Right Behind You

Hi, we are Sophie Stein and Raymond Ceres! We are junior film students producing “Right Behind You,” a fifteen-minute drama short film that we plan to submit to film festivals.

SYNOPSIS

Set in a small town in the 80s, “Right Behind You” follows the story of Eli, a Jewish high school senior on the track team. Eli is the best runner on the team, and this title is the root of a growing tension with Tom, a fellow track athlete whose competitiveness is heavily intertwined with his antisemitic beliefs. As Eli faces more and more hatred on the basis of his identity, he struggles to choose between the anger he feels inside of him, and the quiet but powerful ideals of his religion. Both Eli and Tom are influenced by their fathers’ beliefs, yet their ultimate actions tell a story that is much larger than the both of them.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

The idea for this film came from stories my dad would tell me about growing up in the 80s as the Rabbi’s son of a small town. Today, Judaism is still very important to my family, and I was raised in an observant household - attending Jewish day school, keeping Shabbat, and going to Synagogue every week. I have a deep love for Judaism and everything it has given me, but it wasn’t always easy in a predominantly secular world. Sports competitions often fell on Saturdays, meaning my family and I would stay at hotels within walking distance so that I could still attend. My teammates didn’t necessarily keep their judgments to themselves. I wanted to make a film that shows a Jewish teenager’s struggle with not only feeling like an outsider, but facing direct antisemitism, and not knowing how to handle it. As antisemitism continues to rise in America, I feel that there is no better time to make this film than right now.

My dad in the early 80s.

BUDGET

In order to produce a high-quality, festival-competitive film, we need your help! All funds will go toward production costs such as catering, costumes, set design and equipment, as well as festival submission fees to help our film reach as wide an audience as possible. Any size donation or any form of support is hugely appreciated and means so much to us.

We want to thank you as well as we can for all your help! Here are some bonuses to show how much we value your donation:

$5+ SPECIAL THANK YOU IN CREDITS

$15+ SIGNED POSTER

$50+ PERSONALIZED TRACK TROPHY

$100+ 80s “MIXTAPE”

$200+ EXECUTIVE PRODUCER CREDIT

BIOS

SOPHIE STEIN (Writer, Director, Producer)

Sophie is a junior at Muhlenberg College studying film and media & communications. Last semester she worked on the short film Method, and the music video Brain Damage with Raymond. This summer, she assistant directed at Play Group Theatre in New York, getting the opportunity to work closely with young actors. Sophie loves to write and has been exploring screenwriting for the past few years, since attending an NYU Tisch summer program. “Right Behind You” is the largest project that Sophie has worked on so far, and she’s excited to be collaborating with so many awesome people!

RAYMOND CERES (Producer, Director of Photography)

Raymond is a junior film studies major at Muhlenberg College. Some of Raymond’s experiences last semester include working on the senior thesis project Banana Tree, creating a music video along with Sophie, shooting with a 16mm Bolex, and filming a dance choreographed by Professor Sammy Reyes starring Muhlenberg dancers. Raymond is super excited to translate Sophie’s script and vision into visuals that capture the story’s intensity and humanity.

DAN HAREL (Eli)

Dan is a 19 year old actor and is a sophomore studying theatre at Muhlenberg College. His educational credits include John Proctor in The Crucible, Stanley in Brighton Beach Memoirs and his professional credits include Scott in Zooming in. Growing up Jewish and Israeli in an expanding modern antisemitic environment in the United States, Dan is aware of the responsibility and importance of bringing light to and telling Jewish stories. He is so excited to be taking on that responsibility by starring in “Right Behind You”!

LINDSEY BIGGS (Assistant Director)

Lindsey is a Junior at Muhlenberg College studying Media and Communication and Film Studies. Her works include short film, The Closet, and short documentary, YikYak: How the ‘Herd’ is Hurting Itself. She has also served on the Muhlenberg Broadcasting Channel executive board, managing social media, PR, and filming and editing shorts for the channel. Lindsey has been in love with film her entire life, spending much of her childhood filming “horror movies” with the other kids in her neighborhood. She is so excited to be working on “Right Behind You” with Sophie and Raymond, two fellow student-filmmakers she admires very much! Lindsey believes the message behind the film is an incredibly important one, and is more than honored to assist in bringing it to life!

Thank you so much for reading. We hope you consider helping us create “Right Behind You”!

Sincerely,

Sophie and Raymond