a series of magical misadventures in their mission to regain dominance in the tarot card industry and oh yeah, take down the patriarchy. If God’s out and astrology is in, then all hail the Bushwitches: our 21st century disciples.
Trailer
Filmmaker Bio
Jasia Ka is an Emmy and Telly award-winning writer/director working in documentary, commercials, music videos & scripted. Jasia grew up an All-American runner and dancer in downtown Philadelphia, a city that David Lynch described as a place where his imagination exploded, "fantastical...beautiful, if you see it the right way". Jasia is best known for her atmospheric music video direction, darkly comic narratives and character-driven documentaries that turn the lens towards rebels and dreamers with a focus on female and queer perspectives.
Director's Statement
I GREW UP VISITING FAMILY IN SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS AND AS A SELF-IDENTIFIED WITCH, I WAS FASCINATED WITH THESE GIRLS IN THE 1600’S WHO WERE BASICALLY JUST DANCING AROUND IN THE WOODS, AND BECAUSE A FEW DUDES WERE SCARED OF WHAT GIRLS CAN DO WHEN THEY ARE ON THEIR OWN AND UNITED, THEY ENDED UP INSTIGATING A SOCIETAL MASS-MURDER -- THAT’S A LOT OF POWER. My vision for the future is to reframe and bust open the status quo of what a girl can be, and to disrupt expectations of what she should be, and witches have been doing that for centuries. In the era of #metoo, donald trump and abortion rights out the window, it’s no surprise that witchcraft is having a major comeback. And while the woo-woo appropriation of global witchcraft can be comedic in its ignorance, it is also indicative - everyone needs a religion or a system to believe in, even cynical NYC hipsters, and mystical feminine unity and psychic fortunes seem like a logical enough higher power at this chaotic moment. I hope audiences will enjoy this series as a window into a cultural moment, or as a familiar sight brought to a new level of absurdity, but I also hope it leaves viewers questioning themselves, what do I believe in these days? I think the Bushwitches are a pretty good choice.
Writer
Jasia Ka
Cinematographer
Lauren Pruitt
Cast
- Nell Amari
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