Support "Dziadzia": A Coming-of-Age Short

Dziadzia ("Grandpa" in Polish) is a coming-of-age, family drama about a young Polish-American boy who unexpectedly falls under the guardianship of his traditional Polish grandfather. This project is my senior thesis project at NYU, and a passion project that I have been working on for more than 2 years!

PROOF OF CONCEPT: https://youtu.be/fswn7T3HSTo

Synopsis

Stanisław and his grandson, Kacper, are suddenly brought together when Kacper’s parents tragically pass away. Kacper, newly orphaned, now finds himself living in a small Brooklyn apartment with his traditional Polish grandfather, who barely speaks English. Dziadzia opens with Kacper’s first night at Stanisław’s as we experience his unknowingness in the space and with his new situation. The following day, they go to Kacper’s parents’ funeral and, from there, we experience their first weekend together as they try their best to connect and navigate this new life, despite the communication, emotional, and cultural troubles. Kacper has to find where he fits in the world with his two contrasting cultures, and Stanisław must learn how to navigate the turmoil of parenting again. Together, they experience grief, they struggle, they learn, they make memories, and, ultimately, they rebuild.

Why?

Dziadzia is a very personal story for me. As a Polish immigrant who grew up most of my life in America, I always felt the pull of both worlds. These two vastly different cultures shaped me into who I am today, and this story is inspired by my own memories and moments I had growing up in America and with my grandfather back in Poland. Through this short, I hope to highlight not just my own identity and growth experiences, but also the similar feelings that other first-gen immigrants can experience while living in America. Dziadzia is also a story of my own grandfather, Dziadzia Stas, who passed away a couple of years ago from Alzheimer's. The scenes we see are vignettes of my own moments I shared with him. Ultimately, I hope this film can allow his memory and his soul to live on.

Incentives

Costs for the film are extremely expensive and include, catering for cast+crew, transportation, equipment rentals, production design, festival submissions, and paying cast. Below are the incentives for different donations:

$1000 or more

$500 or more

$100 or more

$20

About Me

I am a multinational filmmaker, actor, and producer based out of New York City and Los Angeles with over 10 years of experience in the entertainment industry. I am currently a BFA film student at NYU Tisch with a minor in Business of Entertainment, graduating in May. I try to use my upbringing of different cultural backgrounds intertwined with my passion for the outdoors to tell stories of growing up, fitting in, and searching for meaning in our lives. My most recent film, Latent, which I produced, wrote, and directed, follows the 5 stages of grief in an experimental form, and I am currently in post-production for a nature and biographical documentary I directed in the fjords of Norway, which follows the story of a local farmer in the area and surrounding landscapes.

Please consider donating or sharing this fundraiser with anyone you can. Anything, no matter the amount, can help make this story into a reality! Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about this story :)