My name is Cat Morris Jones and I'm in my final year at the Maryland Institute College of Art working towards a Bachelor in Humanistic Studies and a BFA in General Fine Arts with a dual major in Film. My senior thesis film- I Must Leave This Behind- is in the works, but I need some additional funding for the project! I work predominantly within the medium of 16mm motion picture film, and for me, this medium is a vital component for the concept of my projects. But it’s pretty expensive... This thesis film is the most ambitious, longest, and largest scope project I've done yet. I feel excited and ambitious and I would love to maintain this enthusiasm and motivation with minimal monetary stress and as few limitations as possible.

About the film:

I Must Leave This Behind follows a young woman, Rayanne, on a walk home, where she encounters a dying rabbit on the side of the road. While comforting the rabbit in its final moments, inner fears and feelings start unraveling within her. Eventually, Rayanne is left with the body of the rabbit, and she has to come face to face with the embodiment of her longings and fears.

The project, shot on Double-X negative film, will be developed by hand with a sustainable eco-caffenol process, and edited with an experimental process to highlight the nature of negative film.

The final film will be screened at ArtWalk (the senior thesis show) in May 2026.

About funding:

Your kind, generous, and very appreciated donation (thank you!!) will directly support the costs associated with purchasing film stock (800' of film is the minimum amount of film needed for IMLTB: $400) and film scanning/digitizing costs (at 40cents per foot: ~$350). Additional funding can cover travel, wardrobe, equipment, and production specific costs. Any funds exceeding the analog film expenses will be allocated to crew/cast compensation, film festival fees, and unforeseen expenses.

Me / my work:

https://www.youtube.com/@cabloopt

https://www.instagram.com/cabloopt/

I already feel so fulfilled working on this project. I'm grateful for all the help and encouragement I've already received, and I can't wait to further the process of I Must Leave This Behind to bring it to fruition.

Thank you so much for your support!