KITSCH - A Short Film
Donation protected
NEW APARTMENT. FRESH DECOR. ONE UNEXPECTED GUEST.
This dialogue free horror-comedy short film follows an obsessively tidy man who battles a ghost that inhabits his new apartment for control of their shared home… and how it’s decorated.
The inspiration for this story stems from the short time I spent in Ridgewood, Queens. I lived in a two bedroom apartment with one other person. My room was everything I could have wanted: colorful, interesting (if I do say so), and, most importantly, mine. Unfortunately, the shared space was the exact opposite: oppressively blank and roundly unwelcoming. My then roommate and I decided we needed to decorate the space, to make it more appealing for us and others. We went to IKEA, found a few neat light fixtures, assorted knickknacks and, of course, wall art. Bad wall art. Our centerpiece? A string-art design of a deer’s head against dark gray canvas.
Of course we bought it, brought it straight home, and hung it up to realize two immediate truths: it was the ugliest piece of art we’d ever seen, and it was the scariest piece of art we’d ever seen. No matter where in the apartment you went, the gaze of this eyeless monstrosity followed. It felt like it had a life of its own. “Who could possibly think this looks good?” I pondered aloud. Vaguely, my roommate quipped “someone.” Which, naturally, only raised further questions. “Who?”, “how?” and “for God’s sake, why?!”.
This short film is an attempt to answer those questions and aims to explore the emotional attachments we form with items and spaces that appeal solely to us. Furthermore, I’m making this movie to answer the grand question at the core of this story - How does a person’s sense of control determine their self-worth, specifically in their home? And what happens when that control is shattered?
Our Team
Since early September, we’ve been hiring our amazing key creative team:
- Producer: Samantha Lori Glass (The Shallow Tale, The Ballad of Fred Fort)
- Writer: Wes Andre Goodrich (Palm Sunday, Speak Up Brotha!)
- Producing Team: Nicole Jakubik and Roger Blake Glass
- Director of Photography: Carlos Arroyo (Homemaker, Dharm)
- Assistant Director: Liz Power (Past Lives, Evil, Eric)
- Costume Designer: Michael Kouskolekas (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Bull)
- Hair and Makeup Artist: Morgan Everson (Forgotten Animals)
- Production Designer: Diana Penglase (Maestro, Fallout, The Batman)
- Composer: Michael Mathis
Our Budget Breakdown:
The funds will be used to pay our cast and crew, to secure a location, for props and wardrobe, for food, and to finish the film!
We truly appreciate any donation, big or small. To recognize your help, you will receive the following:
- Any donation: A Special Thanks in the Credits
- $250: A Thank You Card Signed by the Team and A Special Thanks in the Credits
- $500: A Small Canvas Created by Our Head Artist, A Special Thanks in the Credits, & A Thank You Card Signed by the Team
- $1000: Executive Producer Credit, A Private Screening Link, A Small Canvas, & A Thank You Card Signed by the Team
- $2000+: Executive Producer Credit, Dinner with the Core Team, An Invitation to a Private Screening or Private Link, Behind the Scenes Postcards, A Small Canvas, & A Thank You Card Signed by the Team
What happens after we film?
We will be filming in early January. After we film, we will begin our post production process! After post production, we will be submitting our short film to film festivals, including Fantastic Fest, Frightfest, South by Southwest, Tribeca Film Festival, and more!
Follow us on Instagram at @kitschshortfilm to follow along with our project! We are so excited to bring this story to life, and can’t wait to share it all with you.
Thank you,
Spencer James Hugo
Organizer
Spencer James Hugo
Organizer
New York, NY