Project Overview

Hello! My name is Neha Hemachandra, and I am a director/writer currently studying to receive my MFA in Contemporary Directing Practice at Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance. Over the past year, I have learned about different stage directing techniques and am now embarking on a new journey of applying these skills to film. I have written a short film called The Girl Who Met with Death, inspired by my personal experience of losing my father through the lens of Hindu funeral rites, and I hope to explore how religion intersects with the grieving process within an Indian cultural context. I plan to shoot a selection of scenes from this piece at the beginning of June.

I have created this campaign to raise enough money to practically achieve shooting these scenes by covering the cost of equipment, transport, and food for our cast and crew. Through this project, I hope to create a calling card to showcase my work as an artist and support my journey as I enter the creative workforce. I would greatly appreciate your support in making this a reality and am grateful for any contributions towards my goal. Please read below for more information regarding the short film being produced!

The Girl Who Met with Death

When a young Indian woman struggles to engage in her father’s death ritual, she decides to steal his ashes and set out into the woods on a quest to preserve her father’s memory. As she grapples with her grief, she encounters several signs of fate that lead her on a journey of acceptance and reconnection with her cultural roots.

I am making this film to preserve my father’s legacy and carry forth the stories and cultural values that have allowed me to heal and process grief. Through this creative endeavor, I hope to carve a space for those who feel isolated by loss and create a story that allows audiences to resonate with the harrowing universality of dealing with death.