Hey r/movies! We’re Courtney Stephens and Callie Hernandez, the filmmakers of the recent meta-fictional, experimental feature film INVENTION, that’s now streaming on Mubi. You might also know Callie from La La Land, Alien: Covenant, Blair Witch, Under the Silver Lake, The Endless. Ask us anything!

Hey r/movies! We're Courtney Stephens and Callie Hernandez, the filmmakers of the recent meta-fictional feature INVENTION which riffs on real circumstances to explore the relationship between fantasy and grief — both in personal life and how it reflects externally in America today. The film deals with weird medicine, losing dads and the emotional logic of conspiracy theory against the bucolic, literary backdrop of the Berkshires in the fall.

Synopsis: In the aftermath of a conspiracy-minded father’s unexpected death, his daughter receives his patent for an experimental healing device. Featuring archive from actress Callie Hernandez's actual late father, INVENTION explores the process of grieving a complicated parent, and the filmmaking itself becomes a part of the process.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFtolT9DE6M

Watch on MUBI: https://mubi.com/en/us/films/invention-2024

Ask us anything! Back at 3 PM ET to answer questions.

Bios:

Courtney Stephens is a writer/director of four features and numerous short films. Terra Femme, composed of amateur travel footage shot by women in the early 20th century, was a New York Times critic’s pick and has toured widely as a live performance. The American Sector (with Pacho Velez) follows slabs of the Berlin Wall installed around the US. John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office (with Michael Almereyda) explores the life of psychedelics pioneer John C. Lilly. Her films have been exhibited at MoMA, The National Gallery of Art, The Barbican, Walker Art Center, and film festivals including the Berlinale, Locarno, Rotterdam, Viennale, New Directors/New Films, Visions Du Réel, Thessaloniki, IDFA, BAFICI, True/False, Hong Kong, and the New York Film Festival. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship, and grants from the Sloan Foundation and the Foundation for Contemporary Art.

Callie Hernandez is an actress, writer and filmmaker. Her first film was Terrence Malick’s Song to Song followed by a decade of work as an actress. She is known for Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant, Damien Chazelle's La La Land, A24’s Under the Silver Lake, HBO Max's The Flight Attendant, and Pete Ohs’ JETHICA. Upcoming work includes: Rachel Sennott’s Untitled Comedy Series, Albert Birney’s OBEX and James N. Kienitz Wilkins’ The Misconceived. In 2023, she founded an in-house film studio which yiel