OUR CAMPAIGN FOR PRODUCTION FUNDS WILL LAST EXACTLY 30 DAYS, ENDING ON JULY 3rd!

About our film

‘Split Ends’ follows a mixed girl navigating a near future dominated by tech companies and their humanoid robots. Her job as a hair braider—and her place in the Black community—is threatened when an update allows bots to replicate Black hairstyles instantly.

Fundamentally, our film is about the erasure of culture in an unchecked tech landscape, and how nostalgia is weaponized into propaganda that deepens the wounds it claims to heal.

Every dollar is a vote for this story to be told.

Our Needs

Here is why we need your help:

Here is a further breakdown of our budget:

Incentives*

To thank you for your financial support, here are some incentives for different donation tiers:

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*Note: Rewards are cumulative. You will receive everything in your tier and the tiers below it.

About our crew

We are an ever-expanding crew (though we are currently at fifteen!). Here is just some of our wonderful crew:

DIRECTOR: Kayen Manovil is an Oakland/LA-based screenwriting student at Chapman University. With a background in acting, she has since found her home behind the page and camera. She's worked at KQED as a host and creative collaborator, served as a Youth Resident at SFFILM, and honed her writing through spaces like Berkeley Rep's Young Writers of Color Collective, where her short play Lake Kipawa was presented in a staged reading. Her work has screened at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and she is a two-time Best Film winner at the Luminescence Youth Film Festival, a Silver Key recipient from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and a Superior Award recipient from the Bay Area Creative Youth Awards. She most recently completed a development internship at American High. Split Ends marks her most ambitious directorial project to date, with hopes of expanding the concept into a feature.

PRODUCER: Chris Napolitano-Mehlhorn is a San Francisco Native and an undergraduate student at Chapman University, studying Creative Producing. Chris has been obsessed with the arts since third grade, wanting to work in both film and theater. Upon coming to Chapman, he discovered his love for producing across both media. He has been involved in Dodge College films and student theater projects in various production roles, but this is his first film as the head of the production team. He is super excited to work with this awesome team this summer!

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Hey there! I’m Riyaz Alladin, the DP for Split Ends. Originally from Berkeley, CA, I’m currently studying Film Production at CSU Northridge. My filmmaking journey started back in middle school, but I quickly fell in love with the art of cinematography. What excites me most about film is the collaboration—seeing so many people from diverse backgrounds come together to bring new ideas to life. I'm super stoked to be working with this amazing team!

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: My name is Maite del Real, and I am a recent high school graduate who will be attending the University of Southern California this fall to study Theatrical Design. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Production Designer for this short film, as production design is a career path I am passionate about pursuing. My experience includes working as a stage manager, set designer, and prop master for multiple school productions, where I developed a love for visual storytelling and collaborative creative work. I am excited to bring that experience to this project and help bring the director's vision to life.

EDITOR: Hey! My name is Angelina Lux, I am a sophomore at Chapman University studying video editing! I have worked on short films, short documentaries, news segments and interviews and recently a music video! I am so excited for this opportunity and am thrilled to work with such a talented cast and crew this summer.

SOUND DESIGNER: Hi, my name is Finn Benitz, and I’m majoring in sound design at Chapman University. I’m from Long Beach, California, and I’ve been fascinated by filmmaking since I was a kid. Coming to Chapman helped me realize my passion for sound design, and I’ve been doing that since. I’ve worked with sound for 14 film and theater sets/productions my freshman year and am currently set to intern on a professional TV pilot this summer. I’m so excited to work with all of these talented people to bring this project to life!