Birthday Too
Long Beach, California | Film Short
Other, Drama
Birthday Too is about more than a simple birthday celebration. It's about the moments that quietly reshape our lives. The last traditions we don't realize are ending, the fear of growing apart from the people we love, and learning that change doesn't have to mean losing one another.
Birthday Too
Long Beach, California | Film Short
Other, Drama
1 Campaigns | California, United States
4 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$177
Goal: $2,560 for production
Birthday Too is about more than a simple birthday celebration. It's about the moments that quietly reshape our lives. The last traditions we don't realize are ending, the fear of growing apart from the people we love, and learning that change doesn't have to mean losing one another.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Birthday Too is a coming-of-age story about growing up without growing apart. As twins Ella and Aiden prepare to leave home after high school, what should be a celebration becomes a painful reminder that adulthood often arrives before we're ready. Through intimate family dynamics and quiet moments of vulnerability, this film explores the grief, excitement, and uncertainty that accompany life's biggest transitions.
Like The Edge of Seventeen, 'birthday too’ is told through an emotional lens capturing what it feels like to be left behind. From Sixteen Candles, it takes the idea that a milestone birthday can become a moment of invisibility, and lastly, the film's overall tone aligns with Lady Bird, focusing on the tension that builds up within close relationships during major life changes.
We want to make our story visually appealing through the use of cinematography, lighting, and color. Using warm, natural lighting along with soft yellowish tones throughout shared home spaces show Ella’s comfort in familiarity and nostalgia. These colors create a feeling of stability for the place that she has always associated with her identity. These colors later show up when Ella redefines herself in college. Following the use of cool, desaturated lighting along with blue and more neutral tones are present in Ella’s room to represent the emotional distance that is occurring. It creates a feeling that even her room is no longer serving the person she needs to become and foreshadows her transition into independence. Lastly harsh, saturated, and colorful lighting through practicals in the party scene show Ella’s loss of control and overstimulation.
Through our visual storytelling we want to properly encapsulate the tone as really bittersweet and nostalgic, with a sense of underlying tension throughout. It starts off feeling very warm and familiar to uncomfortable and isolating, as Ella feels increasingly out of place. By the end, it becomes more quiet and reflective, ultimately capturing growth and loss.
A statement from our writer/director, Sarah Elyashev:
As a twin, this story is really personal to me because I’ve experienced how so much of your identity can be shaped by another person. Growing up together, so many things are shared and there comes to be this unspoken rule that that’s always how it’s meant to be because you’re twins.
I was really interested in exploring what that slowly starts to change, especially as transitional moments like college force you to become your own person. That shift is something really emotional and quiet that many people do not talk about directly, so I really wanted this film to focus on that subtle tension, rather than overt drama. I wanted to show how simple life events, like birthdays, can suddenly feel totally different once a shift in a close relationship starts to occur. Ultimately, Birthday Too works to show the importance of learning how to define yourself outside of someone else, even when accepting the change and letting go is difficult.
Our fundraising goal: $2,500
Our production plan:
Pre-production (May 2026 - September 2026):
This is where the fun starts! We are currently starting our production by planning, looking for locations, casting our actors, and securing our funding. As of now, we are crowdfunding to achieve our total production budget. This will help us secure locations, props & production design, and catering for team!
Production (October 2026):
This is where our vision starts coming to life! Our shooting dates are October 23 - October 25. With your help, we will be able to make our vision for Birthday Too a reality!
Post-Production (October 2026 - April 2026):
Once our filming wraps, the editing begins! Our amazing editor will start editing our footage to make sure our vision is executed effectively. During this time, we will also start applying to film festivals to help get our film out there!
Our message to you:
Your contribution will directly support production costs including locations, equipment, production design, meals for our cast and crew, post-production, and festival submissions. Every dollar helps us create a film that reflects the care, authenticity, and emotional depth this story deserves. Whether you contribute financially, follow our campaign, or simply share it with others, you're becoming part of the team bringing Birthday Too to life. Thank you for believing in women filmmakers, independent storytelling and in the power of stories that remind us we're never alone in life's biggest transitions.
Follow us here on Seed & Spark, Instagram (@birthdaytoofilm) and TikTok (@birthdaytoofilm) to stay updated on our production process! We appreciate any contribution being made whether that is financially or just by keeping us with out team!
Thank you for making our wish come true! 🧁 🩷
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Locations
Costs $1,000
Help us secure and prepare the locations that bring Birthday Too's story to life.
Production Design + Props
Costs $260
Every detail matters. Your support helps create authentic sets and meaningful props that make our characters' world feel real.
Wardrobe
Costs $150
Help us dress our characters in clothing that reflects their personalities and supports the story.
