Aquatic Museum
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, LGBTQ
LGBTQ+ Youth are more likely to contemplate suicide than their heterosexual peers, of which internalized homophobia is a key factor (NAMI). Aquatic Museum shares an important story of learning to love yourself. Your support enables a majority women & nonbinary crew to push filmmaking boundaries.
17 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$3,495
Goal: $32,400 for production
LGBTQ+ Youth are more likely to contemplate suicide than their heterosexual peers, of which internalized homophobia is a key factor (NAMI). Aquatic Museum shares an important story of learning to love yourself. Your support enables a majority women & nonbinary crew to push filmmaking boundaries.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
It's the night of Tallula's best friend Lorelei's birthday party. Should be fun right? But Tallula is nervous because earlier in the week, she revealed her feelings for the birthday girl. Still, Tallula decides to go, facing the personal and societal obstacles that come with living life rawly. She struggles to fight the habits and thoughts that have hurt her in the past, navigating her sobriety when a rift widens between her and Lorelei. She must learn how to keep herself afloat in rocky waters.
Leaning heavily on the metaphor of a fishbowl, the visual style of Aquatic Museum is fluid, soft, distorted and constrained.
This means using soft, ray-like lighting, expressive set design, and focusing in on details and small moments in camera work. The colors will mimic those found in the ocean: turquoises, blues, greens, as well as the yellows and reds of sea creatures. The camera is another fish swimming in these waters, sometimes getting up close to Tallula, and other times, hiding at a safe distance.
Currently in pre-production, Aquatic Museum will film in late August, 2025 in New York City - a city that itself can feel like a fishbowl. This campaign is helping us move through our production phase: 2.5 days of filming between a bar, a residence and a pool (for a nifty underwater scene).
We will complete post-production in December, and will submit Aquatic Museum to the film festival circuit.
In Spring 2026, we will hold private screenings, and once live publicly later in 2026/early 2027, will share a link to everyone who has supported this campaign!
Loosely based on a personal story, Aquatic Museum is an expression of the shame, guilt and redemption of finding your way swimming against societal tides. As a director, this story touches upon themes that I am passionate about exploring: messy female leads; mental health and self-medication; vulnerable moments connection; and using artistic metaphor as visual structure. I resonate deeply with the main character Tallula's struggle to hold onto normalcy, masking her own emotions to placate those she cares about even if she crosses her own boundaries, and her push to regain her sense of self-trust.
Your support would allow us to realize this project in it's entirety, bringing to life a story that needs to be heard in a time when many are struggling with the direction of society in a visual style uniquely blending surrealism into a grounded story.
- Rebecca Greubel, Director & Writer
(Photo on set of Rebecca's directorial debut, Muffled Sounds. Shot by Amanda Suita).
The anticipated audience for Aquatic Museum is lovers of arthouse and experimental film, Gen Z and Millenials, and cinephiles who are interested in emotionally nuanced stories and strong visual language.
If you’re a fan of Charlie Kaufman, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Yorgos Lanthimos (but a woman director!), you’ll love Aquatic Museum.
.png)
Our budget is based on the principle of people first - respecting our cast and crew, their time and skill is paramount. That's why over 50% of our budget accounts for wages alone - nearly 46% for our 20 person crew, and 9% for our 4 person cast.
Our total budget is $52,000, of which this campaign is raising $32,400.
If we are able to go above and beyond our goal here on Seed & Spark, all support will go towards the next phase of the film: post-production (including editing, sound design, composition and VFX), as well as bolstering livable crew & cast wages.
Aquatic Museum can only come to life with the support of community.
We'd love to talk to you more about the project, and are happy to chat with anyone in your community who you think this story and mission would resonate. Sharing our campaign via word-of-mouth, text, social media, carrier pigeon, any way which works for you would be an incredible help in bringing this story to life and empowering women and nonbinary filmmakers.
Don't know what to say? Here's an idea to get you started:
Hey! I think you should check out this campaign for the film Aquatic Museum. Telling a story of releasing shame and internalized homophobia, this great crew of women and nonbinary filmmakers are looking to support those who may be struggling to know they can embrace themselves fully. $25 of support and a follow would do a lot to help them with their mission! Check out the director Rebecca at @rebecca.greub and the producers Pedestal at @by.pedestal.
All support is tax deductible thanks to fiscal sponsorship provided by Cinefemme
Hard at work on set of Muffled Sounds, directed by Rebecca Greubel and produced by Pedestal.
Working together, this team brought to life a $20,000 short film now making its rounds at film festivals. We can't wait to do it again!
From L to R: Rebecca (director), Angela Mourtazalieva (1st AD on Muffled Sounds), Celeste (producer), Mecca (producer)
Photo by Amanda Suita
Stay up to date on production by giving us a follow at @aquaticmuseumfilm on Instagram!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Hair & Makeup
Costs $1,500
Hair and Makeup for 2.5 days of shooting for 4 cast members and 30 extras.
