Help Us Make Our Short Film, "SOCK!"

What Are WE Making?

SOCK! - A Short Film

Director: Anna Leah Maltezos

Starring: Ariane Powell and Julianne Cross

Writer: Ariane Powell

Director of Photography: Tricia Mears

Logline: A sweet treat of a short film about a sock puppet named Carl (Cross) who has finally come out to their human best friend Sam (Powell) as...a Sock Puppet. But, could this major breakthrough in Carl's vulnerability and trust for Sam as a friend lead to romance when Carl takes the next big step and introduces Sam to the person behind the puppet?

What Will YOUR Donations Go Towards?

We are hoping to raise funds to help us with the following expenses for our pre production, production, and post production phases:

And Finally, Who Exactly Are WE?

Ariane Powell is a Brooklyn based, Texas raised lesbian writer, actor, and erotic poet. Shortly after graduating with a BFA in acting from Texas State University, Powell realized she was a Dyke. It was 2011 though, so the more she figured out what she actually looked like, the more she realized how limited the availability of roles for her were. So, she chopped off her hair, ripped up her headshots and began to write. Powell’s work provides new pathways to healing through her queer subjectivity and visceral storytelling--at times through dramatic screenwriting, at times through sapphic smut, and occasionally with the whimsey of a sock puppet.

Anna Leah Maltezos is a writer, director, producer, and actor based in New York City.

Credits include Saturday Night Live, The Howard Stern Show, TAWK With Awkwafina, SiriusXM, TruTV, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Fall Out Boy’s Young Blood Chronicles, music videos for Diplo, Janelle Monáe , Melanie Martinez, Steve Aoki, Jamie xx, and a whole heck of a lot of branded content on YouTube that will make you say, "Wow! This is so good I didn't even think about that SKIP button! Nary a once!"

Anna has a BFA in Film & Television from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and comedy training from The Upright Citizen’s Brigade, The Second City, The People’s Improv Theater, and the Brooklyn Comedy Collective. Anna was an original member of the all-womxn indie group, Candy Slice Comedy (but not card-carrying member; they didn’t have cards).

Fun fact: one of her toes doesn’t bend. That’s showbiz, baby.

Julianne Cross is a former Advertising Executive turned actor, writer, and filmmaker. Trained at Upright Citizens Brigade for comedy, she has been featured in sketches for Above Average, Comedy Central, and The New Yorker and you can spot her in numerous commercials playing quirky moms and nosy coworkers. The pandemic redirected her to the exploration of the bittersweet, and her first short film, Delete, is the result. It has been screened at The Big Apple Film Festival, The DC Shorts International Film Festival, and The San Jose International Short Film Festival, among others.

This fall, Julianne is producing a comedy slasher she co-wrote, workshopping her own romance thriller, and is honored to round her busy season out with sock puppetry.

Tricia Mears is a New York City based cinematographer. Mears has been a member of IATSE Local 600 for over ten years. After graduating from Florida State University in 2011 with her Masters of Fine Arts in cinematography, Tricia packed up her bags and headed to the Big Apple. She has filmed a solid variety of short films that have reached film festivals all over the USA. One of her most recent shorts entitled "The Sperm Donor" will be circulating Woodstock Film Festival in Upstate New York later this month. Mears has also worked as an Assistant Camerawoman on television shows and feature films such as: Birth/Rebirth, Day of the Fight , Showtime's ZIWE, FX's Pose, Comedy Central's Broad City.

THANK YOU so much for your time and consideration. We are extremely excited about this project and cannot wait to give SOCK! and audience. Any contribution big or small is greatly and lovingly appreciated!