Lars Brinkema

Growing up in Minneapolis Lars found his passion in film and photojournalism documenting the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd Witnessing firsthand the unjust representation of the protest movement sparked the idea for his first film I Pray an awardwinning short documentary about the Minneapolis communitys resilience and collective fight for justice This foundation in authentic personal storytelling informed his approach to documenting what would become Threshold his featurelength directorial debut When Jessie entrusted him with telling her mental health story it became more than a film it was a responsibility rooted in his own closeness to people whose lives have been shaped by the same struggle Now based in Los Angeles Lars is drawn to intimate characterdriven stories that foster reflection dialogue and change