Benny's Odyssey
Salt Lake City, Utah | Film Feature
Comedy
After a disgruntled meter maid places a curse on her, Benny, an overworked telemarketer, must overcome her people-pleasing instincts to complete five tasks by dawn or she’ll go to Hell. What follows is an absurdist epic featuring egg fetishists, ketamine fairies, cat puppets, and a guy named Paul.
Benny's Odyssey
Salt Lake City, Utah | Film Feature
Comedy
1 Campaigns |
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This campaign raised $29,060 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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After a disgruntled meter maid places a curse on her, Benny, an overworked telemarketer, must overcome her people-pleasing instincts to complete five tasks by dawn or she’ll go to Hell. What follows is an absurdist epic featuring egg fetishists, ketamine fairies, cat puppets, and a guy named Paul.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Have you ever worked a dead-end job where you want nothing more than to break the capitalist chains binding you to your cubicle, desk, counter, etc.?
Have you ever had a bad day? Like a REALLY bad day. Like a day that is so bad that you wonder what cosmic entity you have upset to deserve such a terrible fate.
If so, BENNY’S ODYSSEY is the moving picture for you!
When Benny, an overworked telemarketer, accidentally slights a sock puppet meter maid at her coworker’s funeral (a lot to read into there, we know), said meter maid sentences Benny to eternal damnation lest she complete five tasks by dawn.
In the interest of self-preservation, Benny embarks on an odyssey (Hey! That’s the name of the movie!) through the fantastical, bizarre underbelly of middle America. On her travels, she must contend with egg-fetishist elves, ketamine fairies, a JACKED anthropomorphic deer, and a multitude of other peculiar obstacles.
In addition to the pressing, mortal dangers that Benny must face on her journey, she must also learn to challenge her doormat-esque tendencies in her professional life; the very same tendencies that got her into this situation in the first place.
Will Benny complete her tasks in time? Will Benny learn to stand up for herself and metamorphose from a cog in the corporate machine to someone who knows when to say no?
Help us make the movie and find out!
I am an avid lover of the Scorsese and Safdie Brothers school of putting a character in a nightmare scenario for 24 hours. Even in the most outlandish moments of After Hours and Good Time, the ticking clock and the overwhelming presence of Murphy’s Law make what might be unrelatable situations incredibly relatable.
After I graduated from film school, my first long-term job in the industry was a position as a producer’s assistant, and for the first year or so, it felt as though my life was comprised exclusively of side missions. I was stuffing as many Christmas trees as I could into my car in the heat of August, acting as a faux realtor, redesigning an office building, running a one-man camera rental house, and getting actors the shampoo they like because the hotel shampoo would “make their scalp melt,” all as a dipshit 22 year-old who has no idea what he was doing.
While there were many moments of frustration, cynicism, and conversations with myself in which I would wonder what on Earth I was doing with my life, I look back on that time now and romanticize the absurdity and unpredictability of it all.
Benny’s Odyssey is the cinematic equivalent of sprinting from gas station to bodega to grocery store, desperately looking for a restroom as you are five seconds away from shitting your pants. There are so many anxiety-inducing situations in life that feel so dire and consequential in the moment, but are absolutely ridiculous (and often hilarious) to an outsider.
The film is also a middle finger to the current state of tech-bro feudalism that has embedded itself in contemporary Western society. The promise of the American Dream is all but lost now, and it is nearly impossible for the average person to get by with the stagnation of wages, inflation, and the general effort by 12 guys on an island to crush the people’s spirit.
On tech-bro feudalism, the Benny’s Odyssey team REFUSES to utilize generative AI in the making of our film!!
Instead, we are using a team of immensely talented HUMAN artists to help bring this vision to life. We will spend every lunch break on set throwing darts at photos of Sam Altman and any other repugnant tech bro that thinks that a glorified vending machine can make a movie.
We know you kids and your TikTok-ass attention spans, so we will keep this as brief as possible.
Benny’s Odyssey is FUNNY. Just as one would expect a horror movie to leave you unsettled, horrified even, a comedy should make you LAUGH. While Benny’s Odyssey is more than just a cheap vessel for jokes, the primary objective of this film is to leave audiences with sore stomachs and tears in their eyes. In a world where the elite are trying their darndest to crush our collective spirit, it is more important than ever to choose joy, to choose laughter, and to drink a sixer with your friends before going to a movie where you will undoubtedly be hooting and hollering for the entire 90-minute runtime.
