Blake Martin Announces Second Film In Four-Short Slate: 'M.A.I.D.' Starring Kimberly Steele And Brynne London
Filmmaker Blake Martin, under his banner 3rd Week of January Productions, announces the second installment in his four-film short slate: M.A.I.D., starring Kimberly Steele and Brynne London.
An intimate and emotionally precise two-hander, M.A.I.D. unfolds entirely inside a single waiting room—where two women, separated by a generation, face a decision about how they will live their final moments when time is measured not in years… but in minutes. What are the things you say when you know life is over in a matter of moments?
What begins as a quiet conversation slowly reveals something far deeper. The film explores autonomy, fear, dignity, love, and the fragile space between certainty and doubt. Rather than racing toward answers, M.A.I.D. sits in the tension—allowing silence, honesty, and human vulnerability to lead the story.
Veteran stage actress Kimberly Steele brings a commanding emotional presence to the film, delivering a performance rooted in restraint, intelligence, and lived experience. Known in the Chicago theater community for her depth and range, Stelle approaches the role with a quiet authority—allowing subtle shifts in expression and tone to carry enormous emotional weight. Her ability to hold stillness while revealing complex inner life anchors the film and gives the story its emotional gravity.
Opposite her, newcomer Brynne London delivers a striking counterbalance—portraying a young woman confronting life-altering choices at an age when the world should still feel wide open. Her performance carries a raw immediacy and honesty that gives the film its pulse.
Together, the two create a charged intimacy that lingers long after the final frame.
“With M.A.I.D., I wanted to explore the voices we often avoid listening to,” said writer and director Blake Martin. “I wrote this piece because there are people living with impossible decisions about their bodies, their dignity, and how they want to meet the end of their lives. Stories like this matter because they force us to sit with uncomfortable questions—about autonomy, compassion, and what it truly means to live with agency. My hope is that audiences leave the film not with answers, but with deeper empathy.”
With M.A.I.D., 3rd Week of January Productions continues its commitment to performance-driven storytelling—leaning into silence, micro-expressions, and the emotional truths that exist between the lines.
This is not spectacle. It is confrontation.
Production begins this month in Chicago at His Hands Healthcare Services, with the film slated for festival release in July 2026.