My name is Phil Stevens. I am an independent artist and filmmaker from Philadelphia, and I am raising $13,500 to complete my handmade apocalyptic feature film, PARADIS.

PARADIS follows Martin, the last living man, as he carries the body of his wife Emily across an ocean filled with the dead. His journey leads him toward a living island formed from the body of a fallen angel—a mutilated being that has watched humanity suffer through every era of history and is preparing to rise against God.

The film begins as one man’s journey through grief and gradually expands into a creation myth about human suffering, divine cruelty, and the end of the world.

This is not a proposal for a film I hope to make someday. PARADIS is already deep into production. I have completed twelve principal-photography shoots, constructed full-scale sets inside my home, created puppets and practical creatures, built the Throne of PARADIS, filmed the Corpse Ocean and Throne Room sequences, and brought images to life that I first drew nearly ten years ago.

The movie is being created through physical craftsmanship: reclaimed wood, handmade sets, puppetry, miniatures, practical gore, fog, theatrical lighting, and unusual in-camera effects. It is photographed in stark black and white and made largely through a solitary production process, with occasional help from my wife, Colette.

I have pushed the film as far as I can with my own money, physical labor, merchandise sales, and the generosity of individual supporters. The remaining sequences are also the most ambitious: the living Reed Labyrinth, the abandoned Wildwood shoreline, the wrecked Hospital Ship, the awakening of the island, the invasion of Heaven, and the final transformation of Martin into the new God.

The funds will pay directly for remaining sets and materials, practical effects, puppets and miniatures, location travel and lodging, recording media, production supplies, and the resources required to finish photography and post-production. This is not money disappearing into development or salaries. It will be visible in the sets, creatures, locations, and images placed directly before the camera.

Every contribution—whether $10, $25, $50, or more—helps construct another piece of this universe. If you cannot donate, sharing this campaign is also an enormous form of support.

PARADIS has already gone from a decade-old dream to a physical world surrounding me. I have given everything I can to force that world into existence. I am asking for help carrying it across the final distance and completing the most ambitious work of my life.