Benny’s Odyssey is TIMELY. On the subject of the elite, anyone who has been on social media of late knows that the powers that be are up to absolutely no good (to put it as lightly as we can without getting disappeared). In seeing Benny embark on her own journey of self-discovery and personal empowerment, our hope is that audiences take the film as a call to arms to go on strike, quit their jobs, burn flags, and go draw dirty pictures on the sides of fulfillment warehouses.
Benny’s Odyssey is FRESH and INNOVATIVE. Even outside of the obnoxious cinephile circles that dominate certain corners of the internet, there is a general sense of fatigue around the lack of variety in films being released today. Everything is based on existing IP, feels as though it’s written by AI (or, in some cases, is literally being written by AI), and any idea that is remotely risky or new is scrapped as Hollywood desperately tries to navigate the brave new world of the streaming economy. Benny’s Odyssey toys with the brash, absurdist, devil-may-care tone of the Monty Python films and the Tim and Eric-esque avant-garde comedy of the post-internet world. Through both the eccentric writing and the use of heavily stylized mixed media visuals, we want to offer something that offers something new to the conversation around what filmmaking looks like at this point in the medium's history.
While we have a little bitty teeny tiny bit of money on hand to make the film, our BASELINE fundraising goal of $35,000 ensures that we have enough financial resources to start production in June of 2026.
There is a very skinny version of this film that we can make for $45,000, but our ideal production budget, which you can see above, is closer to $65,000.
As we touched on earlier, the industry is in a creative and economic crisis. Many grants require that films be made around the stipulations of said grants, rather than simply supporting new projects from up-and-coming filmmakers. Even independent studios are more risk-averse than ever to funding projects that are not existing IP or straight-to-streaming genre films.
It is time that we reaffirm that film is an art form and not just a money-making scheme (although we will certainly not say no to the latter). As inconvenient as it may be to those who create art, art requires a community to support it and engage with it to stay alive.
In supporting our film, you are saying no to AI, you are saying no to short-form content erasing feature films as a medium, and you are saying no to big studios pushing new filmmakers out of the conversation.
We want Benny’s Odyssey to be a love letter to filmmaking, a respite from the trying times we find ourselves in, and most importantly, a source of joy and connection to those who watch it.
Your contribution, however small, is keeping independent film alive, keeping comedy alive, and maintaining a sense of levity and hope as we are faced with a rapidly-changing world.
If you have read this to the end, you are a saint and an angel, and we are so unbelievably excited to bring this movie to life!
THANK YOU!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew Payroll
Costs $20,000
There are many areas in which you can cut corners, but paying people for their work should not be one of them!
Cast Payroll
Costs $10,000
Although we are a non-union production, we are not non-union enough to not pay our actors.
Gear Rental
Costs $5,000
These funds will go toward renting the camera and lighting gear that we need to make the movie magic happen!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
DUKE ROSS - Writer/Director/Producer
Duke Ross is an award-winning writer, director, and visual artist based out of Salt Lake City, UT. His mixed-media feature debut, The Ballad of Straw-Hat Sam, earned many accolades during its run in the festival circuit and has gained a cult following upon its Prime Video release. In addition to his creative pursuits, Duke has several years of industry experience, having worked as a producer’s assistant and a production coordinator on films such as Taken From Me, Wardriver, Arcadian, and Return to Silent Hill.
JACOB HAGEN - Producer/Co-Writer
Jacob Hagen is an award-winning indie filmmaker based in Los Angeles, best known for his debut short film Game of Love, a fast-paced comedy that screened in 15 festivals across the globe. He's been making films since 2nd grade, and doesn't plan on stopping soon. A born storyteller, the only thing he loves more than making a crowd laugh with a good joke is shutting them up with a terrible one. He's excited to reunite with Game of Love star Ava Kostia for this project, and has had a blast developing this story with frequent creative collaborator Duke Ross.
RAHUL BB BARKLEY - Co-Producer
Rahul BB Barkley is a BIPOC filmmaker based in Brooklyn. With a passion for storytelling and a focus on narrative and documentary filmmaking, Rahul aims to capture the perspectives of the underrepresented and unexpected. He has directed and produced a number of short films and a feature through his production company, Package Productions. His latest film, "Flipping," was featured in multiple film festivals across the globe. Rahul was the Public Relations and Press Coordinator for the Slamdance Film Festival. He currently serves as the National Publicity Coordinator for Brigade Marketing and is in pre-production for his upcoming short film, "Anjali."
