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Hey, I'm Monica!
New York, New York
My work addresses issues at the intersection of faith, womanhood, and sexuality. My goal as an artist is to bring communities together through diverse storytelling. Projects that I've written, directed and/or produced have been internationally recognized at over 20 different film festivals and can be viewed at their ongoing festival screenings.
Most recently, I directed Lydia Granered's first music video for her song, Weekend. I'm currently in pre-production to direct two new short films, Young Minds of America by Danny Epstein & Derek Rushing and Mirror Mila featuring Lindsey Sagrera.
You can see my original web series, Nun Habits, screening at Cinequest this August. monicaarsenault.com.
Nun Habits (Creator)
- Official Selection at the 30th Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival
- Best Dramedy, Best Actress, & Outstanding Achievement in Music Nominee at NYC Web Fest
- Best International TV Pilot Nominee at Pilot Light TV Festival Season 4
- Winner: Best Web Series at Ocktober Film Festival
- Winner: Audience Choice Award/Best Web Series at qFLIX Worcester
- Winner: Audience Choice Award at World Webfest Mania, part of the Katra Film Series.
Cheer Up, Charlie (Producer)
- Official Selection at Urbanworld Film Festival
- Official Selection at Hollyshorts Film Festival
- Finalist: Best Webisode at LA Femme
- Best Director Nominee at T.O. Webfest
- Winner: Best Short at the London Cannabis Film Festival
- Winner: Audience Choice Award at the November Screening of Season 7 of IndieWorks
My Projects
Nun Habits Series
New York City, New York• Series
Comedy, LGBTQ
A weed-smoking nun befriends a gay high school senior. Together, they reconcile their personal beliefs with the teachings of the Church.
This project got the green light!
Cheer Up, Charlie
New York City, New York• Series
Comedy
Charlie is your all-pep, piano playing, ponytail rocking white girl-next-door... but she's also your dealer.
This project got the green light!
Young Minds of America
New York City, New York• Film Short
Comedy, Drama
Carl, an interim teacher, is forced to confront his own unconscious bias as he fights to change a corporate America education system.
This project got the green light!
Ending the War On My Body
New York City, New York• Series
Drama
Poetic short films explore the silent violent war waged on the body. If women break the mirrors keeping them captive, do the horrors remain?
This project got the green light!
Projects I'm Supporting
Caribbean Women Film
Los Angeles, California• Film Short
Fantasy, Foreign Film
When a darkness causes the island women to forget themselves, a mother and a daughter must come together and save the day.
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Ending the War On My Body
New York City, New York• Series
Drama
Poetic short films explore the silent violent war waged on the body. If women break the mirrors keeping them captive, do the horrors remain?
This project got the green light!
The Four Dance at Night
New York City, New York• Film Short
Drama
Four free spirited sisters cling to their bewitching adolescence, while engaging in a late night dance in the woods.
This project got the green light!
Pretty Doesn't Hurt: a short film
New York City, New York• Film Short
Comedy, Drama
On a weekend away, an eleven year old girl learns bitter lessons about men, women, power, and money from her single aunt and divorced mom.
This project got the green light!
HOT ANGRY MOM
New York City, New York• Series
Comedy, Drama
A people-pleasing New York City mom struggles to maintain her dignity when a video of her unleashing her anger goes viral.
This project got the green light!
Jesus Would Have Loved Punk Rock
Montclair, New Jersey• Film Short
Drama
One oppressive institution, two rebellious teens, and an uprising that will change everything.
This project got the green light!
Sleep Talking
Jeffersonville, New York• Film Feature
Horror
12-year-old Maya schemes to solve a decades old family mystery discovering that her sister’s sleep talking is more sinister than it seems.
This project got the green light!
The Bystander Effect
Los Angeles, California• Film Short
Drama, Fantasy
A young queer man witnesses an attack on a trans woman of color, and hesitates to get involved.
This project got the green light!
The Rushing of the Sea
New York City, New York• Film Short
Drama, Family
After her mother’s death, a young woman sinks into a grief where all speech sounds like the waves on the beach from their last perfect day.
This project got the green light!
The Girl in the Woods
New York City, New York• Film Short
Drama, Experimental
A chance encounter in the woods helps a woman confront her cycles of self-abuse
This project got the green light!
Casey the Frog
New York City, New York• Film Short
Animation, Family
Come follow the story of a happy family of frogs as they navigate the health of their youngest, Casey, who is diagnosed with cancer.
This project got the green light!