Craft + Catering
Costs $1,000
A well-fed cast and crew is a happy cast and crew! Your contribution provides meals and snacks to keep everyone energized throughout product
Festival Fees
Costs $150
Help us share Birthday Too with audiences beyond production by covering submission fees to film festivals.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Our Amazing Team! 🩷
Our Writer & Director, Sarah Elyashev, Producers Suzette Salado & Sabrina Alarcon, Cinematographer Sarah Casper, and our 1st AD & Social Media Manager Litzy Pineda are all dedicated to authentically representing women's voices in film, making this story the perfect opportunity to demonstrate our vision and commitment to meaningful storytelling.
Our Writer & Director
Sarah Elyashev is a writer, director, and Cinematic Arts student at California State University, Long Beach, whose work is centered on the complexities of human connection through character-driven stories, often exploring identity. She is passionate about creating emotionally grounded films through authentic characters and relatable stories. Inspired by her
own experience growing up as a twin, Birthday Too reflects her interest in navigating the personal growth, uncertainty, and excitement that comes with the transition into adulthood. She strives to tell stories that show the beauty in ordinary moments.
Our Producers
Suzette Salado is a student filmmaker and storyteller focused on character driven dramas that explore social identity and emotional resilience, all while connecting to themes of melodrama and self reflection, all which can be closely connected to Birthday Too. As a Cinematic Arts student at California State University, Long Beach, Suzette has gained valuable knowledge from peers and educators who have pursued similar interests and careers. She values representation in film, whether that is cultural or self identity representation.
Sabrina Alarcon is a cinematic arts student at CSULB concentrating in producing coming of age films that spark a conversation. Birthday Too follows twins overcoming a big change and there is not a lot of twin representation in films, especially at CSULB. As a twin herself whose life closely resembles the one in this film, she wants people to understand that twins are more than just the same outfits and mannerisms, that self identity is hard to find when constantly paired with another individual.
Our Cinematographer
Sarah Casper is a student filmmaker who is drawn to stories that explore nostalgia, self discovery, and the complexities that come with being human. She is drawn to stories that invite reflection and explore the emotional and physical experiences we have in life that lead us to where and who we are today. As a cinematographer, Sarah strives to evoke feelings through light, color, and composition in order for the audience to connect with the story and emotionally emerge themselves with that moment. This is reflected in “Birthday Too” as the film deals with themes of family, growth, and self discovery in life’s transition to adulthood.
Our 1st AD & Social Media Manager
Litzy Pineda is a student filmmaker whose creative voice is rooted in coming‑of‑age and character‑driven dramas. Birthday too explores the quiet, transformative journey of self‑discovery that unfolds during a pivotal chapter that defines early adulthood. As a directing student at CSULB, she brings strong communication, organization, and collaborative leadership to her role as 1st Assistant Director. She also supports the project as Social Media Manager, using her understanding of the director’s vision and target audience to help the film connect and thrive.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Birthday Too is a coming-of-age story about growing up without growing apart. As twins Ella and Aiden prepare to leave home after high school, what should be a celebration becomes a painful reminder that adulthood often arrives before we're ready. Through intimate family dynamics and quiet moments of vulnerability, this film explores the grief, excitement, and uncertainty that accompany life's biggest transitions.
Like The Edge of Seventeen, 'birthday too’ is told through an emotional lens capturing what it feels like to be left behind. From Sixteen Candles, it takes the idea that a milestone birthday can become a moment of invisibility, and lastly, the film's overall tone aligns with Lady Bird, focusing on the tension that builds up within close relationships during major life changes.
We want to make our story visually appealing through the use of cinematography, lighting, and color. Using warm, natural lighting along with soft yellowish tones throughout shared home spaces show Ella’s comfort in familiarity and nostalgia. These colors create a feeling of stability for the place that she has always associated with her identity. These colors later show up when Ella redefines herself in college. Following the use of cool, desaturated lighting along with blue and more neutral tones are present in Ella’s room to represent the emotional distance that is occurring. It creates a feeling that even her room is no longer serving the person she needs to become and foreshadows her transition into independence. Lastly harsh, saturated, and colorful lighting through practicals in the party scene show Ella’s loss of control and overstimulation.
Through our visual storytelling we want to properly encapsulate the tone as really bittersweet and nostalgic, with a sense of underlying tension throughout. It starts off feeling very warm and familiar to uncomfortable and isolating, as Ella feels increasingly out of place. By the end, it becomes more quiet and reflective, ultimately capturing growth and loss.
A statement from our writer/director, Sarah Elyashev:
As a twin, this story is really personal to me because I’ve experienced how so much of your identity can be shaped by another person. Growing up together, so many things are shared and there comes to be this unspoken rule that that’s always how it’s meant to be because you’re twins.
I was really interested in exploring what that slowly starts to change, especially as transitional moments like college force you to become your own person. That shift is something really emotional and quiet that many people do not talk about directly, so I really wanted this film to focus on that subtle tension, rather than overt drama. I wanted to show how simple life events, like birthdays, can suddenly feel totally different once a shift in a close relationship starts to occur. Ultimately, Birthday Too works to show the importance of learning how to define yourself outside of someone else, even when accepting the change and letting go is difficult.
