The Trial of Simon, a BFA Short Thesis Film about a young squire who goes in search of the Holy Grail only to encounter a cloaked figure and a terrible truth. A gothic fantasy filled with adventure, romance and tragedy.

Director’s Statement

We are plagued by the notion that the past is greater than the present. We live in a scary time where the lines between fantasy and reality blur with everyday people. Don Quixote hits the nail on the head on how we as a society romanticize the chivalric era as a greater point in human history. I recognize that when these concepts blur, we become docile to systems of oppression and label them as solutions. The reason for this film is to show the problem with mythologizing history to suit a personal or political past. I want to make audiences come away from this film asking themselves in what way do the characters of ‘The Trial Of Simon’ reflect the people around us. - Grahame White

Production

At Emerson College, students have the opportunity to apply for a BFA, which allows those students to leave Emerson College with a capstone media project created over one year. The BFA program is a highly competitive application-based program where students submit a screenplay, and only a select few are chosen.

We need your help to finish covering production costs and with your support we can make this story a reality.

By donating to our film, you will be helping us with a few different things :

(1) Renting our location, Hammond Castle

(2) Craft services for our amazing crew and cast

(3) Festival submission costs

Filming will begin and wrap in May, followed by post-production running through the end of the year until March of next year. This schedule gives us the time needed to thoughtfully develop a high-quality film, while sharing updates and progress with our fundraisers at each stage of the journey.

Risk

Our biggest financial challenge will be securing our location, Hammond Castle. Hammond Castle, a beautiful museum in Gloucester MA, provides us with the perfect setting for the film. Your donations will help us to secure this location. Thank you in advance for your help!

Information

Follow us on Instagram @thetrialofsimon to learn more about our film, keep up with production, meet our amazing cast and crew, and see behind-the-scenes photos of production!