LEILA SALARI - Executive Producer
Leila Salari is a Utah-based Producer with a background in both commercial and narrative projects. They’ve been working in the local film industry since 2020, working on productions for Hallmark, Netflix, Paramount, and numerous independent films. Leila also served as a Festival Producer for the Slamdance Film Festival from 2022 to 2024 and was instrumental in contributing to the festival’s continued success during the final years of its Utah residency. Leila now works as a Producer at the SLC-based commercial production company, Team Thirteen. Their services include both production and post-production for clients such as Adobe and Gregory Packs.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Have you ever worked a dead-end job where you want nothing more than to break the capitalist chains binding you to your cubicle, desk, counter, etc.?
Have you ever had a bad day? Like a REALLY bad day. Like a day that is so bad that you wonder what cosmic entity you have upset to deserve such a terrible fate.
If so, BENNY’S ODYSSEY is the moving picture for you!
When Benny, an overworked telemarketer, accidentally slights a sock puppet meter maid at her coworker’s funeral (a lot to read into there, we know), said meter maid sentences Benny to eternal damnation lest she complete five tasks by dawn.
In the interest of self-preservation, Benny embarks on an odyssey (Hey! That’s the name of the movie!) through the fantastical, bizarre underbelly of middle America. On her travels, she must contend with egg-fetishist elves, ketamine fairies, a JACKED anthropomorphic deer, and a multitude of other peculiar obstacles.
In addition to the pressing, mortal dangers that Benny must face on her journey, she must also learn to challenge her doormat-esque tendencies in her professional life; the very same tendencies that got her into this situation in the first place.
Will Benny complete her tasks in time? Will Benny learn to stand up for herself and metamorphose from a cog in the corporate machine to someone who knows when to say no?
Help us make the movie and find out!
I am an avid lover of the Scorsese and Safdie Brothers school of putting a character in a nightmare scenario for 24 hours. Even in the most outlandish moments of After Hours and Good Time, the ticking clock and the overwhelming presence of Murphy’s Law make what might be unrelatable situations incredibly relatable.
After I graduated from film school, my first long-term job in the industry was a position as a producer’s assistant, and for the first year or so, it felt as though my life was comprised exclusively of side missions. I was stuffing as many Christmas trees as I could into my car in the heat of August, acting as a faux realtor, redesigning an office building, running a one-man camera rental house, and getting actors the shampoo they like because the hotel shampoo would “make their scalp melt,” all as a dipshit 22 year-old who has no idea what he was doing.
While there were many moments of frustration, cynicism, and conversations with myself in which I would wonder what on Earth I was doing with my life, I look back on that time now and romanticize the absurdity and unpredictability of it all.
Benny’s Odyssey is the cinematic equivalent of sprinting from gas station to bodega to grocery store, desperately looking for a restroom as you are five seconds away from shitting your pants. There are so many anxiety-inducing situations in life that feel so dire and consequential in the moment, but are absolutely ridiculous (and often hilarious) to an outsider.
The film is also a middle finger to the current state of tech-bro feudalism that has embedded itself in contemporary Western society. The promise of the American Dream is all but lost now, and it is nearly impossible for the average person to get by with the stagnation of wages, inflation, and the general effort by 12 guys on an island to crush the people’s spirit.
On tech-bro feudalism, the Benny’s Odyssey team REFUSES to utilize generative AI in the making of our film!!
Instead, we are using a team of immensely talented HUMAN artists to help bring this vision to life. We will spend every lunch break on set throwing darts at photos of Sam Altman and any other repugnant tech bro that thinks that a glorified vending machine can make a movie.
We know you kids and your TikTok-ass attention spans, so we will keep this as brief as possible.
Benny’s Odyssey is FUNNY. Just as one would expect a horror movie to leave you unsettled, horrified even, a comedy should make you LAUGH. While Benny’s Odyssey is more than just a cheap vessel for jokes, the primary objective of this film is to leave audiences with sore stomachs and tears in their eyes. In a world where the elite are trying their darndest to crush our collective spirit, it is more important than ever to choose joy, to choose laughter, and to drink a sixer with your friends before going to a movie where you will undoubtedly be hooting and hollering for the entire 90-minute runtime.
Benny’s Odyssey is TIMELY. On the subject of the elite, anyone who has been on social media of late knows that the powers that be are up to absolutely no good (to put it as lightly as we can without getting disappeared). In seeing Benny embark on her own journey of self-discovery and personal empowerment, our hope is that audiences take the film as a call to arms to go on strike, quit their jobs, burn flags, and go draw dirty pictures on the sides of fulfillment warehouses.