Crew
Costs $17,500
Art doesn't exist without people. Each member of our crew plays a vital role in bringing this story to life, from PA to Stunt Coordinator.
Talent
Costs $3,900
Our cast and 30 extras to help bring Aquatic Museum's world to life. This amount would allow us to pay a competitive rate to our actors.
Location
Costs $1,800
Rentals for 1-day at a bar, 1-day an apartment, and half-day pool for an underwater scene, all in the NYC area.
Lighting Equipment
Costs $1,000
Light is what makes a picture! Covers lighting equipment for 2.5 days of shooting, and allows us to play and experiment with lighting.
Production Design
Costs $2,000
The set and production design is what will help the fishbowl feel come to life.
Costumes
Costs $1,000
Procurement and rental of costumes for cast and extras that reflect the metaphor of a fishbowl. Y2K influences!
Meals
Costs $1,500
The cost of meals for 2.5 days of shooting from a local NYC restaurant, allow us to keep everyone well fed and cared for!
Travel
Costs $1,200
All travel costs for the short film, including reimbursing travel to and from set, van rentals, and parking.
Camera Equipment
Costs $1,000
Renting any needed lenses and camera equipment for 3 days of shooting, including underwater shooting. Petzval and Fisheye lens.
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer & Director - Rebecca Greubel (she/they) is a director, writer and visualist focused on the poetry of everyday life. Her brain thinks in metaphors, colors and energies, and she often mixes them with reckless abandon. This translates the stories and experiences she shares into immersive visual encounters. Her work explores struggling women leads, mental illness, self-perception and societal gaze. Aquatic Museum will be her third short film, her final before taking the leap to a feature. Website: http://rebecca.earth. IMDb.
Producer at Pedestal - Mecca McDonald is a seasoned creative director, photographer, and filmmaker with over a decade of experience. While completing her senior year at Johns Hopkins in 2021, she co-founded Pedestal, a dynamic production company. Mecca has directed and produced a diverse portfolio of music videos, short films, and more than 200 photoshoots, collaborating with top-tier brands like Apple, Adobe, Coachtopia, Fendi-Versace. In 2023, she executive produced and directed LIMINALITY, a $60,000-budget short film that premiered at the 2024 Essence Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film.
Producer at Pedestal - Celeste is an actress and budding producer. In 2021, after graduating from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Public Health, they acted alongside Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman in the feature, A Good Person. That same year, they co-founded Pedestal, a production company creating boundary-pushing film, video and photography. The following year, they acted as a lead in Marvel's Madame Web which was released February 2024. They have produced films with budgets over 60k. They are currently producing 2 feature films, through Pedestal. IMDb.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
It's the night of Tallula's best friend Lorelei's birthday party. Should be fun right? But Tallula is nervous because earlier in the week, she revealed her feelings for the birthday girl. Still, Tallula decides to go, facing the personal and societal obstacles that come with living life rawly. She struggles to fight the habits and thoughts that have hurt her in the past, navigating her sobriety when a rift widens between her and Lorelei. She must learn how to keep herself afloat in rocky waters.
Leaning heavily on the metaphor of a fishbowl, the visual style of Aquatic Museum is fluid, soft, distorted and constrained.
This means using soft, ray-like lighting, expressive set design, and focusing in on details and small moments in camera work. The colors will mimic those found in the ocean: turquoises, blues, greens, as well as the yellows and reds of sea creatures. The camera is another fish swimming in these waters, sometimes getting up close to Tallula, and other times, hiding at a safe distance.
Currently in pre-production, Aquatic Museum will film in late August, 2025 in New York City - a city that itself can feel like a fishbowl. This campaign is helping us move through our production phase: 2.5 days of filming between a bar, a residence and a pool (for a nifty underwater scene).
We will complete post-production in December, and will submit Aquatic Museum to the film festival circuit.
In Spring 2026, we will hold private screenings, and once live publicly later in 2026/early 2027, will share a link to everyone who has supported this campaign!
Loosely based on a personal story, Aquatic Museum is an expression of the shame, guilt and redemption of finding your way swimming against societal tides. As a director, this story touches upon themes that I am passionate about exploring: messy female leads; mental health and self-medication; vulnerable moments connection; and using artistic metaphor as visual structure. I resonate deeply with the main character Tallula's struggle to hold onto normalcy, masking her own emotions to placate those she cares about even if she crosses her own boundaries, and her push to regain her sense of self-trust.
Your support would allow us to realize this project in it's entirety, bringing to life a story that needs to be heard in a time when many are struggling with the direction of society in a visual style uniquely blending surrealism into a grounded story.
- Rebecca Greubel, Director & Writer
(Photo on set of Rebecca's directorial debut, Muffled Sounds. Shot by Amanda Suita).
