Hope is a warm-hearted professional who takes care of her abusive mother. She has been keeping a dark secret of her marriage but today she had enough. Will she find a way out?

Domestic abuse contributes to over a third of women’s suicides.
It is not outlined by race, color, gender, age, education, or social status. It leads to the destruction of self-worth, faith and hope.
1 in 4 women experiences domestic abuse.
It is a black hole that pulls its victims in and makes them believe this is the only way of life.

Director / Writer – Yulia Arispe

Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Yulia was born from Russian parents and spent her childhood traveling. Films have always been her passion and she has been a storyteller since early childhood. Having vast imagination she started writing short stories at the age of 10 and used some to produce small living room sized plays, using her friends as actors and their parents as audience. Mentored by her grandfather, she learned photography and film from the capture, to development in a dark room and manual editing. Yulia founded her company specializing in marketing, photography, web development.

In 2008, Yulia and her husband had to flee Venezuela, becoming a political refugee, due to persecutions by communism. As an immigrant, Yulia had to adapt to a completely different lifestyle, make new friends and learn new culture. All these experiences took her back to her passion for storytelling. She learned Filmmaking in New York Film Academy and then discovering her true call as producer she went back for Master’s degree in Film/ TV Producing.

HOPE – Rebecca Longtemps

Rebecca is a Miami based actress, singer and voice teacher. She started as a classically trained soprano and then crossed over to the world of musical theatre and film acting. She recently performed in musical theatre productions in South Florida, acted in supporting roles in short films, and a supporting role in an independent feature film. She earned her degrees in Vocal Performance from Florida State University and Florida International University. 

BILL – Peter Djuric

After the financial collapse of 2008 and a serious health scare and grateful to have survived Peter decided to pursue his passion of performing.  He took Improv classes at the world renowned Second City Training Center in Chicago and performed for several years, his training in  acting underwent at BlackBox acting. 

Seeking  commercial and theatrical representation, he relocated to Miami, Florida to pursue his dreams. Peter has been working in commercial productions and in prints but TV and Film is where his true passion lays. He continued his training and has performed in over a dozen short films. 

“This role was by far the most challenging role I have ever taken on but I truly felt that I could connect to it and perform it in a way that I hope would prove to be a worthy performance. After the most intense scenes were shot, I had to decompress for several days and to let go of everything. Every actor has to create their own process and half the time we don’t even know what we are doing but I felt able to connect to this role and it was truly an amazing experience. All credit to Rebecca, as she was incredible to work with and made it easy for me to fully let go.”

MOTHER – Cheryl Kirschen

An actress in Theatre for many years I never imagined I would get to be in film, commercials and modeling. Also an Equestrian having shown horses for many years I now train exclusively in Dressage.   

“This role meant the world to me.  Not only a spectacular character to play but the background story and this woman’s triumph and strength are to be applauded.  There is hope. ” C.K.

JACK – Teddy Tassy

Teddy Tassy is a well rounded Artist living in Miami Florida. Working as a actor for the last 8 years Teddy has worked with Corona, Coca Cola, Don Q, Macy’s, Leinenkugel, Carnival Cruises, Bad Boys 3, Goodyear, Auto Nation amongst various other brands. 

“Being a part of this film was an amazing opportunity for me and I’m very fortunate to be a part of this amazing project. Knowing that this film was based on a true story, made me appreciate working under the direction of Yulia.  She really made us understand and feel the script so that everyone came ready to work. I had a blast working with the cast and crew. ” – T.T.

CARMENSITA – Ika Santamaria

A polifacetic multi-talented artist: Ika is a theater performer and a film actor who writes, produces, directs, and edits her own material. As Filmmaker she was selected at the Sundance Screenwriters Intensive 2015 – Miami. Awarded Director by the Women’s International Film Festival, LDUB Film Festival, Women in The Arts 2013, MLA and WITA 2013. She wrote, edited and directed “Flea Market Finish Line” screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

Santamaria worked in theater for twenty years wearing many hats, she traveled and performed at international Theater Festivals. She trained as an actor at the renowned Teatro Libre of Bogotá. She studied Film and TV at Tisch School of Art – NYU.

Director's statement

A DAY OF HOPE is a deeply personal and important project for me. I have lived through the trauma of domestic abuse and violence, and I understand the devastating effects that it can have on individuals. 

One of my primary goals with this film was to break down stereotypes and explore a middle/high class perspective on domestic violence. It is a pervasive issue that affects people from all walks of life, I wanted to show that domestic violence is not limited to any particular group or socioeconomic status, race or religion. It can happen to anyone, and it is important for us to recognize this fact in order to effectively address and combat this issue

As a survivor, I understand the importance of giving a voice to those who have experienced domestic violence. Through this film, I hope to raise awareness, help others understand the complexities of abusive relationships and to provide a message of hope and empowerment to those who have suffered from domestic violence, and to encourage them to seek help and support.