Cabin Time
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Nature
"Cabin Time" is a tender act of resistance—a story of longing, grace, and human connection. By backing this film, you become part of a team telling the tale of two women trying to rebuild their lives by choosing hope over fear, beauty over brutality.
Cabin Time
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Nature
1 Campaigns | California, United States
107 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$17,311
Goal: $23,000 for production
"Cabin Time" is a tender act of resistance—a story of longing, grace, and human connection. By backing this film, you become part of a team telling the tale of two women trying to rebuild their lives by choosing hope over fear, beauty over brutality.
Participating In
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
A newly sober mom spirals in solitude in a remote Sierra cabin—until a neighbor knocks with no eggs and a whole lot of feelings.
ANYA is an Indian woman struggling with sobriety in secret due to culturally imbibed shame. JANE longs for her dead wife but buries her pain with determined cheer. Anya has retreated to her brother's cabin to privately mark five months of sobriety. But her self-imposed solitude strips away distraction and with each passing hour, she battles regret, recrimination, and the daunting task of forgiving herself. Finally, even mundane tasks - making coffee, washing dishes - take on gravitational weight. On her fifth day of isolation, Anya starts to spiral, doubting herself, afraid she'll drink if she leaves the safety of her temporary sanctuary. Then, suddenly, there’s a knock on the door. It’s Jane, a chatty & inquisitive neighbor, hiding her own inescapable grief. What begins as an awkward, even comical request turns into an unexpected encounter that will change them both.
I think of Anya and Jane's story as a mini-saga, capturing our unspoken sorrows and our fragile hopes for connection. Films like, Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women and Old Joy, Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland, and Kogonada’s Columbus share the spirit of Cabin Time: spacious, intimate, and emotionally grounded. Anya and Jane’s story is my love letter to what is best in our messy selves.
It's a story about...
- The quiet moments that bring us back to life—a cup of tea. An honest question.
- Rebuilding a life after addiction and loss.
- How vitally valuable the balm of nature is.
- Queer lives which are not defined by trauma or trope, but by grace, recognition, and fully-inhabited presence.
Cabin Time is a small film that strives to be epic and emotional. Like us. Like the Sierras.
Tone
Visually, I want to immerse the audience in the natural beauty of a wild, timeless place - one that I return to time and again. From the time I've spent in the great California Sierras, I know the forest can be both sanctuary and mirror. It's exhilarating, liberating, and scary.
Why This? Why Now?
I've worked for years as an actor and TV writer, helping others bring their stories to life. Cabin Time is my first film as a writer-director. I’m making the kind of film I want to see, with a team of professional, committed, working artists I deeply admire.
The story we’re telling speaks to the emotional whiplash of the past few years - disconnection, uncertainty, and the elemental ache for meaning. That longing becomes sharper in midlife, but it’s something we carry at any age. Our largely queer team believes in stories that whisper rather than shout. We’re going to tell Anya and Jane’s story with tenderness and specificity.
We're making this now because it is urgent to remember how connection actually happens - not through spectacle or grand gestures, but through tiny, risky acts of honesty. Saying what we mean. Allowing ourselves to be seen.
Directing Cabin Time means that I am choosing to step behind the camera to shape this story with my own hands. As an immigrant, as a woman, claiming space in this role matters. Our stories, our perspectives, and our rhythms are essential - and they often go unseen. I’m directing this film not to prove something, but because I have something to say. This film reflects the world I want to live in: expansive, complex, deeply felt, and attended to with care.
Now and Beyond
We’re deep into pre-production and are shooting this summer on location in the western Sierras. Our amazing cast (including Rachna Khatau), cinematographer (Piero Basso), and producing team (Daniel Talbott, Tina Carbone, Andrew Klaus-Vineyard) have been hard at work. We have our location and our shoot dates. Our goal is to raise $23,000 to make a film with the production quality everyone involved can be proud of and to avoid exploiting the work of our cast and crew. Following and sharing our campaign boosts our visibility in a major way. If you can support us financially, every dollar helps! Your support goes directly toward covering essentials like:
- Paying our cast and crew fairly
- Lodging and meals during our three-day shoot
- Equipment rentals and insurance
Stretch Funds
If we surpass our goal, stretch funds go toward post-production and festival submissions. If we raise $25,000, we'll have contingency funds should anything go wrong and funds for post-production, including editing and sound mixing. If we raise $30,000, we'll be able to cover our festival distribution and promotional costs to get the film into the world.
