Chicago based writer, Mina Patel, submitted her story, Between The Silence to Full Spectrum Features and won!

The result was the realization of her beautiful story as directed by Juan C. Linares.

Despite a language barrier, two socially isolated, immigrant women find companionship while gardening and watching over their grandchildren in their backyards. With small acts of kindness and a desire for connection, a Polish and Indian grandmother's loneliness is alleviated by each other's presence.

Original Story Writer Biography

Mina has immersed herself in work with the most vulnerable communities in Chicago. She uses her background in social justice, education, and civic engagement to bring a creative light to underserved voices. The driving force behind her work is to explore how we as individuals create community and a sense of belonging. Her film Between the Silence explores the epidemic of loneliness and yearning for belonging through the lives of two socially isolated immigrant women. A global citizen, she has lived, volunteered, and studied all over the world and has come to the conclusion that people are more or less the same everywhere.