Writer and director Amy Tofte (Theater MFA 11) premieres her film Contact Tracing at the 16th Annual Awareness Film Festival on Saturday, Oct. 25, at the historic Laemmle Royal Theater in Santa Monica, California.
Set during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Contact Tracing follows a public health nurse tasked with tracking virus cases who becomes entangled with a conspiracy theorist in need of help. Inspired by a true story, this female-centric dramedy explores the surreal isolation of the pandemic era while honoring the invisible labor of women who shouldered immense caretaking responsibilities during the global crisis.
The production features the work of several other CalArtians, including composer Robert Allaire (Music MFA 09) and actors Alina Phelan (Theater BFA 95) and Anne Yatco (Theater MFA 09).
The Awareness Film Festival, presented by the nonprofit Heal One World, runs Oct. 21–26 in person and online Oct. 27 through Dec. 31. The festival showcases independent films that foster empathy and social consciousness, featuring categories such as climate change, mental health, technology, education, social justice, and immigration.
Tofte won the 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in screenwriting from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her play Righteous Among Us earned the 2020 Todd McNerney Playwriting Award, and her short The Vagina Read was featured at the 2022 Samuel French Off Off Broadway Play Festival at Playwrights Horizons in New York. She has held residencies at The Kennedy Center, Yaddo, The Autry Museum of the American West, and Monson Arts, with her work produced and developed across the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and twice at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