- Your support in any amount helps! $5, $10, $25 and we are so grateful! [Charges will appear from: ZOODOG PROD CORP_CABIN]
- Following our campaign is free and helps us qualify for Seed & Spark’s filmmaker rewards. Please follow!
- Share our link! Use the copy below (or write your own):
Hey! My friend Lina Patel is directing her first short film, Cabin Time—a beautiful, intimate story about women, recovery, and connection. It’s quiet, real, and full of heart. Check out the campaign and help bring it to life: https://seedandspark.com/fund/cabin-time & follow the film on Instagram @cabintimefilm #CabinTimeFilm #SeedAndSpark
Thank you so much for being part of our campaign and joining us in making Cabin Time!
For more about our team, who they are and what they've done, just click on The Team tab up top.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production Costs
Costs $3,000
Productions come with many costs from insurance & first aid kids to excellent sound, we want to keep our crew safe & well-equipped!
Camera & Lighting Gear
Costs $5,000
Please help us capture the light & magnitude of the Sierras! Our ideal package includes an Alexa Mini or LF & Masterbuilt or Zeiss Primes.
Cast & Crew Wages
Costs $8,000
We are committed to paying our incredible and professional team a fair wage for their talent, labor, & time. They are the heart of the film!
Filming Location & Travel
Costs $5,000
We are shooting entirely on location to capture the beauty of the Sierras & are securing housing and travel for our fabulous cast/crew!
Meals, Crafty & Coffee
Costs $2,000
We want our team to be cared for, well fed, and caffeinated during production.
Share this update!
About This Team
MEET THE CABIN TIME CAST & CREW
Lina Patel - Writer/Director. In 2024, she received the Cornelia Street American Playwriting Award, recognizing her exceptional talent and contributions to contemporary theater. Lina is the recipient of an NEA grant and has been commissioned by Yale Rep, Playwrights Arena, and The Japanese American National Museum. Her plays explore themes of disability, non-traditional relationships, and power dynamics, with notable works including "Sick Girl or Don't Hate Me Cuz I'm Pretty" at Ammunition Theatre and New Harmony Project, and "Traces of Desire", recently published by Bloomsbury. On television, she has served as a co-producer on projects ranging from Ava DuVernay’s Cherish the Day to the DC sci-fi drama Krypton. "Cabin Time" is her first short film and her directorial debut.
Rachna Khatau – Actor. From playing Sondra on Baby Daddy (Freeform) to memorable appearances on The Big Bang Theory (CBS) and Bizaardvark (Disney), Rachna’s ability to move seamlessly between comedy and drama makes her a joy to watch on stage or screen. She brought nuance and warmth to the Sundance-premiered feature Didn't Die, directed by Meera Menon, and co-starred opposite Jason Tam in the short film Soil. Whether lighting up your television in hit network shows or bringing grounded emotional truth to indie projects, Rachna is a magnetic performer you can’t help but root for.
Tina Carbone - Producer. An award-winning independent producer & filmmaker, that has worn just about every hat when it comes to production. Tina has produced all types of fun projects, including feature films, shorts, branded content, series, and VR projects. She absolutely loves what she does and uses her enthusiasm and creativity in having a successful career elevating productions with smaller budgets into high quality films. For Tina, filmmaking is a collaborative effort and she loves bringing together the greatest production families around. The set experience is super important for her, as is the respect and happiness of each member of the team. She's active in the female filmmaker community as an advocate for women on set and continue to mentor in all aspects of production.
