Pocha - a Short Film

THE STORY


This story is intensely personal and rooted in my own experiences growing up as a pocha in the shadow of the immigrant experience. 

A devoted John Hughes fan since middle school, so much of my favorite storytelling comes in the universality of the Coming-of-Age story. Teenage girls in particular are a historically powerful demographic, but, in the media, aren’t always given the agency and logic they so often possess. With Pocha, I plan to create a character (Vic) whose aspirations aren’t limited to either crushes or college, and whose life would swiftly end if they talked back to their mother… *cue the palo across your leg*

Identity is a central theme to the Coming-of-Age story which I want to explore this through the lens of interpreting one’s cultural and ethnic heritage for themselves. Growing up in a Mexican & Puerto Rican household, complete with multigenerational weight of the immigrant experience, created a dynamic system of interpreting my - then - much smaller world. Further, the difference in coloring between my mother and me created an environment wherein I frequently witnessed casual racism. These instances were not limited to people mistaking my mother as my caregiver/nanny or complimenting her English, assuming it was not her primary language. As a white Latina, I move through spaces with an ease not afforded all members of my immediate and extended family -- an ease I only started to digest once attending elite private schools. Other themes blended into this bilingual story are Mother-Daughter relationships, Economic Disparity, and Independence. 


While pieces of my identity align with the vessels of the genre, it remains rare to come across a character growing up in a house that looks and feels like mine did. Narratives including Latinx families (and the myriad of underrepresented groups) are most definitely on the albeit slow rise, but adding nuance to cultural representation as well as providing the chance to slip into genres not dependent on their identity remains critical to reshaping the industry. 

Pocha’s protagonist, Vic, seriously weighs her image of self for the first time when she decides whether she wants a quinceañera or Sweet Sixteen. My earnest desire is that this story uses its specificity to create something universal, with characters that will one day invite us into their lives for 90 minutes instead of 15.

THE TEAM

Our team is entirely female-identifying, which proves to be an asset in doing Vic's story justice and making her exterior and interior worlds feel precise and clearly defined. 



Carly Oscar - Writer / Director


Carly Oscar is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker with a passion for accessible, humorous, and emotion informed storytelling. She currently works at Sesame Workshop, where she supports the producing team behind Sesame Street and The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo on HBOMax, as well as Helpsters on Apple+. Additionally, Carly serves as a writer for Sesame's digital arm including content for The Power of We (a Social & Racial Justice initiative) and brand collaborations with Audible, CNN, and more. She's so excited to share this story – aided by the gifts of a powerful, femme creative team – and highlight experiences from her multigenerational Latinx home.

Carly holds a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in Film & Television Production. And yes, she's a pocha.

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Emma Penrose - Director of Photography 


Emma Penrose is a cinematographer in Brooklyn, NY, with a focus on narrative, documentary and music videos. She often experiments with analog film processes between the darkroom and her kitchen table.

https://emmapenrose.com/

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Michelle Johnson - Production Designer 


Michelle Johnson is an NYC based set designer and artist. She graduated NYU in 2019, and has since pursued a full time freelance career in film and TV. 



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Claire Stacy - Assistant Director


Claire is a graduate of the Film and Television department at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has worked as a producer and assistant director on several short films and music videos, many of whichhave gone on to win awards at festivals such as SXSW and the Queen’s World Film Fest. Since graduating, Claire has worked on a number of TV shows, including The Daily Show, Blue Bloods, and The Untitled Ziwe Project.  She is currently the Script Coordinator for HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones. Claire worked with Carly when they were abroad together in Australia, and she is thrilled to work together again. 

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Emma Hart - Casting 


Emma received her BFA in acting from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and since has been a working actor in New York City. She has been featured in several ad campaigns for Facebook, HBO, and Verizon, to name a few. Emma has also been cast in several off-Broadway productions such as Lady in the Dark at the New York City Center. She has worked as a producer and casting director on a number of plays and short films. She is very excited to be joining this all female crew!

https://www.emmacatherinehart.com/

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Rachel Brown - Producer


Rachel has worked in a number of capacities in the film and television space. Her credits span from network hit Blue Bloods to highly regarded luxury brands such as Prada, LVMH, and Vogue. Rachel met Carly during an introductory class during their freshman year at the Tisch School of the Arts, and they have been close collaborators ever since. Currently, Rachel is pursuing an MBA at NYU’s Stern School of Business. 

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Remi Reinlib - Producer

Remi is a graduate of NYU’s Film & TV program. She is the Associate Producer at PROM Creative, a short form production company based in NYC, whose clients include National Geographic, Bloomberg, Cole Haan, Washington Post, and others. In her spare time, she likes to play the melodica, dress up as a clown, and play with her foster dog, Ellie.

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Maite Elias-Nava - Producer

As a first-generation Mexican American, Maite resonated with Vic's character and unique journey from the moment she opened the script. While studying at NYU Tisch's Drama program, Maite took on an immediate interest in producing, simultaneously growing on and off the screen. After having worked on television shows such as Younger, Broad City, Russian Doll, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, she's now the Key Production Assistant at Sesame Workshop, spanning across work alongside our writer/director Carly Oscar. Maite is thrilled to see this much needed story brought to life!

VISUALS




WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP

We are locked in to shoot this short film June 4 - 6th, 2021 and filmmaking is expensive! That being said, as a passion project of this scale, we can definitely make it happen with your help. The financial goal for this campaign will not meet my own initial investment. This project has been in development since 2019, with an originally planned shoot set mid April 2020. While I’d saved to cover this shoot myself, the pandemic upended that production and has altered the initial working budget. These discrepancies have created a space to have you contribute to ensuring we can make this project from start to finish.

Filmmaking is the “team sport” of making art, and I’m hoping for you to join the Pocha team. The contributions here will literally be the fuel that this projects runs off of. There are fees for things like shooting permits, locations, equipment rentals, craft services, festival submissions, and more. Every dollar helps, and all contributions big or small are so appreciated!




RISKS AND CHALLENGES

Our largest challenge is going to be making sure our set is safe given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, all key crew is on track to be vaccinated well in advance of our shoot dates!

Additionally, our producer Remi is a certified Covid Compliance Officer + our entire team has been working at high levels of production, adhering to industry standards, throughout the pandemic. We will be employing standard best practices and following CDC guidelines including: testing before arrival for cast & crew, mask wearing, social distancing + more.

Thanks for reading through this campaign and for your support of female-driven independent film!


And if you've read THIS far - then HEY MOM! <3



FOLLOW US

IG: @pochathefilm
Twitter: @PochaTheFilm


Poster Design by Will Planey.