Better To Have Loved

Episode 1

“Gifts Given”

Credits

Starring
Jacqueline Goce as Athena
Sam Loveys as Dean
Molly Greenblatt as Mia
Campbell Kaye as Barista

Director – Sabrina Wennekers
Director – Jordan Danner
Writer/ Producer – Kaden Nanji
Cinematography/ Editor – James Bottomley
Sound Operator/ Lighting – Pascal Hum
Lighting – Campbell Kaye
Special Effects – Robert Della Rosa
Composer – Mersum Khokar

“Better to Have Loved” is an anthology series that explores the nuances and complexities of human relationships, while navigating through romantic, familial, and platonic love across a diverse set of characters and environments.

Episode 2

“Red String”

Credits

Starring
Jainna Fernandez
RJ Mendoza
Emalita Natividad
Ivan Duong
Katherine Maybaum
Viva Niamnamtham
Zackary Fehrman
Shayel Penuela
Sophie Ava Chua
Jean Mendoza
Izzabelle Bantog
Danemarc Agajona

RV Mendoza (voice)
Gary Gould (voice)

Director/ Producer – E.J. Fernandez
Writers – Jainna Fernandez & E.J. Fernandez
Cinematography/ Composer – Josh Day
Assistant Director – Zackary Fehrman
Sound Operator – Tony Ho
Key Grip/ Editor – George Gamas

Title Graphic by Abeer Amjad

In a world where soulmates are connected by a red thread, two university students feel the tug of their strings. They roam around campus searching for each other.


Episode 3

“Power Of Love”

Credits

Starring
Gabriel Enriquez
Sydney Waters

Directors – E.J. Fernandez & Gareth Chamberlain
Writers – E.J. Fernandez, Gabriel Enriquez, & Callum Kettles
Cinematography – E.J. Fernandez & Gareth Chamberlain
Production Assistant – Tony Ho
Production Assistant – Sydney Waters

Power of Love explores the complexities of heartbreak, following a man who is reminiscent of the love he once had.

Episode 4

“Liminal Echoes”

Credits

Starring
Olivia Flint
Callum Kettles
Hobbes

Director – E.J. Fernandez
Writer – Olivia Flint
Cinematography – E.J. Fernandez
Sound Operator – Tony Ho
Assistant Camera – Nicholas Morgan Breveglieri
Special Effects Manager – Thomas Flint

“Sweetness”
Written and Performed by Olivia Flint

Liminal Echoes captures the transitional moments between adolescence and adulthood, symbolized by the term “liminal,” meaning on the threshold, and “echoes,” evoking reverberations of experience and emotion. This film encapsulates the introspective journey of self-discovery, uncertainty, and growth inherent in the coming-of-age experience, representing both the echoes of the past and the exploration of what lies ahead.

Episode 5

“Anamnesis”

Credits

Starring
Logan Kendel as Emmett
Cole Pinsky as Cody

Supporting Cast
Paul Beniaminov
Ryan Mesbahi

Director/ Writer – Evie Bhasin
Producer – E.J. Fernandez
Cinematography – Morgan Eastwood
Assistant Director – Jolina Mangilaya
Editors – Evie Bhasin, Logan Kendel & Jolina Mangilaya
Colorist – Logan Kendel
Sound Designer/ Sound Editor/ Foley Recordist – Morgan Eastwood

Music Composition by Duncan Hall

Production Design – Jolina Mangilaya
Wardrobe – Evie Bhasin, Logan Kendel & Jolina MangilayaHair and Makeup – Evie Bhasin, Morgan Eastwood & Logan Kendel

Special Thanks to
Pale Blue Dot, Hamilton, ON

Anamnesis, set in an all-boys boarding school in the 1940s, follows two boys who fall in love, lose each other, and reunite again against all odds.

Episode 6

“Image Of Us”

Credits

Starring
Zackary Fehrman
Rich Shao
Katherine Maybaum



Director/ Writer/ Producer – E.J. Fernandez
Cinematography – Alex Mousavi
Assistant Camera – Josh Day
Key Grip – Tony Ho
Sound Operator – Emen Trussart
Editor – George Gamas

Special Thanks
Connor Stratton
Daniel Badmis
Olivia Flint
Callum Kettles
Gabriel Enriquez
Nicole Van der Kley
Adhya Arora
Jerico Cura
Anya Vinnick
Kya Weiman
Jainna Fernandez
Denes Kiss
EDC
Avant Toronto

“Clair de Lune”
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by Rich Shao

In “Image of Us” memories come alive as a man is transported back in time by the enchanting melodies of a pianist. Through the captivating notes of the piano, he revisits cherished moments, each chord unlocking a hidden treasure of emotions and nostalgia.

Episode 7

“CandleLight”

Credits

Starring
Dev Sharma
Hilla Yaniv
Man in Hallway: Yousif Hassan
Kimberly Voicemail: Layla Ferreira

Director/ Writer – Vincent Lecompte
Camera Operator
Assistant Director
Lighting
Sound Recordist
Drone Operator
Production Assistant
Editing/ VFX

A distraught couple tries to scrape together what’s left of their romantic spark for one last candlelit dinner. This film, by Vincent LeCompte, was nominated for Best Short Film at the 2023 TARA Awards. Check out our instagram for more: https://www.instagram.com/better.to.h…