About
Trash Baby is a coming-of-age drama written and directed by Jacy Mairs in her feature debut. Set in 2003, the film follows 12-year-old Stevie (Esther Harrison, in her acting debut at age 13) navigating adolescence in a Pacific Northwest trailer park. When Stevie strikes an unlikely friendship with Edie (Chloe Kramer), a wild 20-year-old, she finds herself grappling with the natural desire to grow up and the reality of what we lose when we do. The cast also includes Brianna Paige Dague as Stevie's mother Lana, with Andre Wollrabe and Eddie Lee Wollrabe in supporting roles. Cinematographer Kevin Michaluk and production designer Nathan Pacyna captured the texture of early-2000s working-class Portland. Shot over 21 days entirely in Portland, the film is loosely inspired by director Mairs' own childhood growing up in trailer parks. Mairs, a self-described fellow trailer park kid based in Portland, never considered filming anywhere else. The screenplay was an Academy Nicholl Fellowship semi-finalist before entering production. Trash Baby world-premiered at SXSW 2025, then won both Best Narrative Feature and Audience Choice Award at the inaugural Portland Panorama Film Festival, plus Best Narrative Feature and Best Actress at the Carmel International Film Festival. The film has earned an impressive 8.9 rating on IMDb, reflecting strong audience reception for its unflinching but tender portrait of poverty and resilience.
Filming Locations
1 locationPortland Metro Area
Various locations, Portland
21-day shoot in Portland. Set in 2003. Academy Nicholl semi-finalist script. Won best narrative at Portland Panorama 2025.
Portland
Jun 1, 2023 - Jul 15, 2023
Sources
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