A short film by Elena Belyea.

Directed by Raghed Charabaty

Produced by Elena Belyea + Tall Hero Productions with funding from Telus’ Storyhive and the Edmonton Arts Council.

Synopsis: Hashtag skull emoji. While trying to go viral, queer content creator Taylor accidentally archives a devastating break-up. To cope with their shame, they film videos, dissect failed relationships, and evade responsibility at every turn (infuriating their best friend and roommate Monica in the process). A comedy about love, mental illness, and trying to make it as an artist in a ruthless, likes-obsessed gig economy. It’s a living!

Creator Statement: In 2022, I got a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts two years ago to make TikToks. For two months, I was glued to my phone, filming, editing, and generally, a nightmare to be around. I went through life half present and on high alert for anything that could be repurposed as “content”. When the grant ran out, I was pretty happy to put this version of myself behind me.

But did I? The validation that came from a video performing well was real, and I still experience the occasional pull to pick up my ring light and film myself pouring cups of water from my vagina. NEVER BETTER!!! was my attempt to exaggerate my most toxic qualities (over-emotional, self-indulgent, prone to wallowing) while also showcasing the grief of grinding away in a capitalist society that doesn’t care about their well-being as genocides unfurl, and climate change irrevocably transforms the world around us.

Creator’s bio: Elena (or Eli) Belyea (they/she) is an award-winning film and theatre maker, actor, and producer, currently based in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, Treaty 6 territory). Their work explores the subjects of queerness, intimacy, technology, power, and love, and has been produced across Turtle Island and internationally (including Austria, Hungary, and New York). They’re a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s Playwriting program (a conservatory training program which accepts two new students a year).

Their short film Passion premiered in 2017 at the Edmonton International Film Festival. They’re half of queer sketch duo Gender? I Hardly Know Them (with 12K followes on Instagram and TikTok). Gender? I Hardly Know Them’s proof of concept of the same name ran at the 2021 Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival and their digital series, filmed in 2022 (3 episodes x 10 minutes) is currently screening at festivals (including Rio WebFest in Brazil and LA Webfest). In 2024, they were part of Spindle Films’ Trans and Non-Binary Mentorship program (six months, including a week at both the Banff Centre and Inside Out).

Director’s bio: Raghed Charabaty is a queer Lebanese-Canadian filmmaker based in Toronto. Their films have won at TIFF: Canada’s Top Ten, Festival du Nouveau Cinema. An alumnus of the CFC Director's Lab (Canadian Film Centre) and the BIPOC TV&Film WarnerBros Writer’s Lab, Raghed holds an MFA in Film from York University with a SSHRC in Honour of Nelson Mandela, and is a two-time Netflix-BANFF Pitch Program fellow.

Select press for Elena Belyea available here.

Screener available for viewing here (pw: crocs).