Sariah- Short Film Fundraiser

‘Sariah’ is an upcoming short film which follows a young lesbian who struggles to envision her life apart from her partner, while finding solace and acceptance within her grief.

‘Sariah’ is set to go into production, with independent producers, directors and actors – primarily queer women – signed on. To create ‘Sariah’ and bring this short to screens, we need to fundraise $6,500 USD.

Any donation is thanked in the credits and;

A donation of $500 USD or more is credited as Co-Producer

WHY NOW?

This project is extremely important in the LGBTQIA+ community, as there is a severe lack of queer films which depict the love between two women. In society today, queerness is treated as a mark of difference. Queer love is viewed as 'less-than', and when queer people experience loss, psychologists agree their grief can feel disenfranchised. This, coupled with the fact that there are few efforts to display sapphic (women-loving-women) love on screen – and often those that do make it to the television screen are cancelled, such as 'Warrior Nun' or 'I am Not Okay With This' – makes it exceedingly difficult for young and seasoned members of the queer community to feel comfortable in their identity, and in society as a whole. Further, with the overturning of Roe v Wade and the introduction of the 'Don't Say Gay' Bill in the U.S.A it is more important than ever to display queer stories on screen.

Ultimately, to feel a sense of belonging in society, queer people must see films that depict their love freely and passionately, and equally, show them they are entitled to grief. The disenfranchisement and rejection of sapphic relationships and identities by the film industry can make it even more difficult to find self-acceptance, and only serves to increase negative sentiments towards queer people due to lack of understanding and empathy.

SYNOPSIS

Guarded Sariah and her partner, literature fanatic Angie, are two queer women of a conservative background living in a major city, barely making ends-meet. Sariah struggles with her mental health, and has always relied on Angie's positivity and optimism to balance her self-destructive ways. Their relationship, and Angie, are the foundational pillars of Sariah's life . . . but Angie isn't here anymore, and Sariah is all alone. We follow Sariah as she finishes work is visited by Angie; a physical manifestation of her anguish and grief. The two women engage in an intense discussion where Sariah reflects on the life she shared with Angie and reconciles her sorrow and memories with her reality. Later, Sariah wakes from a nap and Angie is no longer with her. At work, Sariah notices Angie standing in the mirror behind her before Angie smiles and exits. This is the first sign that Sariah has come to terms with her grief and realises that she must let go of what was for her own health and sanity.

WHAT WILL MY DONATION BE USED FOR?

The location and set design

Costume hire and purchase

Food and water

Compensation for cast & crew

THE CAST

Katelyn Bassett-Wilton – Sariah

Yiana Pandelis – Angie

Madi Usalj- Daisy

THE CREW

Jessica Orcsik – Executive Director/Script Editor

Victoria Bassett-Wilton – Writer/Producer

Katelyn Bassett-Wilton – Writer/Producer

Kate O’Neil – Producer

Liz Meinders – Producer

Madi Usalj – Producer

Director of Photography – Mathew Young

Thank you very, very much for your time and for reading through the information. We hope that you recognise the importance of Sariah for the LGBTQIA+ community in the film and artistic landscape, and consider it worthy of a donation.