Christian D.K. Long – 2026 Short Film Script Finalist
Mouthpiece
12-year-old Louie Perez has one more day to come up with his football equipment fees but the only person that can help him is the one in his way, his intimidating older brother.
Christian Long is a filmmaker from Los Angeles, California. After 10 years of music video directing, he went back to his roots and began focusing on directing sports commercials. Since then he’s captured Olympic gold medalists in track and field and swimming, as well as F1 drivers, professional skateboarders, and NBA Allstars. His commercial work intersects sports, fashion, and music, however his passion for visual storytelling has always been rooted in narrative film.
After becoming a father in 2024, I spent a lot of time collecting family photos and journaling about my childhood which led to writing a short film. Mouthpiece is a family drama/comedy based on my childhood experiences playing youth football. It’s also about dreams, brotherhood, violence, and forgiveness.
My goal as a writer is to write things that I can direct. I don’t see myself as a naturally gifted writer, but I love the language of film. For me it’s a way to process the absurdity of life and communicate with the world when I can’t find the words for what I’m feeling. I’m particularly interested in stories that explore family and class dynamics, as well as subcultures and communities. With this project, I hope to speak to my 12 year old self who wanted to be a star athlete, but more than anything wanted his family to be together. I guess we’ll see if people relate to it.
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