"The Forest" Feature Film Project

Dear friends,

My name is H.R. Kean - I am a director, writer, producer and actor. I have directed and produced several short-form projects, from films to concert presentations. My work has won an audience choice award and has been sold to colleges across the country.

This summer, my producing partner, Cara Mitsuko, and I are producing our first feature film! The Forest is a supernatural romance about a lost spirit who must choose between life and death, with only the help of a suicidal man. The story is set entirely in the forest, with only two characters. One location allows us to keep our budget extremely low and, at the same time, get the highest production value possible.

This story investigates how two people integrate grief and pain into their experience of living. The forest itself symbolizes the deep and complex inner landscapes we can sometimes find ourselves lost in and how to find connection and thus ourselves even in the darkest parts of our forests. With my track record as a director of creating rich visuals and engaging characters, I am the perfect person to lead two actors through this vulnerable and personal story while making a visually and emotionally stunning film.

The money we raise will mainly go to housing, feeding, and paying cast and crew. We can shoot the film for $39k, with a bare-bones budget that allows for just that. Any additional funds will be used to push the film through post-production: hiring an incredible composer and colorist to create the most resonant cinema possible. Our goal is to submit to film festivals to share our story with a broader audience. From there, we hope to land on a streaming platform so many more can experience this love story at home.

Thank you so much for taking this journey into the forest with us. I cannot wait to see what we find along the way!

Sincerely,

H.R. Kean

Cara Mitsuko