Jessica Manafort is an essay video that explores the relationship between Jessica Manafort, a filmmaker, and her father, Paul Manafort, political operative and Donald Trump’s campaign manager from June to August 2016. In 2007, Jessica Manafort wrote and directed her first feature-length film, a teen drama called “Remember the Daze.” According to reports, Paul Manafort invested millions in its production.

Combining footage from the original film with Youtube clips, archival video, hacked text messages and video games, I reimagine “Remember the Daze” as a film about money laundering. In Jessica Manafort,  Hollywood narrative, production values and beautiful actresses cover up the underlying economic realities that govern creative expression. The teen coming-of-age story is rewritten to reveal the financial transaction at its heart: the transfer of money from father to daughter.