Our fundraising goal: $2,500
Our production plan:
Pre-production (May 2026 - September 2026):
This is where the fun starts! We are currently starting our production by planning, looking for locations, casting our actors, and securing our funding. As of now, we are crowdfunding to achieve our total production budget. This will help us secure locations, props & production design, and catering for team!
Production (October 2026):
This is where our vision starts coming to life! Our shooting dates are October 23 - October 25. With your help, we will be able to make our vision for Birthday Too a reality!
Post-Production (October 2026 - April 2026):
Once our filming wraps, the editing begins! Our amazing editor will start editing our footage to make sure our vision is executed effectively. During this time, we will also start applying to film festivals to help get our film out there!
Our message to you:
Your contribution will directly support production costs including locations, equipment, production design, meals for our cast and crew, post-production, and festival submissions. Every dollar helps us create a film that reflects the care, authenticity, and emotional depth this story deserves. Whether you contribute financially, follow our campaign, or simply share it with others, you're becoming part of the team bringing Birthday Too to life. Thank you for believing in women filmmakers, independent storytelling and in the power of stories that remind us we're never alone in life's biggest transitions.
Follow us here on Seed & Spark, Instagram (@birthdaytoofilm) and TikTok (@birthdaytoofilm) to stay updated on our production process! We appreciate any contribution being made whether that is financially or just by keeping us with out team!
Thank you for making our wish come true! 🧁 🩷
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Locations
Costs $1,000
Help us secure and prepare the locations that bring Birthday Too's story to life.
Production Design + Props
Costs $260
Every detail matters. Your support helps create authentic sets and meaningful props that make our characters' world feel real.
Wardrobe
Costs $150
Help us dress our characters in clothing that reflects their personalities and supports the story.
Craft + Catering
Costs $1,000
A well-fed cast and crew is a happy cast and crew! Your contribution provides meals and snacks to keep everyone energized throughout product
Festival Fees
Costs $150
Help us share Birthday Too with audiences beyond production by covering submission fees to film festivals.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Our Amazing Team! 🩷
Our Writer & Director, Sarah Elyashev, Producers Suzette Salado & Sabrina Alarcon, Cinematographer Sarah Casper, and our 1st AD & Social Media Manager Litzy Pineda are all dedicated to authentically representing women's voices in film, making this story the perfect opportunity to demonstrate our vision and commitment to meaningful storytelling.
Our Writer & Director
Sarah Elyashev is a writer, director, and Cinematic Arts student at California State University, Long Beach, whose work is centered on the complexities of human connection through character-driven stories, often exploring identity. She is passionate about creating emotionally grounded films through authentic characters and relatable stories. Inspired by her
own experience growing up as a twin, Birthday Too reflects her interest in navigating the personal growth, uncertainty, and excitement that comes with the transition into adulthood. She strives to tell stories that show the beauty in ordinary moments.
Our Producers
Suzette Salado is a student filmmaker and storyteller focused on character driven dramas that explore social identity and emotional resilience, all while connecting to themes of melodrama and self reflection, all which can be closely connected to Birthday Too. As a Cinematic Arts student at California State University, Long Beach, Suzette has gained valuable knowledge from peers and educators who have pursued similar interests and careers. She values representation in film, whether that is cultural or self identity representation.
Sabrina Alarcon is a cinematic arts student at CSULB concentrating in producing coming of age films that spark a conversation. Birthday Too follows twins overcoming a big change and there is not a lot of twin representation in films, especially at CSULB. As a twin herself whose life closely resembles the one in this film, she wants people to understand that twins are more than just the same outfits and mannerisms, that self identity is hard to find when constantly paired with another individual.
Our Cinematographer
Sarah Casper is a student filmmaker who is drawn to stories that explore nostalgia, self discovery, and the complexities that come with being human. She is drawn to stories that invite reflection and explore the emotional and physical experiences we have in life that lead us to where and who we are today. As a cinematographer, Sarah strives to evoke feelings through light, color, and composition in order for the audience to connect with the story and emotionally emerge themselves with that moment. This is reflected in “Birthday Too” as the film deals with themes of family, growth, and self discovery in life’s transition to adulthood.
Our 1st AD & Social Media Manager
Litzy Pineda is a student filmmaker whose creative voice is rooted in coming‑of‑age and character‑driven dramas. Birthday too explores the quiet, transformative journey of self‑discovery that unfolds during a pivotal chapter that defines early adulthood. As a directing student at CSULB, she brings strong communication, organization, and collaborative leadership to her role as 1st Assistant Director. She also supports the project as Social Media Manager, using her understanding of the director’s vision and target audience to help the film connect and thrive.