Aggie Ascends
New York City, New York | Film Short
Fantasy, Comedy
Feeling adrift in her life, Aggie consults a witch—and begins to have visions that she is descending into the underworld. There, Aggie faces her fear and self-doubt personified in the form of the goddess of death. This is a story for anyone who’s ever felt lost and fought their way back.
Aggie Ascends
New York City, New York | Film Short
Fantasy, Comedy
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $39,319 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
49 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Feeling adrift in her life, Aggie consults a witch—and begins to have visions that she is descending into the underworld. There, Aggie faces her fear and self-doubt personified in the form of the goddess of death. This is a story for anyone who’s ever felt lost and fought their way back.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Watch the trailer! And please click on MAKE A PLEDGE above to support our film. Based on the amount of your pledge, you will receive one of the incentives listed.
The film begins with Aggie in a tiny room filled to the brim with stuff. Boxes, trash bags, racks of clothing. Her mother recently died, and Aggie hires Bonnie, a personal organizer, to help her get her life together. Bonnie tells her to sort out “what’s yours, what was your mother’s, and if there’s anything you want to keep of hers.” A simple enough task!
But Aggie wants more than just organizing her physical stuff. She also hires a witch.
Aggie is at a crossroads in her life, about to get married to her boyfriend, trying to let go of the past and become someone new. The question of what she wants to keep going forward will become metaphysical, and her journey will become visionary. That room filled with piles of stuff becomes a portal into the underworld, where she meets a goddess of death sitting on a throne of trash.
In some ways, Aggie Ascends is a fantasy adventure film, just like The Lord of the Rings or the Narnia series, but it’s a fantasy adventure that any of us could get called to tomorrow. Aggie journeys into her own subconscious and faces her own fears about herself and her future. And the prize at the end isn’t gold hoarded by a dragon, it’s a sense of her own destiny and desire.
As Aggie says in the movie, “I’m not a little girl anymore, you know what I mean?” I can relate! But I’m not just Aggie, I’m also Jessie, the witch whom she consults, who sends her searching through the underworld for a sense of meaning. I wanted to make a movie about witches–not the witches we dress up as for Halloween, but real witches who use tarot cards to make decisions and interpret dreams. Witches are real, and magic is real.
For me, this journey has been about claiming my future as a professional filmmaker. The first film I took to film festivals was a short film called The Famous Joe Project, which played at Slamdance in 2007. I later adapted that short film into my first feature film, and I’ve continued making films ever since. All the time that I have been developing my voice as a filmmaker, creating projects in my spare time, I’ve also been working in the world of studio filmmaking as a production manager for visual effects or working for software companies that serve the film industry. I love supporting other filmmakers achieving their vision, but when I got laid off from my job, I knew it was time to invest in my own future and my own vision.
We are very close to finishing this film, but the costs of post-production are significant. If we achieve our fundraising goal, it sets us up for huge success at film festivals and beyond. We offer incentives at different tiers, but please understand that this is all just a way for us to express our incredible gratitude for your support, financial and otherwise. I know that I’m not able to give money to all the great projects out there, but if you’re willing to share a link to this page among your network, that’s also a way to support what we’re doing.
All those who contribute, even $0.01, will get updates about our progress every step along the way. We would love to have all of you come and support us at every screening! And some of our contributors will get to walk the red carpet with us... Yes! VIP witch step turn werq...
If we had to finish the film without this funding, we would find a way. But a crowdfunding campaign isn’t just about raising cash, it’s about inviting you to be a part of what we’re building, and gaining your support in ways that can’t be measured or counted. And if we meet our goal–or exceed our goal–every dollar goes into making the visual effects, sound design, musical score, and final finishing as spectacular as this story deserves.
Coming to a crossroads in our lives is inevitable. Eventually, we have to choose a path forward. I truly believe that each one of us must face our fear and self-doubt before we can drive forward to meet our destiny.
This is why I felt the need to create AGGIE ASCENDS, to give us all a chance to take a look at why we make the decisions we do and what it means to be true to ourselves. I am experiencing this once again, firsthand, taking a chance on myself and my collaborators to create AGGIE ASCENDS. I invite you to join the journey and take a chance with us.
- Eli Rarey, Writer and Director.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Editing
Costs $6,000
We've already begun editing the film, but we need to complete the creative editing process and the finished assets for festivals.
Visual Effects
Costs $14,000
The surreal dream sequences in the film require spectacular visual effects. Each shot is completed individually by a skilled VFX artist.
Sound Editing
Costs $10,500
Sound editors are crucial— we've a great one! He works on dialogue, sound effects, and music to draw us into Aggie's underworld experience.
