Hello everyone! My name is Matteo D’Anello, a Senior Cinema Production Student at Ithaca College in the Cinema & Photography program.

During my four years at Ithaca College, along with having taken all of the major production classes so far, I am on my final undergraduate journey to bring my thesis to life! The film I will be presenting to you all is titled Doors, a fantasy drama, which I will explain further below.

LOGLINE: An author is struggling to finish his manuscript that is inspired by his past, but when given the chance to go back and make amends with those he feels he wronged, he risks experiencing the pain all over again.

SYNOPSIS:

Jeremy, a struggling writer, lives alone in an apartment outside of the city, still waiting for his big shot at the world. He writes in a white void, surrounded by items, like a record player, a typewriter on which he is writing his novel, and a mysterious, yet familiar, door.

On a lonely New Year’s Eve, writing what he can of his story that is loosely inspired by events that transpired from his past, Jeremy continues to hear murmurs coming from the other side of the door. Curious, he gets the courage to twist the knob and sees what is beyond the void he has taken comfort in.

He soon finds out that it is the New Year's Party his college friends had thrown all those years ago. Given the opportunity, Jeremy weaves his way through the party to confront those friends whom he misses, though his past actions come to haunt him. The longer he stays in this memory, the more his past and story start to merge in front of his eyes.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE:

A film to me always starts as a concept, sometimes even an image. Back in the Summer of 2023, an image popped into my head that I have not gotten my mind off for the longest time. It was during a holiday gathering, a man in a cozy sweater locks himself in a room while someone he is close to sits on the other side of the door. It was not a novel image, but it has stuck with me since.

Since the Summer of 2023, I have written & directed two films, produced two of my close friends' films, and spent a semester in Los Angeles, CA, interning at a production company. All in all, I have learned a lot, not just about the filmmaking process, but about myself during that time. Much has changed and evolved since then. Though the image of the two friends opening up to each other at a holiday get-together never left. I started to ask myself, why is he so sad? What is her relation to him? How did they get to this point?

Doors has been the film that has been itching to leave my brain across my most formative years, and those experiences have influenced the film that my team and I are preparing to shoot in the coming months. My film is an ode to the creative process, exploring the difficult and therapeutic methods of channeling your life experiences into art. It is also a story about connection and the difficulty of really exploring one’s past, as avoidance tends to be the easier route.

With all that being said, it goes to show how one simple thought can transpire years later into something I cannot wait to share with you all soon.

WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING TO?

One of the major undertakings with this film is that we are going to shoot a majority of it on 16MM Film Stock. This is a choice I have committed to since first having portions of my Advanced Cinema Production film, Last Call, shot on the format. There is an intangible feeling of magic on a set when you hear the film camera rolling, knowing that everything in front of you is being captured on something tangible. That magic feeling has stuck with me, and I cannot wait for our crew to be a part of the magic again. The portions of the film where we will shoot on film also correlate with the story itself, as it will capture our main character’s past, providing a warm, textured feel during this portion.

We are attempting to raise a flexible goal of around $3,000 to produce Doors. Those who contribute to our project will help cover:

Every and any support for this project will be appreciated from the bottom of our hearts.

WHAT WILL YOU GET IN RETURN?

Anyone who contributes to this project will receive a special thanks from our team, as we could not have made the film without you!

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP

If you cannot donate to this project, please spread the word of our film through our Instagram: @doors.film. Share this link with anyone who you feel would connect with this story! Any and all support is greatly appreciated!