“It’s different for girls”: a ubiquitous phrase that holds a lot of truth. Things are different for girls. Harder, scarier, and so endlessly frustrating, it might just make someone scream. This week’s crowdfunding picks explore female rage, focusing on heroines who’ve all had enough.
In “Rogue,” it’s a girl combating both her family and those who dominate her chosen career field, who all dismiss what she wants to do with her life. “Void” deals with themes of female jealousy. After a series of freak accidents, a woman realizes all the nasty thoughts she has about other women, when she sees their perfect photos online, magically come true. Finally, “Lily” escalates to active violence. It follows a female serial killer who rids the world of bad men.
Here are Women and Hollywood’s latest women-centric and women-made crowdfunding picks.
“Rogue” (Short) – Directed by Lina Larson; Written by Lina Larson and Ariana Skeeland
In the above campaign video, director Lina Larson describes “Rogue” as “a rage-fueled coming of age drama.” It sees a teenage girl from an Iranian-American family rebel against her traditional father by trying to make it as a drummer in the 1980s East Bay Punk scene. The film will examine gender and cultural identity through the main character’s relationship with her family, and her desire to be respected in the white, male-dominated world of drumming.
The narrative was inspired by co-writer Ariana Skeeland’s family history following the Iranian Revolution in the late 1970s as well as the documentary “Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk.” The short is produced by all female talent, and they hope to raise enough money to shoot their film on 35mm.
Support “Rogue” on Seed&Spark.
“Void” (Short) – Directed by Emma Kreienberg; Written by Emma Kreienberg and Nicole Palermo
Annie mentally criticizes every photo she comes across on social media. Soon, she realizes the negative thoughts she has about other women are somehow manifesting into physical violence. Will Annie be able to stop her ingrained compulsion to think mean things? Will she even want to? That’s the plot of “Void,” which hopes to empower women by exposing how society often forces them to tear each other down.
As director Emma Kreienberg explains in the video above, “The pressure for women to have perfect, curated lives online is higher than it is for men,” and this leads to unhealthy comparisons between people. She continues, “People will relate to this story because jealousy is a universal emotion.”
This movie is also backed by a female creative team, including a woman cinematographer and editor. The “Void” crew wants to raise funds in order to increase the quality of the project’s special effects makeup and stunt choreography.
“Lily” (Short) – Written and Directed by Sydney Sabean and McKylin Rowe
“Lily” is about a woman that systematically uses dating apps to lure trash dudes, so she can kill them. Things become complicated when the vigilante falls for a genuinely nice guy named Owen. Worlds collide when Owen catches Lily dispatching her latest victim. After, Lily must decide if she will break her moral code, and kill a good guy she loves, to protect her serial killing secret.
The short comes from the creative duo of Sydney Sabean and McKylin Rowe, who will also star as Lily and Owen, respectively. Sabean describes the project as “‘Barry’ meets ‘Notting Hill’” in the above campaign video. Per Rowe, the campaign will be used “to level the playing field for different races, genders, colors, and creeds,” since such traits can often be a barrier to getting a movie made.
To be considered for Women and Hollywood’s biweekly crowdfunding feature, please write to womenandhollywoodinterns@gmail.com. All formats (features, shorts, web series, etc.) welcome. Projects must be by and/or about women.