Daniel Talbott - Producer. An award-winning screenwriter and director, a Lucille Lortel award-winning theater producer, and the artistic director of Rising Phoenix Rep. His first feature film co-written and co-directed with Samantha Soule - Midday Black Midnight Blue - premiered at SIFF in Seattle and was released by Good Deed Entertainment. His feature script Gray is in active development in Denmark with Motor Productions, and his horror-drama pilot "Rome, Georgia" (starring Marie Louise-Parker) is also in development. He is attached as the director to the feature film "Last Resort", and he is in active development with the wonderful folks at Saga Films for the limited series" To The Light". Other TV writing includes "The Mist" based on Stephen King's novella, and "The Connors" on ABC. He is a graduate of Juilliard.
Andrew Klaus-Vineyard - Executive Producer. Andrew is a proudly bisexual Los Angeles-based filmmaker, musician, and visual artist. His films include THIS HOUSE IS NOT A HOME, Motel, Dream Boy, Unknown, At Large, My Age Now, Like Lightning and the upcoming feature documentary Toolshed co-directed with Daniel Talbott.
Piero Basso - Cinematographer. Born in northern Italy and based in NYC. During his career, exceeding two decades, Basso has photographed 17 feature films, and TV series, along with numerous documentaries, short films, music videos and commercials. His work has been honored at some of the most prestigious film festivals around the globe, including Venice (Una Famiglia, Competition), Locarno (Seven Acts of Mercy, Competition), Cannes (Darker than Midnight, Semaine de la Critique), Berlin (Dafne, Panorama, Fipresci Award as Best Feature Film and Canone Effimero at the Forum in 2025, Special Mention of the Documentary Award Jury), Turin (Santina, Competition), Oberhausen (Zakaria, Competition), Clermont-Ferrant, Busan, Huesca, Marrakech, Santa Barbara, and several others. He recently received a Best Cinematography Award at the 23rd Beverly Hills Film Festival.
Ian Merrigan - Composer. He co-authored and starred in the hit musical The Unfortunates which ran at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2013 and A.C.T. San Francisco in 2016. Ian’s songs, across all genres, have been placed in numerous television shows and films. Some of his recent TV roles include Paradise (Hulu) and The Chi (Showtime). Ian is also an educator and runs the Los Angeles wing of the playwriting program for Northwestern University’s National High School Institute.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
A newly sober mom spirals in solitude in a remote Sierra cabin—until a neighbor knocks with no eggs and a whole lot of feelings.
ANYA is an Indian woman struggling with sobriety in secret due to culturally imbibed shame. JANE longs for her dead wife but buries her pain with determined cheer. Anya has retreated to her brother's cabin to privately mark five months of sobriety. But her self-imposed solitude strips away distraction and with each passing hour, she battles regret, recrimination, and the daunting task of forgiving herself. Finally, even mundane tasks - making coffee, washing dishes - take on gravitational weight. On her fifth day of isolation, Anya starts to spiral, doubting herself, afraid she'll drink if she leaves the safety of her temporary sanctuary. Then, suddenly, there’s a knock on the door. It’s Jane, a chatty & inquisitive neighbor, hiding her own inescapable grief. What begins as an awkward, even comical request turns into an unexpected encounter that will change them both.
I think of Anya and Jane's story as a mini-saga, capturing our unspoken sorrows and our fragile hopes for connection. Films like, Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women and Old Joy, Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland, and Kogonada’s Columbus share the spirit of Cabin Time: spacious, intimate, and emotionally grounded. Anya and Jane’s story is my love letter to what is best in our messy selves.
It's a story about...
- The quiet moments that bring us back to life—a cup of tea. An honest question.
- Rebuilding a life after addiction and loss.
- How vitally valuable the balm of nature is.
- Queer lives which are not defined by trauma or trope, but by grace, recognition, and fully-inhabited presence.
Cabin Time is a small film that strives to be epic and emotional. Like us. Like the Sierras.
