Having a drink in bed while listening to music and reading a book. As precious to me as a beautiful sunset or good clean air.
Haruki Murakami
A story about two teenagers who deal with their shattered family-life in a small California coastal town. Oceania is an independent feature-length film that I created from scratch with the help of many friends. We filmed in the San Francisco Bay Area on a budget of <$4,000. I spent my meager life savings on it. Learned about cinematography. Filmed for a year over many long nights and weekends. Learned how to edit. And finally managed to get the film to the big screen at the 2008 Cinequest Film Festival with a sold-out audience.
A captivating drama that explodes with an intense visual style and sharp storytelling, Oceania is a rarity for such a young director. At 17-years-old, Dehal wrote and directed a film that reveals a talent and a cinematic eye far beyond even the most seasoned Hollywood directors, and based on his debut film, there is no doubt that Dehal is one of the big discoveries of the year (by Tamee Tanoor, Cinequest Film Festival).
