Stories that explore resilience, identity, and the spaces we call home.
A SHORT FILM BY LOUVINIA
Strength survives in the smallest spaces.
Watch the Betta Fish trailer
● THE TRAILER
Betta Fish · Official Trailer
Where to see Betta Fish
● SCREENINGS
Aug 30, 2026
BronzeLens Film Festival
Atlanta, GA
TBA
Newark International Film Festival
Oakland, CA
Oct 8, 2026
Jack Arts
Brooklyn, NY
Newark,NJ
24th Oakland International Film Festival
Sep 16, 2026
Programming a festival or hosting a community screening?
Betta Fish, selected frames
● SELECTED FRAMES
A short film about the cost of staying
● THE FILM
After returning home post graduation with plans to leave again, Elle is forced to stay when her family fractures unexpectedly. As she steps into a role she never chose, she must confront how grief and responsibility reshape her future.
Shot on Panavision anamorphic, Betta Fish is fiscally sponsored by Film Independent and is currently traveling the festival circuit.
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY
Louvinia
PRODUCED BY
Louvinia & Lori Laing
STARRING
Lori Laing
Milanis Clark
Latarsha Rose
with Angela Ko
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Erin Collett
EDITED BY
Bia Jurema
LOUVINIA
Director · Writer · Producer
● THE FILMMAKER
Betta Fish is a deeply personal story that mirrors my own journey through life's challenges. It explores the delicate balance between pursuing personal dreams and shouldering family responsibilities.
I founded Maddox Films to make room for the stories I was not seeing. Character driven work about identity, resilience, grief, family, and the moments that quietly decide who we become.
Every project starts the same way, with a belief that a story told honestly can carry someone across the distance between their life and someone else's.
Help Betta Fish keep swimming
Betta Fish is fiscally sponsored by Film Independent, so your gift is tax deductible. Donations go directly to the festival run, community screenings, and getting the film in front of more people.
● SUPPORT THE FILM
Press kit
Poster and key art, high resolution stills, short and long synopsis, director bio and photograph, full credits, technical specs, runtime, and laurels. Everything a programmer or a journalist needs, in one place.