Tone
Visually, I want to immerse the audience in the natural beauty of a wild, timeless place - one that I return to time and again. From the time I've spent in the great California Sierras, I know the forest can be both sanctuary and mirror. It's exhilarating, liberating, and scary.
Why This? Why Now?
I've worked for years as an actor and TV writer, helping others bring their stories to life. Cabin Time is my first film as a writer-director. I’m making the kind of film I want to see, with a team of professional, committed, working artists I deeply admire.
The story we’re telling speaks to the emotional whiplash of the past few years - disconnection, uncertainty, and the elemental ache for meaning. That longing becomes sharper in midlife, but it’s something we carry at any age. Our largely queer team believes in stories that whisper rather than shout. We’re going to tell Anya and Jane’s story with tenderness and specificity.
We're making this now because it is urgent to remember how connection actually happens - not through spectacle or grand gestures, but through tiny, risky acts of honesty. Saying what we mean. Allowing ourselves to be seen.
Directing Cabin Time means that I am choosing to step behind the camera to shape this story with my own hands. As an immigrant, as a woman, claiming space in this role matters. Our stories, our perspectives, and our rhythms are essential - and they often go unseen. I’m directing this film not to prove something, but because I have something to say. This film reflects the world I want to live in: expansive, complex, deeply felt, and attended to with care.
Now and Beyond
We’re deep into pre-production and are shooting this summer on location in the western Sierras. Our amazing cast (including Rachna Khatau), cinematographer (Piero Basso), and producing team (Daniel Talbott, Tina Carbone, Andrew Klaus-Vineyard) have been hard at work. We have our location and our shoot dates. Our goal is to raise $23,000 to make a film with the production quality everyone involved can be proud of and to avoid exploiting the work of our cast and crew. Following and sharing our campaign boosts our visibility in a major way. If you can support us financially, every dollar helps! Your support goes directly toward covering essentials like:
- Paying our cast and crew fairly
- Lodging and meals during our three-day shoot
- Equipment rentals and insurance
Stretch Funds
If we surpass our goal, stretch funds go toward post-production and festival submissions. If we raise $25,000, we'll have contingency funds should anything go wrong and funds for post-production, including editing and sound mixing. If we raise $30,000, we'll be able to cover our festival distribution and promotional costs to get the film into the world.
- Your support in any amount helps! $5, $10, $25 and we are so grateful! [Charges will appear from: ZOODOG PROD CORP_CABIN]
- Following our campaign is free and helps us qualify for Seed & Spark’s filmmaker rewards. Please follow!
- Share our link! Use the copy below (or write your own):
Hey! My friend Lina Patel is directing her first short film, Cabin Time—a beautiful, intimate story about women, recovery, and connection. It’s quiet, real, and full of heart. Check out the campaign and help bring it to life: https://seedandspark.com/fund/cabin-time & follow the film on Instagram @cabintimefilm #CabinTimeFilm #SeedAndSpark
Thank you so much for being part of our campaign and joining us in making Cabin Time!
For more about our team, who they are and what they've done, just click on The Team tab up top.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production Costs
Costs $3,000
Productions come with many costs from insurance & first aid kids to excellent sound, we want to keep our crew safe & well-equipped!
Camera & Lighting Gear
Costs $5,000
Please help us capture the light & magnitude of the Sierras! Our ideal package includes an Alexa Mini or LF & Masterbuilt or Zeiss Primes.
Cast & Crew Wages
Costs $8,000
We are committed to paying our incredible and professional team a fair wage for their talent, labor, & time. They are the heart of the film!
Filming Location & Travel
Costs $5,000
We are shooting entirely on location to capture the beauty of the Sierras & are securing housing and travel for our fabulous cast/crew!
Meals, Crafty & Coffee
Costs $2,000
We want our team to be cared for, well fed, and caffeinated during production.
Share this update!
