Help Fund Our Film "Your Ex Lover Is Dead"

SYNOPSIS......

 

Mandy, a sensible 27-year-old woman, arrives at an art gallery expecting a private tour from her best friend. Instead, she’s stuck in an art-filled maze with someone she hoped to never see again: Kenny. Insistent on avoiding her painful memories, Mandy continues to brush off Kenny’s attempts at reconnection. But the past is not easy to run away from, and as the night wears on, will Mandy fall back into her old footsteps?

 

 

DIRECTORS STATEMENT.....

This story for me is both reflective and aspirational. I wrote this script during a time of great

personal growth, but midst all the exciting change, I also couldn’t help but feel an underlying tone of anxiety and fear. Despite beginning to find my stride, I still had (and have) many insecurities that were going unaddressed. So, I began to look to the near future. Who did I want to be in 5 years? What did I hope to achieve within myself? And thus, this script was born. Mandy is a love letter to my future self and to all people who are trying to shed their skin and become who they want to be. I think everyone has been in Mandy’s emotional shoes at some point in their lives, and my hope is that by watching her learn, we can all become comfortable looking back at the things in our pasts that scare us. I know I don’t have all the answers to the big questions. That’s what the script is about—nobody knows. And that is not only okay, that is good.

 

 

INCENTIVES TO DONATE.........

 

$25 = Special Thanks Credit

You can earn a Special Thanks in the end credits of the final film.

 

$50= Downloadable Digital Poster with Directors Signature

You will receive a digital movie poster, plus all the above incentives.

 

$100= Social Media Shoutout

We will shout you out on our socials. To extend our thanks, we will follow you and spam you with

likes, plus all the above incentives.

 

$250= Q&A with the Director & Producers

Get on an exclusive, one-on-one zoom call with the director and producers to ask

them anything you want about the process of making the film, plus all the above incentives.

 

$1000 - Associate Producer Credit

Your credit will be Associate Producer in the film and on IMDb, plus all the above incentives.

 

 

 

MEET THE TEAM......

 

Director

 

Rachel Grana Simurda is an award-winning writer and director based in Chicago, Illinois. She grew up in Fountain Valley, California where she discovered her love for storytelling before she could even write. As soon as she was able to form semi-coherent words, she began dictating stories to her mother to write into little books (which Baby Rachel enthusiastically illustrated.) She began filmmaking when she was around 12 years old and quickly fell in love with the medium. She attended high school at the Orange County School of the Arts in Southern California in the Film and Television conservatory and is now a graduating senior at Columbia College Chicago, where she continues her study and practice of filmmaking. Rachel is drawn to stories about identity and connection, the complex ways that people view themselves and interact with each other.

 

Line Producer

 

Georgia Lee is an award-winning filmmaker currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in film at Columbia College Chicago. Her accomplishments extend to directing a nationally recognized award-winning documentary that won Best Documentary Screenplay at the Marina Del Rey Film Festival and Audience Award for Best Short Documentary at the Golden State Film Festival, which was shown in the Grauman's Chinese Theater in 2019. As for work experience, Georgia interned at Heist Projects, based in Oakland. She assisted the editing process for Q Ball, a documentary produced by Kevin Durant which premiered on Fox Sports in Spring 2019 and is now featured on Netflix.

 

Line Producer

 

Liberty Thomas is a Junior at Columbia College Chicago, studying Film & Television. Currently, she is co-line producing Your Ex-Lover is Dead for her thesis project and is excited to work alongside many talented people. In addition, she has helped produce, coordinate, and art PA several college productions. She works as a barista at Hero Coffee and during her free time, appreciates painting, exploring and photography.

 

Director of Photography

 

Ave Liebentritt is a cinematographer and experimental filmmaker based in Chicago, Illinois. They are currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Cinematography from Columbia College Chicago. Their work often encompasses themes of nature, memories, and their experiences as a queer person.

 

Production Designer

 

Paige is a senior at Columbia studying production design and SFX Makeup. She has been a part of several award-winning productions and was recently nominated as Best Production Designer at the 2021 Best of the Midwest awards. Paige is very excited to be a part of this amazing team of powerful women and can’t wait for people to see the film.

 

Wardrobe

 

Madison Hedrick is a senior fashion merchandising major at Columbia College Chicago. Madi has been in the fashion industry since 2017, ranging from retail manager, personal shopper, seasonal decorator, and wardrobe stylist. In Madi’s free time, she enjoys fashion photography, dancing, and traveling.

Mariana Venturella is a sophomore fashion student at Columbia College Chicago who is currently working on wardrobe for the film “Your Ex-Lover is Dead”. Along with this she runs a personal styling blog on Instagram called @stylememv. Throughout her schooling she has focused on styling and costume design.

 

Editor

 

Sydnie Sanford is a senior at Columbia College Chicago. Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, she came to Chicago because she enjoyed the busy environment. She enjoys editing documentaries and short pieces, and her goal whilst editing is to create a visually pleasing project while allowing the authenticity of the piece to come through.

Production Coordinator

Eleanor Agnew  is a first year student at Columbia College Chicago, working towards a BA in Film and Television, concentrating in Producing. She also studies Theatre Directing, and is a part of the running crew team for the Spring 2022 season. Eleanor is excited to be working with such an incredible team of young filmmakers to bring this project to the screen!