Young Minds of America
New York City, New York• Film Short
Comedy, Drama
Carl, an interim teacher, is forced to confront his own unconscious bias as he fights to change a corporate America education system.
This project got the green light!
Buy In
New York City, New York• Film Short
Horror, Thriller
a charming young salesman and a strange, lonely traveler who find themselves locked in a struggle for control over their own destinies.
This project got the green light!
Interested In, Season 2
New York City, New York• Series
Comedy, Drama
A coming of age original series about the steamy, fumbling sexual encounters of a recently out college student.
This project got the green light!
ASTRO - a short film
New York City, New York• Film Short
Family, Sci-Fi
A young girl named Jenny goes on a fantastical voyage through space with her dying father, slowly realising it will be their last.
This project got the green light!
Triple Threat
New York City, New York• Film Feature
Drama, Musical
Close friendships are slowly pulled apart as a once shared Broadway dream is abandoned by one in favor of a new dream: fatherhood.
This project got the green light!
P's in a Pod
New York City, New York• Series
Comedy
Best friends, Pete and Polly, attempt to navigate identity, sex, the MTA & more in this comedy web series.
This project got the green light!
Flunkyball
New York City, New York• Film Short
Drama, Foreign Film
When unexpected guests arrive at Mia's party her vision for inclusivity crumbles, caught in the crossfire of ignorance under the influence.
This project got the green light!
Playing with Fire
Dover, New Hampshire• Film Short
Drama
After a barn fire kills their parents, siblings Henry and Hattie’s bond is tested by Hattie's fiancé, as they war over control of the farm.
This project got the green light!
OBJECTS
New York City, New York• Film Short
Drama, Shorts Program
A young actress seizes the opportunity (and the spotlight) to break the vicious circle of an abusive acting teacher.
This project got the green light!
Cheer Up, Charlie
New York City, New York• Series
Comedy
Charlie is your all-pep, piano playing, ponytail rocking white girl-next-door... but she's also your dealer.
This project got the green light!
Sinked Up
Los Angeles, California• Film Short
Comedy, LGBTQ
Two women started as roommates. Then they fell in love. A story told from behind the bathroom door.
This project got the green light!
Displaced
New York City, New York• Film Feature
Horror
A young black man in Brooklyn must prove his new white neighbors are emissaries from the Satanic cult they both survived as children.
This project got the green light!
Conversations in Apartment 3A
New York City, New York• Series
Comedy
A comedic web series about two women in their late-20s facing the realities of living in New York City.
This project got the green light!
Rendezvous in Chicago: Three Tales of Love in the Windy City
Chicago, Illinois• Film Feature
Drama, Romantic Comedy
RENDEZVOUS IN CHICAGO is a short comedic feature comprised of three vignettes, each corresponding to the different phases of a relationship.
This project got the green light!
Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema
New York City, New York• Film Festival
Film-related Business, Shorts Program
Show us your film. We'll show you success.
This project got the green light!
Straight Up
Los Angeles, California• Film Feature
LGBTQ, Romantic Comedy
A romantic comedy-drama about intellectual soul mates. He might be gay. She might not care.
This project got the green light!
Nun Habits Series
New York City, New York• Series
Comedy, LGBTQ
A weed-smoking nun befriends a gay high school senior. Together, they reconcile their personal beliefs with the teachings of the Church.
This project got the green light!
America Rise
Seattle, Washington• Film Feature
Documentary
Together, we can create the world we want to live in.
This project got the green light!
Misdirection: a short film
Los Angeles, California• Film Short
LGBTQ, Comedy
A college freshman falls in love with close-up magic as an escape from her unrequited crush on her roommate and her undiagnosed OCD.
This project got the green light!
Singing to the Sheep
Orange, California• Film Short
Drama, Family
George, a young shepherd with a passion for singing must overcome his parents' disapproval to join the local church choir
This project got the green light!
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Pretty Dudes - Season Two
Los Angeles, California• Series
Comedy, LGBTQ
The "pretty boy curse" may be over, but is their luck changing for the better? The Dudes make new friends and face new challenges.
This project got the green light!
Michael And Michael Are Gay
Los Angeles, California• Series
Comedy, LGBTQ
A satirical look at gay marriage through the eyes of two neurotic married misfits named Michael.
This project got the green light!
Ordinary Women
San Francisco, California• Series
Animation, History
Feminist Frequency's new video series about defying stereotypes, challenging the status quo, and being extraordinary.
This project got the green light!
