Hi, I’m Mara Swanson, a filmmaker at Loyola Marymount University, and I need your help to bring my junior thesis film, Why I Hate My Birthday, to life. This short film follows a young woman on her 21st birthday who smokes her way into a hallucinated childhood celebration. Once trapped in her younger body, she panics and tries to sober up, only to relive more memories as she ages, each moment forcing her to confront the complicated absence that shaped her. Guided by her grandmother, she navigates an absurd party of cakes, candles, and cards she reads as being from her parents, who had left her on her grandmother's doorstep.

This project is a crucial part of my studies at Loyola Marymount University, and I’m asking for your support to make it a reality. The funds will cover production costs, including equipment, set design, costumes, and compensating the amazing team that will bring this story to the screen.

Any contribution, no matter how small, helps me get closer to finishing this important project. Thank you so much for your support, whether through donations or by sharing this campaign with others. Your help is truly invaluable in bringing my film to life.