Stale Air Short Film

THE FILM:

Hello there, my name is Sarah Leibman and I am the Writer/Director of the upcoming short film Stale Air.

Stale Air 's journey began in 2020, when my screenplay was chosen as a finalist at the Women in Media Cameraderie: Act One Initiative and a semi-finalist at the Killer Shorts Horror Screenplay Competition. After some tumultuous pandemic years halted production, I began developing this project again with the help of a committed core crew. Now, with our filming dates set for September, I am beyond excited to finally be making this film a reality.

Stale Air tells the story of Pippa, a woman in her seventies who feels alienated from her life when her husband dies suddenly. Locking herself in the family beach house, Pippa experiences nightmarish visions that she has died as well. The film uses an unsettling yet intimate style inspired by sensory films focused on troubled female protagonists such as Lynne Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin, Jane Campion’s Sweetie, Todd Haynes’ Safe and Robert Altman’s 3 Women. By crafting a portrait of a female character that truly defies societal stereotypes around aging, gender and mental health it's my goal to help break the boundaries of how women exist on screen.

As faculty at Ohio University School of Film, I am so proud to have our student filmmakers joining me on set. Stale Air will not only be a cornerstone of my personal artistic development but also an invaluable opportunity for Ohio University School of Film student crew members to gain real-world on-set experiences with mentorship from seasoned local professionals. I hope that my engagement with transgressive and personal subject matter in this film will inspire my students to make fearless cinematic art rooted in their own unique experiences. 

THE TEAM:

CAST

Mary Anisi (Pippa)

Mary Anisi is a Lifetime Member of The Actors Studio. She has appeared in Off-Off-Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. Among them: A View From the Bridge, An Actors Adaptation of Uncle Vanya, Time of Your Life, Luv, Exit the King, Long Days Journey Into Night, The Birds. She made her Broadway debut in Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women, portraying Glenda Jackson’s comatose body double. In addition to her stage credits, she appeared on HBO’s Love Life with Anna Kendrick and the PBS special, Women Suffrage: The Fight for the Right to Vote. She has appeared in many short films, including Everything All At Once with J. Smith-Cameron and The End which she was awarded Best Actress in the Austrian All-Nations Short Film Festival.

Jacob A. Ware (Matt)

Jacob stars in the SHUDDER horror An Unquiet Grave as well as in the Sundance surreal comedy You Wouldn't Understand. He can be seen on Law & Order, Fallout, FBI, Law & Order: SVU, and Boardwalk Empire. Upcoming films include Flesh & Blood and The Man & The Scarecrow.

Ariana Starkman (Devorah)

Ariana Starkman (she/her) has a degree in Theatre and Social Change, and spent significant amounts of time studying acting and movement in Arezzo, Moscow, and London. Recent theatre productions include A View from the Bridge, Mother Courage and Her Children, She Kills Monsters, and Appropriate. Recent film credits include Not a Coat Rack, Real Maple Syrup, and Wings. Ariana is trained in ten stage combat weapons, a certified breathwork facilitator, and Program Manager for a Cleveland non-profit focused on somatics.

Reagan Fitzgerald (Marisol)

Reagan is five years old. She started acting at the age of three in an episode of upcoming Starz series, Three Women. Her next exciting role was playing Trish’s daughter (Trish played by Abigail Breslin) in feature film, Miranda’s Victim. Since then she has played a supporting role in two additional feature films and loves being on set! Aside from acting, Reagan loves dinosaurs, using her imagination, and riding her horse, Scooter.

CREW

Sarah Leibman, Writer/Director

Sarah's short films have screened at such international competitions as the New Orleans Film Festival, Cinequest Film Festival and Los Angeles International Student Film Festival. Her screenplays have been developed at the NYC film and television production company Andrew Lauren Productions and she is in her third year as an Assistant Professor of Film and Theater at Ohio University.

Jessy Leigh, Producer

Jessy Leigh’s first written piece was a comedy sketch performed live at the Broadway Comedy Club in New York City. Since then, she’s written and directed a variety of pilots, shorts, music videos, and features. Her most recent short, HOBBY, a proof of concept, is currently being developed into a feature length script. Her last three films, LOOSE CHANGE (directed by), JULIE THE JURY (produced, written and directed by) and GOODBYE, OHIO (produced, written, starred in) all premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival. Her directorial debut, a bio-doc titled, “Letters to R,” screened at multiple festivals and even won an “Audience Choice Award.” Jessy Leigh is currently writing a musical comedy based on her love for dinosaurs.

Deborah Kampmeier, Executive Producer

Deborah has directed, written, and produced five award-winning feature films (including Virgin, Independent Spirit Awards nominee for the John Cassavettes Award and Hounddog, Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize nominee) and her prolific career as a television director includesTales of the Walking Dead, The Gilded Age, Star Trek: Picard and Queen Sugar.

Jon Coy, Director of Photography

Jon's award-winning cinematography credits span several feature-length narrative films and documentaries, and over 30 short films, which have screened at such notable festivals as Newfilmmakers Los Angeles, the Cleveland International Film Festival and the Athens International Film and Video Festival.

Grace Palmatary, Assistant Producer and Casting Director

Grace is a recent graduate of Ohio University School of Film. While in school, she produced five short student films and the live sketch comedy show, Fridays Live. She moves to L.A. at the end of the summer and is excited to grow as a filmmaker.

Kelly Hanning, Art Director

Kelly A. Hanning is a multidisciplinary artist from the panhandle of Florida. In addition to teaching at Columbus College of Art and Design, she has worked heavily in the art fabrication world, including the Scarefactory and both the Columbus and Philadelphia locations of Otherworld. She contributed to a multitude of notable projects-- including Yoidles Productions fabrication of sets for Björk's Cornucopia Tour.

WHAT WE NEED:

Our professional and student cast and crew has generously given their creativity, time and energy to make this project truly special. Your donations will directly contribute to their day rates, lodging, meals and travel expenses during our filming in September. Your donations also support rental fees for our 100-year old lake-house location in Huron, OH which will set our story in a space that is rich with local history and character.

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP:

Please spread the word about our project: follow, share and like, we appreciate any and all support so much! Thank you for helping us bring this unique film into the world!