Music Composers & Recording
Costs $9,000
We are hiring a composer to create original music for the film, as well as recording a live chorus for vocal elements.
Color Correction
Costs $4,500
Color correction is the final step in the process, when all the visuals are adjusted in a calibrated theatrical environment.
Festivals & Publicity
Costs $5,000
What's the point of a film if no one sees it?! Help us share it so others can be inspired by Aggie's journey.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Eli Rarey, Writer / Director, is an independent filmmaker, performance artist, playwright, and poet. His feature film The Famous Joe Project premiered at Outfest in 2012. His short films have appeared in festivals and won awards all over the world. The short documentary project Two Faiths One Prayer has been viewed over 300,000 times on YouTube. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in Theater Arts and an MFA degree from USC School of Cinematic Arts. In addition to his work as a writer and director, he has worked in visual effects on both independent and major studio films for over 20 years.
Jordan Noël Hawkes, Producer, is a multidisciplinary, multilingual producer and storyteller whose work spans fiction, nonfiction, and digital media. Collaborating with teams across the U.S., Latin America, and beyond, she has produced indie shorts, streaming series, social impact campaigns, and award-winning documentary features. Jordan began her career on the set of Mars Attacks! (1996) and went on to work on features including The Social Network, The Ugly Truth, Collapse, and State of Play. Her documentary credits include projects for Discovery, History Channel, PBS, Disney+, and Amazon.
Jared Levy, Cinematographer, has a portfolio that features work in the narrative, commercial, and documentary fields. His blending of these experiences and styles lends to a visceral photography that feels both honest and elevated. Career accomplishments include two narrative feature films currently streaming on HULU (California King and Memes & Nightmares), a variety of narrative and documentary projects with official selections at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, SXSW, Tribeca, Telluride, and Camerimage, amongst others. His commercial work has earned him a Silver Clio Award, 4x Telly Awards, Webby Honorable Mention, and various nominations across industry competitions, while his narrative cinematography has been publicized and featured in American Cinematographer magazine. He has extensive boots-on-the-ground experience filming on location in 30 countries across all continents. A fast technician and a deft artist, Jared loves the collaboration that the film medium requires and enjoys most the bonds forged on set.
Evie Stone, Actress, is an up-and-coming performer based in Brooklyn. Starting her career in the fashion industry, she has been taking acting classes for the past couple of years. Aggie Ascends is one of her first roles. Evie was featured in Interview magazine this year among a group of downtown artists. Growing up as a competitive dancer, Evie is also a writer and budding musician.
Christopher Riemann, On-Set VFX Supervisor, with over 15 years of experience, his credits include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Barbie, A Real Pain, M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass and Split, Woody Allen’s Magic in the Moonlight, HBO’s The Gilded Age (Season 1), Good Omens (Season 2), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season 3). He has also delivered commercial work for Adidas, Apple, Facebook Messenger, Coors, Time Warner, Sam’s Club, and New Balance. Beyond film and television, Christopher has explored immersive projects and music videos, including the first feature for Apple Vision Pro, BONO: Stories of Surrender; a Meta Quest 3 spot for the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas; and a video for Madonna. Christopher founded GrinGoVFX to support independent filmmakers with creative visual effects solutions, and for Aggie Ascends, he partnered with senior VFX artist Victor Torres to bring its magical realism to life. Christopher is also an actor and enjoys contributing during pre-production and production.
Perri Frank, Editor, is a film and television editor whose credits include High Maintenance (HBO), Bad Monkey (Apple TV+), and Dexter: Resurrection (Showtime). With a keen eye for story and rhythm, she collaborates with filmmakers to craft compelling narratives that captivate and resonate with audiences.
Anuj Bhutani, Composer, is described as “a force multiplier with more talents than time” (PATRON Magazine), “with a special gift for taking the personal and making it universal” (Beth Morrison, OperaWire), Anuj Bhutani is a quickly emerging composer, performer, vocalist, and producer whose “alternately celestial and dark” music (John Schaefer, WNYC New Sounds) often features visceral grooves; ethereal, meditative spaces; a combination of acoustic instruments and electronics, narrative depth, and genre-fluidity. As a first-generation Indian-American, Bhutani’s work is focused on liminal spaces, and as such is often highly interdisciplinary, engaging with theater, dance, and film while drawing on his musical background in classical, emo/screamo, ambient, singer/songwriter, and electronic music, resulting in genre- and culturally-fluid pieces that firmly situate the listener between multiple musical worlds at once.
