Lights, Camera, Graduation - Support My Final Film
Donation protected
I’m thrilled to be creating my graduation film, ‘Thicker Than Water, Thinner Than Blood,’ as I enter the final stretch of my Bachelor’s in Filmmaking at EICAR in Paris.
This film is a deeply personal story, exploring the complex relationship between faith and religion, how our beliefs can guide us, but also how they can hold us back and silence us. It’s a story I’ve long wanted to tell. Having grown up surrounded by religious teachings, I witnessed firsthand the contrast between religion as a system of rules and faith as something deeply personal and meaningful.
The film centres on Linda, a devout Christian, wife, and mother, whose carefully built life begins to unravel when her abandoned son, Eric, shows up at her door decades after she was forced to give him up as a teenager. His arrival forces Linda to confront the trauma, guilt, and shame she has carried for years—emotions deeply rooted in her upbringing within the church and the environment around her. Linda struggles to navigate the conflict between the values that once defined her life and the more compassionate, personal faith she now seeks, one that embraces love, forgiveness, and acceptance.
I want to emphasize that this film is about understanding the complexities of faith, not rejecting it. It’s about reconciling the past with the present and recognizing how our beliefs can both heal and hurt us. This film explores the experience of girlhood and womanhood in the church, where faith and tradition shape how women are expected to act, think, and navigate their place in the world, often challenging their personal truths and desires. My passion for telling women’s stories, particularly about family and womanhood, is at the heart of this film. My last documentary, Women Who Loved, followed my mother’s journey through the U.S., visiting her mother and three stepmothers, exploring themes of love, family, and the complex relationships that shape women’s lives.
Bringing this story to life means everything to me, and I’m incredibly thankful for the support that makes this possible. I’ve already devoted funds I received through a scholarship, but I need to raise more to complete this film. Since this is a period drama, I need to find a location that still has the style and look of the 90s & 60s, as well as source authentic costumes. Another essential cost is feeding the crew—I'm lucky to be surrounded by people who truly care and want to be part of this project, and I want to make sure they’re supported while we bring this story to life.
Here’s a link to Women Who Loved and more of my work:
Organizer
Enora Rivière-Mazeau
Organizer
Ivry-sur-Seine, A8