This Bright Light
Tamarin Luchessa seemed destined to burn brightly. An Olympic-bound rhythmic gymnast, her course was derailed by a diabetes diagnosis as a teenager. Her life became marked by medical crises, personal struggles, and eventually a kidney and pancreas transplant that altered her personality in ways even her family and friends could not recognize—only for her original self to return when the organs later began to fail. Sonoma County filmmaker Alexandra Lexton (Fools’ Paradise (lost?), MVFF47; The Lure of This Land, MVFF42) follows Tamarin’s mother, Cindy, from the mysteries of cellular memory into more ethereal terrain, where mediums, intuitives, and signs from beyond suggest our connections may extend past the physical body. Moving between science and spirit, this deeply personal docudrama chronicles a mother-daughter pact to help others, offering a loving reflection on life and death. —Michelle Svenson
Director/s
Alexandra Lexton
Alexandra Lexton has been working in the film industry and writing over the course of her career. Her roles in the film industry have included producer, writer, production executive, development director, actor, and marketing, among others. She holds a BA in English literature and dramatic arts from Whitman College, and an MFA in writing from Goddard College. Alex has produced five feature-length films. Her award-winning directorial debut, The Lure Of this Land, had its world premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival in October 2019. Her award-winning feature documentary Fools' Paradise (lost?) (2024) is currently being distributed by Bullfrog Films and Gaia.
Expected Guests
ALEXANDRA LEXTON: Director
CINDY REYNOLDS: Film Subject