1/3 of The Story
1/3 of The Story, written by Mesgana Berhane, follows six teens, (Imani, Valeria, Karim, Liam, Cai, and Nora), on the day of high school graduation and the day they leave for college. This coming-of-age story follows our six characters' interpersonal relationships as they are coming to an end with each character's transition out of high school into the real world. The events that unfold show our character's revelations about their friendships, futures, cultural expectations, and who they are and will become.
25 mins
Screening in Shorts Block 2.
About the director
Mesgana Berhane is a Detroit-based photographer, director, writer, and actress. She is currently in her second year as a junior at Wayne State University. Mesgana's photography, work has been featured in the Teen Self-Love Exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Arts Detroit as well as the art festival held by Mission Media, The Revival.
Growing up, Mesgana Berhane grew up in the Metro-Detroit area in an African immigrant household. Surrounded by the diversity and polarity of the Metro-Detroit suburbs compared to the city, she gathers her creativity and motivation from the observations and anecdotes of the people and places around her.
Mesgana gains much of her motivation from the support of her family. She has always drawn inspiration from films she grew up watching, and as a visual creative uses photography as an outlet for her visions and imagination. After graduating high school in 2021, she began doing production assistant work and behind-the-scenes photography for student short films in her community, as well as some acting.
Mesgana has done production assistant work for RD Media House. She has worked with small, post-graduate production companies such as Lucidity entertainment and is now a member of Mission Media, created by Jerod Willis, as a photographer, filmmaker, and assistant director.
Mesgana Berhane draws inspiration from the lives around her and the stories of everyday people. She wants to depict humanity and human nature in her work. She is currently working on her first film 1/3 OF THE STORY, a coming-of age inspired by her own experiences.