C. Finley, Tarot Artist, is the Founder and Curator of the Every Woman Biennial and known for her elaborate paintings and intense use of color, monumental murals, multi-disciplinary collaborations, and her activism through urban art interventions, including her acclaimed Wallpapered Dumpsters. As the creator of the Every Woman Biennial, she exhibited 1200 female and non-binary artists (2014-2021) in New York, Los Angeles, and London. Finley has shown internationally, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, La Repubblica, Dazed, Fast Company, Women’s Wear Daily, LALA, and more.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Watch the trailer! And please click on MAKE A PLEDGE above to support our film. Based on the amount of your pledge, you will receive one of the incentives listed.
The film begins with Aggie in a tiny room filled to the brim with stuff. Boxes, trash bags, racks of clothing. Her mother recently died, and Aggie hires Bonnie, a personal organizer, to help her get her life together. Bonnie tells her to sort out “what’s yours, what was your mother’s, and if there’s anything you want to keep of hers.” A simple enough task!
But Aggie wants more than just organizing her physical stuff. She also hires a witch.
Aggie is at a crossroads in her life, about to get married to her boyfriend, trying to let go of the past and become someone new. The question of what she wants to keep going forward will become metaphysical, and her journey will become visionary. That room filled with piles of stuff becomes a portal into the underworld, where she meets a goddess of death sitting on a throne of trash.
In some ways, Aggie Ascends is a fantasy adventure film, just like The Lord of the Rings or the Narnia series, but it’s a fantasy adventure that any of us could get called to tomorrow. Aggie journeys into her own subconscious and faces her own fears about herself and her future. And the prize at the end isn’t gold hoarded by a dragon, it’s a sense of her own destiny and desire.
As Aggie says in the movie, “I’m not a little girl anymore, you know what I mean?” I can relate! But I’m not just Aggie, I’m also Jessie, the witch whom she consults, who sends her searching through the underworld for a sense of meaning. I wanted to make a movie about witches–not the witches we dress up as for Halloween, but real witches who use tarot cards to make decisions and interpret dreams. Witches are real, and magic is real.
For me, this journey has been about claiming my future as a professional filmmaker. The first film I took to film festivals was a short film called The Famous Joe Project, which played at Slamdance in 2007. I later adapted that short film into my first feature film, and I’ve continued making films ever since. All the time that I have been developing my voice as a filmmaker, creating projects in my spare time, I’ve also been working in the world of studio filmmaking as a production manager for visual effects or working for software companies that serve the film industry. I love supporting other filmmakers achieving their vision, but when I got laid off from my job, I knew it was time to invest in my own future and my own vision.
We are very close to finishing this film, but the costs of post-production are significant. If we achieve our fundraising goal, it sets us up for huge success at film festivals and beyond. We offer incentives at different tiers, but please understand that this is all just a way for us to express our incredible gratitude for your support, financial and otherwise. I know that I’m not able to give money to all the great projects out there, but if you’re willing to share a link to this page among your network, that’s also a way to support what we’re doing.
All those who contribute, even $0.01, will get updates about our progress every step along the way. We would love to have all of you come and support us at every screening! And some of our contributors will get to walk the red carpet with us... Yes! VIP witch step turn werq...
If we had to finish the film without this funding, we would find a way. But a crowdfunding campaign isn’t just about raising cash, it’s about inviting you to be a part of what we’re building, and gaining your support in ways that can’t be measured or counted. And if we meet our goal–or exceed our goal–every dollar goes into making the visual effects, sound design, musical score, and final finishing as spectacular as this story deserves.
Coming to a crossroads in our lives is inevitable. Eventually, we have to choose a path forward. I truly believe that each one of us must face our fear and self-doubt before we can drive forward to meet our destiny.
This is why I felt the need to create AGGIE ASCENDS, to give us all a chance to take a look at why we make the decisions we do and what it means to be true to ourselves. I am experiencing this once again, firsthand, taking a chance on myself and my collaborators to create AGGIE ASCENDS. I invite you to join the journey and take a chance with us.
- Eli Rarey, Writer and Director.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Editing
Costs $6,000
We've already begun editing the film, but we need to complete the creative editing process and the finished assets for festivals.
Visual Effects
Costs $14,000
The surreal dream sequences in the film require spectacular visual effects. Each shot is completed individually by a skilled VFX artist.
Sound Editing
Costs $10,500
Sound editors are crucial— we've a great one! He works on dialogue, sound effects, and music to draw us into Aggie's underworld experience.
Music Composers & Recording
Costs $9,000
We are hiring a composer to create original music for the film, as well as recording a live chorus for vocal elements.
Color Correction
Costs $4,500
Color correction is the final step in the process, when all the visuals are adjusted in a calibrated theatrical environment.
