The Film is finished - but no one can see it yet.

$20,000 turns the lights back on immediately and moves this survivor-led story into post-production right now.

This film already exists.

We filmed for 9 days across 14 locations with a real cast and crew.

Right now it’s sitting unfinished — waiting for the final step that allows people to actually see it.

We are not fundraising to start a film.

We are fundraising so it doesn’t stay locked on a hard drive.

My name is Michelle Aaraichi. I am the writer, director, and producer of The Whispering Sisters, a Columbus, Ohio-made narrative pilot about women impacted by intimate partner violence who find healing and strength through music therapy and sisterhood.

We wrapped filming on February 12, 2026.

This film is real.

Now we need the final step so people can experience it.

WHAT THE FILM IS ABOUT

After escaping an abusive relationship, Sophia is pulled into a music therapy group made up of survivors. As the women begin sharing their stories, they slowly rebuild trust, reclaim their voices, and turn pain into purpose through music.

Together they create something bigger than any of them could alone — a song that carries their truth beyond the room and into the world.

WHY THIS MATTERS

On a single day in the United States, over 14,000 survivors requested help and could not receive services because resources were full. This film exists so fewer stories stay silent like mine almost did.

Many survivors never speak about what happened to them.

Silence protects abuse. Conversation breaks it.

This film is meant to:

After the festival run, parts of this film will also be used as an educational tool for colleges and professionals — including teachers, doctors, lawyers, judges, and social workers — so they have a conversation tool they can use in real-world situations.

WHY I MADE THIS

This story isn’t fiction to me. It’s memory.

I am a survivor myself.

When I escaped, I was homeless because there was no shelter space available. I know what it feels like to need help and not have it exist yet. I promised myself that if I ever made it out, I would create something that helped other women feel seen and not alone.

For six years I worked on this story. Funding was always the hardest part.

So we built it anyway.

In 2025 I received a $25,000 seed grant and used it to create a proof of concept. I added my own money, borrowed money, and local people and businesses stepped in with in-kind donations.

This became bigger than a script.

It became a real production.

WHAT THE MONEY DOES RIGHT NOW

This campaign does not pay me.

It finishes the film.

The $20,000 covers:

Without post-production, a finished film cannot exist — no matter how much has already been filmed.

TIMELINE

We must complete post-production by June 30, 2026 for grant compliance and begin festival submissions immediately after.

We are very close.

This is the final step.

TRANSPARENCY

Total project value so far: $165,224

Over six years of development and a full production have already been completed before asking for public donations.

This fundraiser is the last push to cross the finish line.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We already did the hardest part — we made the film.

This is the moment that decides whether people will ever see it.

If you can donate, you are part of finishing it.

If you can’t, sharing truly helps.

Let’s get it across the finish line.