About This Team
MEET THE CABIN TIME CAST & CREW
Lina Patel - Writer/Director. In 2024, she received the Cornelia Street American Playwriting Award, recognizing her exceptional talent and contributions to contemporary theater. Lina is the recipient of an NEA grant and has been commissioned by Yale Rep, Playwrights Arena, and The Japanese American National Museum. Her plays explore themes of disability, non-traditional relationships, and power dynamics, with notable works including "Sick Girl or Don't Hate Me Cuz I'm Pretty" at Ammunition Theatre and New Harmony Project, and "Traces of Desire", recently published by Bloomsbury. On television, she has served as a co-producer on projects ranging from Ava DuVernay’s Cherish the Day to the DC sci-fi drama Krypton. "Cabin Time" is her first short film and her directorial debut.
Rachna Khatau – Actor. From playing Sondra on Baby Daddy (Freeform) to memorable appearances on The Big Bang Theory (CBS) and Bizaardvark (Disney), Rachna’s ability to move seamlessly between comedy and drama makes her a joy to watch on stage or screen. She brought nuance and warmth to the Sundance-premiered feature Didn't Die, directed by Meera Menon, and co-starred opposite Jason Tam in the short film Soil. Whether lighting up your television in hit network shows or bringing grounded emotional truth to indie projects, Rachna is a magnetic performer you can’t help but root for.
Tina Carbone - Producer. An award-winning independent producer & filmmaker, that has worn just about every hat when it comes to production. Tina has produced all types of fun projects, including feature films, shorts, branded content, series, and VR projects. She absolutely loves what she does and uses her enthusiasm and creativity in having a successful career elevating productions with smaller budgets into high quality films. For Tina, filmmaking is a collaborative effort and she loves bringing together the greatest production families around. The set experience is super important for her, as is the respect and happiness of each member of the team. She's active in the female filmmaker community as an advocate for women on set and continue to mentor in all aspects of production.
Daniel Talbott - Producer. An award-winning screenwriter and director, a Lucille Lortel award-winning theater producer, and the artistic director of Rising Phoenix Rep. His first feature film co-written and co-directed with Samantha Soule - Midday Black Midnight Blue - premiered at SIFF in Seattle and was released by Good Deed Entertainment. His feature script Gray is in active development in Denmark with Motor Productions, and his horror-drama pilot "Rome, Georgia" (starring Marie Louise-Parker) is also in development. He is attached as the director to the feature film "Last Resort", and he is in active development with the wonderful folks at Saga Films for the limited series" To The Light". Other TV writing includes "The Mist" based on Stephen King's novella, and "The Connors" on ABC. He is a graduate of Juilliard.
Andrew Klaus-Vineyard - Executive Producer. Andrew is a proudly bisexual Los Angeles-based filmmaker, musician, and visual artist. His films include THIS HOUSE IS NOT A HOME, Motel, Dream Boy, Unknown, At Large, My Age Now, Like Lightning and the upcoming feature documentary Toolshed co-directed with Daniel Talbott.
Piero Basso - Cinematographer. Born in northern Italy and based in NYC. During his career, exceeding two decades, Basso has photographed 17 feature films, and TV series, along with numerous documentaries, short films, music videos and commercials. His work has been honored at some of the most prestigious film festivals around the globe, including Venice (Una Famiglia, Competition), Locarno (Seven Acts of Mercy, Competition), Cannes (Darker than Midnight, Semaine de la Critique), Berlin (Dafne, Panorama, Fipresci Award as Best Feature Film and Canone Effimero at the Forum in 2025, Special Mention of the Documentary Award Jury), Turin (Santina, Competition), Oberhausen (Zakaria, Competition), Clermont-Ferrant, Busan, Huesca, Marrakech, Santa Barbara, and several others. He recently received a Best Cinematography Award at the 23rd Beverly Hills Film Festival.
Ian Merrigan - Composer. He co-authored and starred in the hit musical The Unfortunates which ran at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2013 and A.C.T. San Francisco in 2016. Ian’s songs, across all genres, have been placed in numerous television shows and films. Some of his recent TV roles include Paradise (Hulu) and The Chi (Showtime). Ian is also an educator and runs the Los Angeles wing of the playwriting program for Northwestern University’s National High School Institute.