Amara Abbas's Short Film DEAR [NAME] Turns Corporate Rejection Into Spoken-Word Performance
Directed and co-written by Amara Abbas, the four-minute short film DEAR [NAME] reinterprets corporate rejection messages through spoken-word artistry. Featuring Ebenezer Gyau and produced by new—land, it serves as the foundation for the Reject the Rejections initiative by People Like Us and Worth Your While. The film critiques the use of automated hiring processes, incorporating actual rejection messages directed at ethnic minority applicants. Set in a nondescript waiting area, it employs repetitive corporate jargon alongside a backdrop of stamps and footsteps. In an interview with Gaia V. Marraffa, Abbas described the Kafkaesque design and sound as a cohesive entity. The concluding scene reveals candidates in shadow, emphasizing diversity as a visual theme while enriching individual narratives.
Key facts
- DEAR [NAME] is a four-minute short film directed and co-written by Amara Abbas.
- The film stars Ebenezer Gyau and is produced by new—land.
- It is the centerpiece of the Reject the Rejections campaign by People Like Us, created with independent creative agency Worth Your While.
- The script is built from real rejection lines sent to ethnic minority candidates.
- The film is set in an anonymous, windowless waiting room with office logic but no purpose.
- Sound design uses stamps, footsteps, and falling paper as rhythm beneath the monologue.
- The film was shot on 35mm to bring precision to worldbuilding and compositions.
- In an interview with Gaia V. Marraffa, Abbas cited S.E. Hinton and described a panopticon-like quality in hiring processes.
Entities
Artists
- Amara Abbas
- Ebenezer Gyau
- Gaia V. Marraffa
- S.E. Hinton
Institutions
- new—land
- People Like Us
- Worth Your While
- The Breakfast Club