Help support Zach Galsky's NYU Thesis Film

Hello there. My name is Zach Galsky and I'm a senior at NYU Tisch Film.

I’m preparing to shoot my NYU Senior Thesis film in late January 2025. My movie is called Resolution, a sci-fi-tinged black comedy about self-betterment. It’s a satirical take on the lengths impressionable people will go to become their “best self.” With your support, we can make this project happen.

As a senior film student, I have the opportunity to write, direct, and produce a 15-minute short film that will serve as the culmination of my skills as an undergraduate student. Other students write research papers to graduate, film students make movies. It may seem hard to believe, but more than half of our budget alone is really just going towards meals for our cast and crew! I’ve been so blessed to have a dedicated team of artists and friends working with me to help keep costs low and talent high. This film is truly an independent, family-and-friends effort, and I hope you’ll consider joining our team and donating to the project.

Synopsis

The film follows Martha Meal, a reclusive young woman whose monotonous life takes a strange turn when a mysterious company called Heaven invites her to join an innovative science-based self-betterment program. Intrigued by the enticing guarantees of self-improvement, the program offers to create her perfect match—a man named Marty formed through experimental brain and DNA surgery. As Martha embarks on this absurd journey, she confronts unexpected truths about herself and her desires, leading to a climactic confrontation with her deepest flaws.

Resolution expands on similar themes of absurdist humor and social satire that I explored in my last student film Physical Therapy. I encourage anyone looking to get a better sense of my work to watch the film and imagine what we could be capable of with 8x the budget and an even stronger script!

Our Team

Elsie Fisher - Our Martha. Elsie is a Golden Globe-nominated actress and director based in NYC. She stars in Bo Burnham’s 8TH GRADE (2018, A24) and is known for her roles on BARRY (2022, HBO) and THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY (2022, AMAZON). She also played Agnes in Despicable Me (2010, UNIVERSAL). When my mom took me, her, and a few other friends out to dinner, she mistakenly referred to Elsie as having played the minions.

Shane Fleming - Elsie’s on and off-screen match made in Heaven™. Shane is as impressive an actor as he is an overall scholar of cinema. You can see Shane in Funny Pages (2022, A24) as well as Pavements (2024, UTOPIA). He was one of the first friends I met when I moved to NYC for college, and shortly after becoming roommates, we began to collaborate with each other on projects.

Shane and Elsie can currently be seen acting in theaters in Christmas Eve At Miller’s Point (2024, IFC)

Julia Barlow (Producer) - Julia Barlow is a producer based in New York primarily working on music videos for artists such as Jack Harlow, BNYX, Lil Tecca, and Hannah Jadagu. She is currently producing a feature-length documentary with Prophet Media and Polyvinyl Records for the band American Football. I really wanted to become friends with Julia freshman year because I thought her dad was the bassist for Dinasour Jr. I was completely wrong, but it was a more than worthwhile mistake!

Adina Alterman (Producer) - Adina Alterman is a New York producer working at Gummy Films where she has coordinated music videos for artists such as A$AP Rocky, Fred Again, Lil Yachty, and Roy Blair. She is also known for producing Eli Beutel’s short Handball (post-production) and Leilah Weinraub + Elle Clay’s short Seek No Favor (post-production). Less than three months ago I had never met Adina, but Julia showed her my script, and the next thing I knew she was on board and the two of us were bonding over our love of Challah with Matzah Ball Soup.

Jinho Myung (Producer) - Our producer trifecta rounds out with my roommate and longtime collaborate Jinho. Jinho is a recent NYU film alum and currently works as an intern for NoBudge.com. He is an incredibly talented director whose debut feature “Softshell” just won the grand prize at the Entreveus festival in Belfort, France. I’m proud to have worked on Jinho’s movies in multiple capacities from actor to scorer and am excited to continue our creative relationship as he helps produce this project.

Steven Zambon (Director of Photography) - Steven Zambon is a New York-based cinematographer shooting both commercial and narrative work. He has worked with fashion brands such as Reece Cooper Inc and Laurel Blue and musical artists like Hannah Jadagu and Pluko. For narrative work, he shot his first feature this year and is currently in production for his second. I’ve acted in front of Steven’s camera numerous times and am glad to work alongside him behind it for once.

Zach Galsky (Director/Writer/Editor) - Zach Galsky is a filmmaker and musician living in Brooklyn, New York. His short film Physical Therapy made its US debut at the Nighthawk cinema in Brooklyn. In addition to his work in film, Zach is a multi-instrumentalist recording artist and performer who has participated in multiple nationwide tours. He is also just in general a really nice guy.

Eloise Multon (Costume Designer) - Eloise Moulton is a costume designer and stylist. She has most notably worked with HighSnobiety, Atlantic Records, Interscope Records, and Flaunt Magazine. Eloise is perhaps most excited to offer her talents as a voice actress to the project, voicing the ever-cheery corporate representative of the Heaven company.

Izzy Dent (Production Designer) - Izzy Dent is a Brooklyn-based video artist who graduated from Calarts 2023. Though primarily working in writing and editing, she has done production design for short films, music videos, and installations. It took only about two minutes of talking with Izzy for her to completely understand my vision of Martha’s dismal apartment. That’s gotta be a record.

Please give whatever you can, and if you can't give, then share! This film can only reach its full potential with the support of every single person who reads this right now, no matter the size of the contribution. I have been immensely grateful for the opportunity to make so many wonderful relationships over the last four years and am looking forward to working with everyone on the most important project I have ever set out to make. A film that will, at the very least, serve as a record of an immensely transformative chapter of my life. I look forward with great intention and self-assurance to showing everyone the amazing movie we’re able to make.

Thank you so much for the support.

Zach Galsky

No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.