niav.

The "Friends Forever" photography campaign explores the complexities of high school friendships among feminine individuals. The director, RiverPhoenix Scott, grew up as a brother to many sisters, was accepted into friend groups of women, and was raised by women for his entire life. The producer, Niav Lorenzo, grew up struggling with her relationship with femininity, leading her to explore the dynamics of gender roles within society. Both see women-to-women relationships as primarily positive, caring, deeply complex, and meaningful. However, TV shows and movies most often display women's friendships in 3 forms: jealous, fake friends who compete and talk behind each other's back, over-sexualization and lack of friendship, or one friend having an unhealthy, domineering influence over the other. This campaign radically displays the opposite of those stereotypes. The 2000s genre of kitsch high school rom coms and supernatural teen drama, such as Jennifer's Body, Gingersnaps, Twilight, and Vampire Academy, offers a unique lens to explore the complexities of high school friendships among girls and the broader challenges of growing up with femininity.

Another inspiration came from “Carmilla.” Written by Sheridan Le Fanu, it’s an 1872 gothic novel and the first vampire story, published 25 years before Dracula. The story details Laura, a lonely girl in the countryside, and her developing friendship with another girl, Carmilla, staying on her family’s estate as a guest, though she is secretly a vampire. Carmilla is often the prototype for over-sexualized “evil” women and stereotypical portrayals of lesbianism.

The main story centers around a vampire named Emmaline (Played by Dakota Knisley) who longs for companionship in her eternal life, filled with isolation and problems no one else understands. Though her human classmate, Alexis (Played by Niav Lorenzo), recognizes Emmaline's loneliness and strange behavior, Alexis also values their quality friendship. Over time, their friendship grows, and Alexis decides to become a vampire alongside Emmaline.