MORE than half

Directed by Ashley Czerniewski (Portal A Senior Creative Lead), More Than Half blends traditional documentary visuals with social media storytelling techniques. This mix helped us tell a highly personal story in an innovative manner fitting for the Moonshots lab.

Struggling with questions of identity and feeling the weight of societal expectations, "More Than Half" follows Ashley Czerniewski as she explores her family's history and her own multi-racial background. Ashley delves into her Polish family's traditions and explores how they have passed down their culture, all while seeking answers that could lead her to the missing piece of her own identity: her Black biological father. Through heartfelt conversations and personal discoveries, Ashley confronts her complex past and learns what it means to embrace her whole self.

Directed by Ashley Czerniewski

Festivals: Greenwood Film Festival, Valkyrie International Film Festival

Cover of a book titled 'More Than Half,' directed by Ashley Czerniewski, featuring a young baby girl with light brown hair, wearing a white hat and a gingham dress with sunflower patterns, sitting in a white wicker chair against a dark background.
Three photos on a yellow bordered page. The top photo features a woman with brown hair holding a young girl with curly hair and a colorful sweater, inside a room with wooden paneling and a wall hanging. The bottom left photo shows a man with glasses and a beard, wearing a blue shirt, holding the same young girl, standing in front of a wooden paneled wall with a framed picture. The bottom right photo shows the man kissing the girl on the cheek while she looks up, inside the same room.
A man and a young girl smiling and sitting together at a holiday gathering

My goal has always been to create a film that is not only truthful, but also thoughtful – one that leaves room for nuance, accountability, and compassion.

- Ashley Czerniewski