The anticipated audience for Aquatic Museum is lovers of arthouse and experimental film, Gen Z and Millenials, and cinephiles who are interested in emotionally nuanced stories and strong visual language.
If you’re a fan of Charlie Kaufman, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Yorgos Lanthimos (but a woman director!), you’ll love Aquatic Museum.
Our budget is based on the principle of people first - respecting our cast and crew, their time and skill is paramount. That's why over 50% of our budget accounts for wages alone - nearly 46% for our 20 person crew, and 9% for our 4 person cast.
Our total budget is $52,000, of which this campaign is raising $32,400.
If we are able to go above and beyond our goal here on Seed & Spark, all support will go towards the next phase of the film: post-production (including editing, sound design, composition and VFX), as well as bolstering livable crew & cast wages.
Aquatic Museum can only come to life with the support of community.
We'd love to talk to you more about the project, and are happy to chat with anyone in your community who you think this story and mission would resonate. Sharing our campaign via word-of-mouth, text, social media, carrier pigeon, any way which works for you would be an incredible help in bringing this story to life and empowering women and nonbinary filmmakers.
Don't know what to say? Here's an idea to get you started:
Hey! I think you should check out this campaign for the film Aquatic Museum. Telling a story of releasing shame and internalized homophobia, this great crew of women and nonbinary filmmakers are looking to support those who may be struggling to know they can embrace themselves fully. $25 of support and a follow would do a lot to help them with their mission! Check out the director Rebecca at @rebecca.greub and the producers Pedestal at @by.pedestal.
All support is tax deductible thanks to fiscal sponsorship provided by Cinefemme
Hard at work on set of Muffled Sounds, directed by Rebecca Greubel and produced by Pedestal.
Working together, this team brought to life a $20,000 short film now making its rounds at film festivals. We can't wait to do it again!
From L to R: Rebecca (director), Angela Mourtazalieva (1st AD on Muffled Sounds), Celeste (producer), Mecca (producer)
Photo by Amanda Suita
Stay up to date on production by giving us a follow at @aquaticmuseumfilm on Instagram!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Hair & Makeup
Costs $1,500
Hair and Makeup for 2.5 days of shooting for 4 cast members and 30 extras.
Crew
Costs $17,500
Art doesn't exist without people. Each member of our crew plays a vital role in bringing this story to life, from PA to Stunt Coordinator.
Talent
Costs $3,900
Our cast and 30 extras to help bring Aquatic Museum's world to life. This amount would allow us to pay a competitive rate to our actors.
Location
Costs $1,800
Rentals for 1-day at a bar, 1-day an apartment, and half-day pool for an underwater scene, all in the NYC area.
Lighting Equipment
Costs $1,000
Light is what makes a picture! Covers lighting equipment for 2.5 days of shooting, and allows us to play and experiment with lighting.
Production Design
Costs $2,000
The set and production design is what will help the fishbowl feel come to life.
Costumes
Costs $1,000
Procurement and rental of costumes for cast and extras that reflect the metaphor of a fishbowl. Y2K influences!
Meals
Costs $1,500
The cost of meals for 2.5 days of shooting from a local NYC restaurant, allow us to keep everyone well fed and cared for!
Travel
Costs $1,200
All travel costs for the short film, including reimbursing travel to and from set, van rentals, and parking.
Camera Equipment
Costs $1,000
Renting any needed lenses and camera equipment for 3 days of shooting, including underwater shooting. Petzval and Fisheye lens.
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer & Director - Rebecca Greubel (she/they) is a director, writer and visualist focused on the poetry of everyday life. Her brain thinks in metaphors, colors and energies, and she often mixes them with reckless abandon. This translates the stories and experiences she shares into immersive visual encounters. Her work explores struggling women leads, mental illness, self-perception and societal gaze. Aquatic Museum will be her third short film, her final before taking the leap to a feature. Website: http://rebecca.earth. IMDb.
Producer at Pedestal - Mecca McDonald is a seasoned creative director, photographer, and filmmaker with over a decade of experience. While completing her senior year at Johns Hopkins in 2021, she co-founded Pedestal, a dynamic production company. Mecca has directed and produced a diverse portfolio of music videos, short films, and more than 200 photoshoots, collaborating with top-tier brands like Apple, Adobe, Coachtopia, Fendi-Versace. In 2023, she executive produced and directed LIMINALITY, a $60,000-budget short film that premiered at the 2024 Essence Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film.
Producer at Pedestal - Celeste is an actress and budding producer. In 2021, after graduating from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Public Health, they acted alongside Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman in the feature, A Good Person. That same year, they co-founded Pedestal, a production company creating boundary-pushing film, video and photography. The following year, they acted as a lead in Marvel's Madame Web which was released February 2024. They have produced films with budgets over 60k. They are currently producing 2 feature films, through Pedestal. IMDb.