EGREGORE is a viscerally magical descent into a tenderly absurd world.

Our film follows Serenity, a quirky and shy ballerina, on a journey to discover her voice in the silent art form. Unable to stand up for herself, she channels her chaotic inner mind through an enchanted puppet, Gregor, who helps her confront her biggest fear yet: her family.

OUR STATEMENT

Have you ever felt misunderstood by the ones closest to you? Like your voice has been stifled, or worse, silenced. Our silly little film tackles how being yourself (yes, even you, Karen) is the key to connection and understanding.

We’ve learned that the more we surround ourselves with love, dancing, and creepy (but cute) gremlin voices, the easier it is to be ourselves and feel seen. Serenity’s journey is one told through courage and empathy-- where collective movement, laughter, pain, and shared worry illuminate the path to her truest self.

WHAT IS EGREGORE?

(egg·reh·gor)

a concept in Western esotericism of a nonphysical entity or thoughtform that arises from the collective thoughts and emotions of a distinct group of individuals.

STORY

At home, Serenity lives in the shadow of her father’s affair, with two

half-brothers who never let her forget it. Her father forbids her to

dance, fearing she will leave, just as her artist mother did. Unable to

stand up for herself, she channels her bottled-up frustration into her

enchanted puppet, Gregor—who springs to life in her rich inner

world.

While home is a battleground, her new dance company is a

sanctuary, a place where movement, empathy, and collective energy

bring her closer to her truest expression. As Serenity grows more

confident in herself, the question remains: will she confront her family and express who she truly is?

****SHOOTS MID MAY 2026*****

WHERE THE MONEY WILL GO

paying our crew

feeding them

puppet and puppeteer costs

our stellar choreographer

actors

dancers

set design

costumes

Alexa 35 camera package

lighting

location fees

SAG fees

post-production

festival submissions

follow us on IG: @egregore.film

TEAM

Wesley Rodriguez

director, co-writer

Wesley "Wes" Rodriguez is a Cuban-Guatemalan-American writer, director, and cinematographer who tells stories about identity, transformation, and the unexplainable magic that binds us across time and space. He creates to remember what the soul already knows—in the unseen reality between becoming and knowing. Raised in the alternate dimension of Florida, he now lives in Los Angeles, crafting comedic, sci-fi, mystical, and genre-bending narratives that ask: What makes us who we are? And what happens when reality starts to crack around the edges?

Under the mentorship of Werner Herzog, Wes directed PALANTE, an award-winning short film shot on location in Cuba. Shortly after, Wes founded Pa'lante Pictures, a Latine production company focused on empowering and uplifting voices in the community through genre storytelling.

He is a STARZ #TakeTheLead Writers Intensive Fellow, a GFS LA Frieze Fellow, Hola Mexico Tomorrow’s Filmmaker’s Today Fellow, DGA John Frankenheimer Fellow, and a NALIP Latino Media Market TV Writing Fellow. He earned his MFA in Film and Television Production at USC and holds a B.S. in Media Production from the University of Florida. Previously, Wes mentored underrepresented youth through the Latino Film Institute’s Youth Cinema Project, guided by its founder, Edward James Olmos.

Beyond filmmaking, Wes practices mindfulness and Shaolin martial arts and is an avid hiker, conservationist, and cat photographer.

Sareen Tchekmedyian

co-writer, "Serenity"

Sareen is a first-generation Armenian American ballet dancer, musical theatre performer and actress in the constant pursuit of authenticity as a storyteller. After dancing professionally with Sarasota Ballet for six years she dove into musical theatre–finally letting her voice out–booking the first Broadway tour she auditioned for, Anastasia, where she spent a year and a half on the road performing around the US at theatres like The Pantages and The Kennedy Center.

In LA, Sareen has played the role of Lise in An American in Paris at Musical Theatre West and guested with Los Angeles Ballet several times including as the comic relief of the Stepmother in Edward Liang's Cinderella at The Dolby in Hollywood. She performed in Utah's Tuacahn Center for the Arts 2024 musical theatre season where she was also able to connect with nature. Sareen has acted in several short films and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts through the LEAP Program at St. Mary’s College.

Anjini Taneja Azhar

producer

Anjini Taneja Azhar is a producer, screenwriter, and director based in Los Angeles. Born to a Bangladeshi father and Indian mother, her career began as an actor in 2011, with roles in films such as JJ Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness and TV shows such as HBO’s The Brink. During her time on Star Trek, she was allowed to observe Mr. Abrams’ directing when she discovered her passion for filmmaking. Since then, she has written and directed multiple award-winning shorts and produced for Fortune 500 companies. Anjini has been featured for her work in Forbes Entertainment, WomenCinemakers, and Ladygunn Magazine. Anjini’s narrative work under her production company A Drink Before the War has been screened in-competition at Oscar-qualifying festivals from Newport Beach Film Festival, to Urbanworld and SCAD Savannah Film Festival. She’s a Golden Script Competition Winner, A Film Pipeline Top 4 Finalist, and Blue Cat Screenplay Competition Top 5 Finalist, Outstanding Screenplays Finalist, Hollyshorts Screenplay Competition 2nd place winner along with a PAGE Awards Semifinalist. Her 2025 short film, ‘Who Are You, Nanu?’ (in partnership with British Airways) was the 2023 Shore Scripts Grand Jury Winner and Audience Choice Award Winner for Best Narrative Short at the 2025 Academy-qualifying Tasveer Film Festival.

Daniel Larios

associate producer

Daniel is a Salvadoran-American producer, director, and writer based in Los Angeles. His short films have been selected at festivals including True/False, Blackstar, Atlanta, New Orleans, ICARO, Shorts Costa Rica, and Paraguay International. He won the 2022 Blackstar Doc Shorts Pitch, was a 2022 Tomorrow’s Filmmakers Today Fellow, and was a 2023 Sundance Institute Latine Collab Scholarship recipient. Daniel has previously worked as an associate producer, field producer, and post supervisor for features and series for Oscar and Emmy-winning production companies, including Tremolo Productions and Actual Films, and a coordinator for the Sundance Documentary Fund. He is currently developing his first fiction and nonfiction feature films.

THANK YOU

This project is being crafted with love from the heart. We truly cannot do it without you!!!