Benny’s Odyssey is FRESH and INNOVATIVE. Even outside of the obnoxious cinephile circles that dominate certain corners of the internet, there is a general sense of fatigue around the lack of variety in films being released today. Everything is based on existing IP, feels as though it’s written by AI (or, in some cases, is literally being written by AI), and any idea that is remotely risky or new is scrapped as Hollywood desperately tries to navigate the brave new world of the streaming economy. Benny’s Odyssey toys with the brash, absurdist, devil-may-care tone of the Monty Python films and the Tim and Eric-esque avant-garde comedy of the post-internet world. Through both the eccentric writing and the use of heavily stylized mixed media visuals, we want to offer something that offers something new to the conversation around what filmmaking looks like at this point in the medium's history.
While we have a little bitty teeny tiny bit of money on hand to make the film, our BASELINE fundraising goal of $35,000 ensures that we have enough financial resources to start production in June of 2026.
There is a very skinny version of this film that we can make for $45,000, but our ideal production budget, which you can see above, is closer to $65,000.
As we touched on earlier, the industry is in a creative and economic crisis. Many grants require that films be made around the stipulations of said grants, rather than simply supporting new projects from up-and-coming filmmakers. Even independent studios are more risk-averse than ever to funding projects that are not existing IP or straight-to-streaming genre films.
It is time that we reaffirm that film is an art form and not just a money-making scheme (although we will certainly not say no to the latter). As inconvenient as it may be to those who create art, art requires a community to support it and engage with it to stay alive.
In supporting our film, you are saying no to AI, you are saying no to short-form content erasing feature films as a medium, and you are saying no to big studios pushing new filmmakers out of the conversation.
We want Benny’s Odyssey to be a love letter to filmmaking, a respite from the trying times we find ourselves in, and most importantly, a source of joy and connection to those who watch it.
Your contribution, however small, is keeping independent film alive, keeping comedy alive, and maintaining a sense of levity and hope as we are faced with a rapidly-changing world.
If you have read this to the end, you are a saint and an angel, and we are so unbelievably excited to bring this movie to life!
THANK YOU!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew Payroll
Costs $20,000
There are many areas in which you can cut corners, but paying people for their work should not be one of them!
Cast Payroll
Costs $10,000
Although we are a non-union production, we are not non-union enough to not pay our actors.
Gear Rental
Costs $5,000
These funds will go toward renting the camera and lighting gear that we need to make the movie magic happen!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
DUKE ROSS - Writer/Director/Producer
Duke Ross is an award-winning writer, director, and visual artist based out of Salt Lake City, UT. His mixed-media feature debut, The Ballad of Straw-Hat Sam, earned many accolades during its run in the festival circuit and has gained a cult following upon its Prime Video release. In addition to his creative pursuits, Duke has several years of industry experience, having worked as a producer’s assistant and a production coordinator on films such as Taken From Me, Wardriver, Arcadian, and Return to Silent Hill.
JACOB HAGEN - Producer/Co-Writer
Jacob Hagen is an award-winning indie filmmaker based in Los Angeles, best known for his debut short film Game of Love, a fast-paced comedy that screened in 15 festivals across the globe. He's been making films since 2nd grade, and doesn't plan on stopping soon. A born storyteller, the only thing he loves more than making a crowd laugh with a good joke is shutting them up with a terrible one. He's excited to reunite with Game of Love star Ava Kostia for this project, and has had a blast developing this story with frequent creative collaborator Duke Ross.
RAHUL BB BARKLEY - Co-Producer
Rahul BB Barkley is a BIPOC filmmaker based in Brooklyn. With a passion for storytelling and a focus on narrative and documentary filmmaking, Rahul aims to capture the perspectives of the underrepresented and unexpected. He has directed and produced a number of short films and a feature through his production company, Package Productions. His latest film, "Flipping," was featured in multiple film festivals across the globe. Rahul was the Public Relations and Press Coordinator for the Slamdance Film Festival. He currently serves as the National Publicity Coordinator for Brigade Marketing and is in pre-production for his upcoming short film, "Anjali."
LEILA SALARI - Executive Producer
Leila Salari is a Utah-based Producer with a background in both commercial and narrative projects. They’ve been working in the local film industry since 2020, working on productions for Hallmark, Netflix, Paramount, and numerous independent films. Leila also served as a Festival Producer for the Slamdance Film Festival from 2022 to 2024 and was instrumental in contributing to the festival’s continued success during the final years of its Utah residency. Leila now works as a Producer at the SLC-based commercial production company, Team Thirteen. Their services include both production and post-production for clients such as Adobe and Gregory Packs.