Hello! This is Thomas Rubino, Director and Writer of the short film Absy! This story follows a young woman traveling from Los Angeles to Montana to see her brother who was suddenly hospitalized due to a suicide attempt. Early in her drive, she is told to pick up her brothers “friend”. The two strangers head up the west coast and have a spontaneous, dazed and emotional journey.

This story can only be told in a purely naturalistic way, which is why we will travel to Montana in a car packed with film equipment, two actors (Liz Uys and Dean Kapica) and the wonderful cinematographer George Zen Stewart. This project is also being produced by the talented Tess Fortenberry! Though I have written a screenplay for the film, I’m throwing much of it away in favor of an improv-focused, spontaneous and guerrilla-filmmaking approach. We want to FIND the story out in the world, find characters, moments, locations and anything that comes our way. This will be a truly liberating filmmaking experience.

None of this is possible without support from our friends, families and whoever stumbles across this project! We are seeking funding for camera, sound and production design rentals, food for the crew, data storage and post-production expenses. Any amount of donation helps! Reaching our goal will smoothly transition us into production on this wild, exciting and truly unique experience. We are set to leave for this weeklong journey on August 9th, 2021!