Festivals & Publicity
Costs $5,000
What's the point of a film if no one sees it?! Help us share it so others can be inspired by Aggie's journey.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Eli Rarey, Writer / Director, is an independent filmmaker, performance artist, playwright, and poet. His feature film The Famous Joe Project premiered at Outfest in 2012. His short films have appeared in festivals and won awards all over the world. The short documentary project Two Faiths One Prayer has been viewed over 300,000 times on YouTube. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in Theater Arts and an MFA degree from USC School of Cinematic Arts. In addition to his work as a writer and director, he has worked in visual effects on both independent and major studio films for over 20 years.
Jordan Noël Hawkes, Producer, is a multidisciplinary, multilingual producer and storyteller whose work spans fiction, nonfiction, and digital media. Collaborating with teams across the U.S., Latin America, and beyond, she has produced indie shorts, streaming series, social impact campaigns, and award-winning documentary features. Jordan began her career on the set of Mars Attacks! (1996) and went on to work on features including The Social Network, The Ugly Truth, Collapse, and State of Play. Her documentary credits include projects for Discovery, History Channel, PBS, Disney+, and Amazon.
Jared Levy, Cinematographer, has a portfolio that features work in the narrative, commercial, and documentary fields. His blending of these experiences and styles lends to a visceral photography that feels both honest and elevated. Career accomplishments include two narrative feature films currently streaming on HULU (California King and Memes & Nightmares), a variety of narrative and documentary projects with official selections at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, SXSW, Tribeca, Telluride, and Camerimage, amongst others. His commercial work has earned him a Silver Clio Award, 4x Telly Awards, Webby Honorable Mention, and various nominations across industry competitions, while his narrative cinematography has been publicized and featured in American Cinematographer magazine. He has extensive boots-on-the-ground experience filming on location in 30 countries across all continents. A fast technician and a deft artist, Jared loves the collaboration that the film medium requires and enjoys most the bonds forged on set.
Evie Stone, Actress, is an up-and-coming performer based in Brooklyn. Starting her career in the fashion industry, she has been taking acting classes for the past couple of years. Aggie Ascends is one of her first roles. Evie was featured in Interview magazine this year among a group of downtown artists. Growing up as a competitive dancer, Evie is also a writer and budding musician.
Christopher Riemann, On-Set VFX Supervisor, with over 15 years of experience, his credits include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Barbie, A Real Pain, M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass and Split, Woody Allen’s Magic in the Moonlight, HBO’s The Gilded Age (Season 1), Good Omens (Season 2), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Season 3). He has also delivered commercial work for Adidas, Apple, Facebook Messenger, Coors, Time Warner, Sam’s Club, and New Balance. Beyond film and television, Christopher has explored immersive projects and music videos, including the first feature for Apple Vision Pro, BONO: Stories of Surrender; a Meta Quest 3 spot for the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas; and a video for Madonna. Christopher founded GrinGoVFX to support independent filmmakers with creative visual effects solutions, and for Aggie Ascends, he partnered with senior VFX artist Victor Torres to bring its magical realism to life. Christopher is also an actor and enjoys contributing during pre-production and production.
Perri Frank, Editor, is a film and television editor whose credits include High Maintenance (HBO), Bad Monkey (Apple TV+), and Dexter: Resurrection (Showtime). With a keen eye for story and rhythm, she collaborates with filmmakers to craft compelling narratives that captivate and resonate with audiences.
Anuj Bhutani, Composer, is described as “a force multiplier with more talents than time” (PATRON Magazine), “with a special gift for taking the personal and making it universal” (Beth Morrison, OperaWire), Anuj Bhutani is a quickly emerging composer, performer, vocalist, and producer whose “alternately celestial and dark” music (John Schaefer, WNYC New Sounds) often features visceral grooves; ethereal, meditative spaces; a combination of acoustic instruments and electronics, narrative depth, and genre-fluidity. As a first-generation Indian-American, Bhutani’s work is focused on liminal spaces, and as such is often highly interdisciplinary, engaging with theater, dance, and film while drawing on his musical background in classical, emo/screamo, ambient, singer/songwriter, and electronic music, resulting in genre- and culturally-fluid pieces that firmly situate the listener between multiple musical worlds at once.
C. Finley, Tarot Artist, is the Founder and Curator of the Every Woman Biennial and known for her elaborate paintings and intense use of color, monumental murals, multi-disciplinary collaborations, and her activism through urban art interventions, including her acclaimed Wallpapered Dumpsters. As the creator of the Every Woman Biennial, she exhibited 1200 female and non-binary artists (2014-2021) in New York, Los Angeles, and London. Finley has shown internationally, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, La Repubblica, Dazed, Fast Company, Women’s Wear Daily, LALA, and more.