SVA alumni Kevin Slack and Nicole Scarano (both BFA 2008 Film, Video and Animation) were finalists in YouTube’s inaugural Your Film Festival, which was open to narrative-driven submissions under 15 minutes in length. The Drought, written and directed by Slack and produced by Scarano, was one of just 10 films selected out of 15,000 entries. They were invited to attend the festival’s screenings at the Venice Film Festival, where they had the opportunity to pitch some new ideas to Ridley Scott and Michael Fassbender.

Slack’s ideas for The Drought developed when he saw a news reporter interviewing an umbrella salesman about his joy for rain. The film is about an elderly Brooklyn native who, after the loss of his wife, struggles with his daily routine as an umbrella street salesman during a summer drought. “I really wanted to explore the idea of what happens to someone when their spouse of 50 or so years passes away, Slack told Forbes. “How does a person deal with that sudden change?” Watch The Drought below to find out.

Image: (L-R) Michael Fassbender and Kevin Slack in Venice.