AWARE - A Short Film

Hello, my name is Sofia Simanovich, and I am an aspiring filmmaker based out of Toronto and studying at George Brown College. Currently, my team and I need your help to make an original short film as our final thesis project in our studies. 

As a female lesbian filmmaker, it’s my goal to promote representation of our community on screen.  Each piece of art that I produce is aimed at sharing the diverse and passionate lives of lesbian women through authentic emotions and captivating storytelling.

"AWARE" is one of those stories. It’s an emotional and sensual piece with subtle eroticism shown through the lens of a queer gaze. It tells the story of two women whose love bloomed at the peak of war – though the time period and conflicts of the war are inconsequential. The only thing that matters is the confrontation of life and death, love and war. Drawing inspiration from titles such as "The Handmaiden" and "Portrait Of A Lady On Fire," I hope to capture the feeling of love blooming from ashes all while their time together is destined to run out. 

Often, we see queer people pictured in a way that their homosexuality is their main conflict – that is not the case in our story. We are showing intimacy and passion, and that’s what matters the most.

HOW YOU'RE HELPING:

As "AWARE" has a unique, retro future style with inspiration from Soviet cinematography, we will need specific equipment and props. With your support, we will be able to afford:

-Soviet glass lenses
-vintage props
-original artwork
-original costume design
-food for cast & crew
-COVID-19 PPE
-festival application fees
-high quality sound design

Right now, we're hard at work in the preproduction phase as we continue to iron out finer details of our shoot. However, our shooting dates are March 6 - 7, so your support is crucial as this weekend quickly approaches!

We are a group of young but determined filmmakers. By helping us to make this film, you are supporting our hopeful careers but also adding voice to the queer filmmaking community. We want to thank you for your time and generous help. Every contributor who donated more than $100 will receive an Associate Producer title and a signed postcard!

Thank you from the "AWARE" team

Sofia Simanovich, Writer & Director
Donald Teuma-Castelletti, Producer
Gaurav Virkar, Cinematographer
Marina Purdon, Production Designer
Robin  Chen, Assistant Director