Support Maitlyn's Senior Thesis: MOUNTING RUSHMORE

Hello!

If you don’t know me already, my name is Maitlyn and I’m a student at Sarah Lawrence College and aspiring filmmaker. I’m emailing in the hope that you will be interested in helping me bring my senior thesis project to life: a comedy short film entitled MOUNTING RUSHMORE. The film follows a teenage girl who accompanies her boyfriend on his family trip to Mount Rushmore, where her plan to lose her virginity is complicated by her lust for her boyfriend’s sister and her boyfriend’s recently realized George Washington fetish.

MOUNTING RUSHMORE is loosely based on my own experience as a closeted high schooler. Both Maddie and Jack (the protagonists) are queer characters, who struggle to understand their attraction and selves. (Maddie: Why do I lose my ability to speak when I talk to Jack’s hot, so very hot, sister? Why am I always so annoyed at my boyfriend?) (Jack: Why am I turned on by George Washington? What does this mean?)

A year ago, I finally came out as a lesbian. I spent so much time wondering what was going on with me (for one, why I always felt so detached from my past boyfriends whom I was supposed to be in love with). I believe it important to champion more young, questioning narratives because the confused experience is SO common amongst queer individuals! And, while we see the high school, closet-case narrative played out much more for strictly gay men in the media, we rarely see it effectively done for young queer women or bisexual men. I aim for MOUNTING RUSHMORE to fill a much needed gap in queer stories, and aim for it to be useful to both those currently closeted and comedically cathartic for those who can relate from past experience.

This will be a medium budget short film, expenses coming out to about $23,500. Because of complex set design and extravagant locations that are essential to the story, this is certainly the minimum budget to do this story justice! At this point, we only need to raise $5,000 more!

As a twenty-two-year-old full-time undergraduate student, my senior thesis is impossible for me to shoot without help from all of you! I’d be so grateful for an investment of any size. If you’re unable to make an investment, any other help you can provide would be incredible as well! We are shooting February 28, 2025 -March 3, 2025 in NY, and aim to be fully funded by February 15, 2025!

Thank you so much for your time!

Credits

Executive Producer: $2500+

Associate Producer: $1000 - $2500

Financiers: $250-$1000

Special Thanks: $0-$250