Available June 28, 2022 on Digital and On Demand
After the sudden death of their midwife, an L.A. couple hire her son to be their live-in doula.
Produced by Barry Linen
in Association with Vacation Theory
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Directed by Cheryl Nichols
Written by Arron Shiver
Cinematographer Drew Bienemann
Doula Director Cheryl Nichols On How She Brings Cerebral Films To Life THE LIST
Premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival
Executive Producer/Creator Cheryl Nichols and Ari Basile
Produced by Vox Media Studios and The Front
on Freeform
Directed by Jenna Rosher, Amy Berg and Kristi Jacobson
Cinematography by Nausheen Dadabhoy, Jenna Rosher, Wolfgang Held, Curren Sheldon
Keep This Between Us is a four-part series that follows one woman’s journey as she reexamines her past relationship with a trusted teacher. The series exposes an epidemic of widespread grooming in U.S. high schools.
The documentary is a deeply personal story that takes place over the course of several years as I investigate the sexual abuse I experienced in high school. What started off as a self-shot journey with my creative partner Ari Basile, and snowballed into a four-part series produced by VOX Media and Freeform.
After the initial Harvey Weinstein reporting, as the #metoo movement progressed, as Trump accusers came forward, as Brett Kavanaugh, under oath, tried to appear innocent in his misunderstanding of “Devil’s Triangle”, I was often transported back to my experience in High School, where I was groomed and abused by a teacher. For many years, I was so ashamed of what happened to me, believing I was at fault; a homewrecker, a whore, a teacher’s pet, an attention seeker. That was the narrative. When I moved to LA to start a new life, I tried to put it behind me. I didn’t want to be perceived as a victim. I saw victims as weak and refused to relinquish my power. However, during the early #metoo days, I began to see the “relationship” with my teacher and mentor in a new light, prompting me to reevaluate my experience.
When I decided to make this documentary, it was important that I be as curious and forthcoming about what happened to me as possible. I believe there is value in watching a person process through trauma, as it allows the viewer to experience some relief in witnessing the mistakes made by another in pursuit of growth. I wondered if putting a face, a feeling, a consequence to the old “she knew what she was doing” could change minds. This series was an attempt to retrace my steps. We used some unorthodox methods. Some worked, some didn’t. I thought stumbling through the events of my past in real time, imperfectly, chaotically would give others permission to speak up without feeling the pressure to be the perfect victim. The complexity of the show’s subject matter takes an open mind to unpack, and the ability to re-frame the social constructs that have shaped our understanding of consent. The goal of the documentary was to begin a conversation; something I believe my team and I achieved. Since the premiere, I have received thousands of messages from women, most of which were stories just like mine.
Premiered August 29, 2022 on Freeform and Hulu
SALON: "I'm still unraveling it": "Keep This Between Us" filmmaker on being groomed as a child
THE DALLAS OBSERVER: Filmmaker Cheryl Nichols Isn't Afraid To Tackle Tough Subjects
TEEN VOGUE: New Freeform Docuseries Keep This Between Us Exposes Grooming in High Schools Across America
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Inside Freeform’s Expansion Into Nonfiction
2017. 99 mins. USA.
Directed by Cheryl Nichols
Written by Arron Shiver and Cheryl Nichols
Cinematographer Kelly Moore.
Official Selection of Slamdance Film Festival, Dallas International Film Festival, Houston Cinema Arts Festival, Ashland Independent Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, and Santa Fe Independent Film Festival.
Winner of the JURY PRIZE for BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE at 2017 ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL.
Winner of the BEST NEW MEXICAN FILM award at the 2017 SANTA FE INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL.
JURY AWARD HONORABLE MENTION for Best Cinematography at 2017 ASHLAND INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL.
4 out of 4 Chilies from the Santa Fe New Mexican Pasatiempo.
“Cheryl Nichols’ directorial debut brims with a well spring of deep emotions. At first, these currents may not be so easily seen, for on the surface the film carries itself with a stoicism that is about as hard-worn as the highways that cut across the Southwestern landscape its story takes place in. In this way Cortez is a film of intersections, of paths laid bare, stretching out towards a horizon sculpted by the powdery eventide of mystery itself. It is a work filled with dreamers long after their dreams have faded, where the reality they must face down, while daunting, just may be far more vibrant and fulfilling than anything they could have ever imagined. Nichols, with her steadfast cast and crew, has sculpted an earthy family drama that doesn’t abandon hope, but rather suggests there may be something even more enriching to discover beyond it: a broken and reckless self that is, nonetheless, whole.”
-Ben Umstead, PROGRAMMER SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2017
"Cheryl Nichols has an excellent sense of when to let the camera drift or dance, and when to minimize its presence. The southwestern landscape is effortlessly gorgeous, but it shines quietly in Cortez as a character in itself, its endless labyrinthine hills as inviting as they are mysterious and intimidating.
"It's not easy to find cinema that transports the viewer into a place filled with people who genuinely seem to have existed before the film begins and long after it rolls credits. Perhaps Nichols and Shiver being real-life partners who actually have ties to the region contributed heavily to this sensation—but Cortez is not a documentary, nor a home movie. It's a fully-fledged film, and a special one worth seeking out."
-Teresa Nieman, SCREEN ANARCHY
"...The way narrative, and elements of scene are interwoven in this film is is extraordinary, and make for a satisfying sense of storytelling with few loose ends... An abundance of immersive scenes composed to draw the viewer into a specific situation or perspective of the frame make Cortez a visual treat.
"It’s less so a film about achieving stardom at any price, and more a film about what it means to become whole."
-Kate Morgan, FESTWORKS
Directed by Cheryl Nichols
The Living Worst is an experiment in storytelling without a script or cinematographer. The story was written by myself and a group of women in outline format, then filmed over the course of 5 days, completely improvised. I shot this film with my own hands, and in doing so, gained an intimacy in the scene work that makes the camera feel like another character in the story.
Written and Directed by Cheryl Nichols
A short film about a woman who is reunited with a man from her past, forcing her to confront an uncomfortable secret. The film raises questions about the ethics of love and the age of consent.
