Centered around a post-match press conference, a burgeoning young tennis player is forced to determine who she really plays the game for: her mother and all-consuming coach, or herself. This is an exploration into the difficulty of the mother/daughter connection and the sometimes self-imposed pain that can come along with individuation.
My present intention with my filmmaking practice is to examine the line between simple and complicated. As a life-long tennis player, I know very well that a match on the surface is just a match... until you look deeper to find more. It can be a window into self-talk and a character's psyche. Similarly, a mother-daughter relationship can be simple, or it can be a lens to understand individuation, power, and internal strife. If the viewer allows, they might find familiarity in the cacophony of the press conference, or the burden in recognizing a mother's unflinching, watchful eye. That's the choice...
1 / 8
In the eccentric world of a method actor's studio, "Reach" centers on Jeff and his varying degrees of discomfort, as a fellow classmate and a playful instructor challenge him to dig deep and leave his ego behind.
"Reach" explores the world of Method acting, probing the link between the craft and the essence of self. In 2021 I studied at The Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute to grow as a director. My intention was to learn to better empathize with actors, and coming from a documentary editing background, this was a set of skills I was eager to obtain.
On my first day of class, I participated in the exact relaxation exercise "Reach" depicts. Although I didn't have an outburst in the way that the character Jeff does in the film, I felt the difficulty of participating and letting go in a very real sense. I endeavored to write and direct this piece as a response to that instinct.
I think this is true in acting and in life: it is uncomfortable to trust and leave yourself open to criticism — but only when this place is reached is when true growth can happen.
The character Alba embodies the critics we find in our peers. Boris is a mirror to Jeff as he gently pushes him to the limits he knows Jeff is capable of.
The world of this short is intentionally bare, as it often is in an acting studio. This deliberate choice towards minimalism is designed to carve out space for the universe taking shape within the actors' minds, for the improv that unfolds, and to leave room for interpretation amongst viewers.
Filmmaking often feels like a process of failures. Whether it is draft after draft of a script, take after take on set, or edit after edit in post, it is the collection of these failures however that leads to one final success, one ahah moment that will realize a work, a scene, an edit...
Lee Strasberg once quoted a poem by Robert Browning: "A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?"
— Lilliana Rose Lyons, Director, "Reach"
1 / 13
Lilliana Rose Lyons is a filmmaker working between Stockholm, Sweden and New York City. Originally from Chicago, she came to film not through formal training but through practice — spending a decade editing documentary films in New York and learning the craft on the job, moving from intern to editor at RadicalMedia.
When she moved to Sweden, she began writing and directing her own work. Her short films What Brought You Back? (2021) and Reach (2023) explore individuation, embarrassment, and rejection, and have screened internationally, winning at festivals including Rotterdam and Boden. Her latest short, Free Magic (2025), is a silent Super 8 film about a street magician in New York City — a portrait of loneliness, persistence, and the quiet dignity of making something even when no one is watching. It premieres at the Yonkers Film Festival (YoFi) in November 2026.
She is currently developing her first feature, The Great Noise, set in Sweden during the late-1600s witch trials, developed through a 2025 writers' lab with New York Women in Film & Television.
In a restless city, a lone street magician performs small tricks that barely register. Free Magic is a quiet portrait of persistence and the dignity of making something, even when no one is watching.
A cheerful street magician performs small tricks in Tompkins Square Park. His gestures are easily missed in a restless city. After repeated indifference, he quietly packs up and returns home.
There, he performs again. Free Magic reveals a quiet persistence that exists whether or not it is witnessed. The film is about the dignity of making something, even when no one is watching.
Free Magic is a reflection on quiet persistence. In a time that often measures value through visibility, I am drawn to the idea that making something can hold meaning even when it goes unseen. The magician stands alone. Rejection is part of the work. In the film, the most meaningful act happens in private. The magic is performed because it matters to the person performing it, however lonely that can feel.
— Lilliana Rose Lyons, Director, "Free Magic"
1 / 5
PBS American Portrait is a national storytelling project inviting Americans to answer one question: what does it really mean to be American today? PBS and its partners gathered thousands of photos, videos, and text submissions from across the country to capture the state and spirit of the nation, weaving them into a series exploring identity, community, and belonging.
The Jim Henson Exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image is an ongoing, dynamic experience exploring Henson's groundbreaking work across film and television and his lasting impact on culture. Drawing on a major donation from the Henson family, the show features nearly 300 objects — including 47 puppets, from Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy to characters from Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth — alongside character sketches, storyboards, scripts, and behind-the-scenes footage. I edited all of the film and video content presented throughout the exhibition, shown on monitors and projections across the gallery space.
On the 30th anniversary of his execution, this docuseries brings the mind of serial killer Ted Bundy into the light for the first time through exclusive, never-before-heard interviews recorded on death row. Built from over 100 hours of audio interviews conducted by journalists Stephen Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth in 1980, the series explores the man whose personality and social graces defied the serial-killer stereotype, allowing him to hide in plain sight.
Set against the national debate over America's energy future and the decision to exit the Paris Climate Agreement, this documentary brings to life the efforts of everyday individuals battling the most severe threats of climate change in their own backyards — capturing what's at stake for communities across the country and the inspiring ways Americans are responding.
Watch closely. Question everything. A six-episode series from Emmy-winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger that re-investigates the cases of inmates who have been incarcerated for decades and claim they're innocent — following a team of esteemed experts as they re-examine the evidence with fresh eyes.
An episode of "The Scarlet Letter Reports," a series hosted by Amanda Knox exploring the gendered nature of public shaming. In this installment, Knox shares her own story of being vilified and shamed by the media following her wrongful murder conviction and years-long fight for exoneration.
A documentary with unparalleled access, discovering the people and sounds that inspired rock 'n' roll legend Keith Richards from childhood to today — filmed as he records his first solo album in two decades.
XQ America (also known as XQ Institute) is a national movement rethinking what high school in America could be — challenging a century-old, one-size-fits-all model in favor of learning built around real-world relevance and student agency. For this USA Today series, the team traveled around the country interviewing high school students directly about what they wanted from their education, capturing their voices as part of XQ's broader campaign to reimagine the American classroom.
Pairing Kendrick Lamar with Shantell Martin for a one-night-only concert during Art Basel, American Express hosted an exclusive Music-Meets-Art event for VIP and influencer guests. Producing intimate behind-the-scenes content, and building a large-scale music visualization using Shantell's art, the project amplified this cultural moment by raising awareness of Amex Entertainment Access and the brand's role in the music space.
Through a grant from Pfizer, I partnered with NYU Langone Health to create two series of doctor-approved dermatology education videos. I directed and edited the series, and helped produce and write the scripts alongside the dermatologists, translating clinical expertise into clear, accessible guidance for patients.
I've worked across several years as a storyteller for Vickers Oils' company archive, building an ongoing body of work that captures the people and history behind the business. Shown here is a small sample of that archive: a retirement portrait of Peter Vickers, and a piece on the company's multi-generational legacy of trust.
Started in 2020, this is an ongoing personal project: every year, I create an art book of photography and send it around by hand to friends. It's a way of staying connected with the people I want to stay close to — and of making something physical each year. Shown here are three volumes from the archive; not every year has a video, but this is a small window into the ongoing series.
