Set in a near dystopian society where most personal freedoms are scrutinized very carefully and once popular activities and professions that promote individuality and personal creativity have been tossed aside for the sake of security and conformity.
Set in a near dystopian society where most personal freedoms are scrutinized very carefully and once popular activities and professions that promote individuality and personal creativity have been tossed aside for the sake of security and conformity.
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Story
Mission Statement
We are very, very proud to sport a diverse cast and crew! All 3 of our principal actors are people of color - 2/3 are women. And our 3 above the line crew members are men of color (all 3 are biracial). We believe this story represents a more marginalized view of romance, even in the 21st century.About The Project
Call the Sandman (a short film)
About
Call The Sandman began as so many stories do with a girl. Her name was Hana and she was my neighbor growing up in Germany. She was my first real crush and I never told her how I felt. It was only after she and her parents returned to Japan that I discovered my passion for writing and the words I did not have before. So I wrote a story wherein a young man yearns for his childhood sweetheart, and goes to a lab where scientists create an artificial reality where the two can be together. The story of Call the Sandman has changed many times over the year, but its central theme of longing for lost love has always stayed the same and I think that’s why it resonates.
- Nathan Liu (Writer)Director's Statement
When I first read Call the Sandman I was immediately intrigued by how well the story and characters captured the sense of loneliness when living in a major city. As people there is no greater comfort than our a shared intimacy and it is through these shared experiences that we create the fabric for our dreams. Alex and Izumi’s intimacy is what grounds this unusual story and world they inhabit. I hope to bring this unique little gem of a story into reality the way Izumi and Alex make us believe it can. - Lou Blackmon (Director, Producer)
CHARACTERS
Izumi Ishimoto - Played by Momo Judy Ave
Japanese expat - in her 20s when we see her in her youth and in her mid to late 40s in present day (2044). Intelligent and a tad shy, but not without a sense of humor. After her relationship with Alex, Izumi has married and had a family. But she has always had some lingering questions about what a life with Alex could have been like. With the treatment having become mainstream she no longer even remembers what he looks like, only fleeting memories they shared.
Alex Morales - Played by Lenny Thomas
American and native New Yorker. Same age as Izumi when we see him in the two stages of his life. Confident without being cocky, creative and an extrovert who carries himself with a certain comforting charm. Despite the two decades that have past since he last saw Izumi he has thought about her constantly and believes he missed out on an important part of life without her. He sees the same advertisement for the Sandman Corp. and decides to visit the Sandman Corp.
Dr. Esperanza Haddid - Played by Silvana González
Is the lead researcher and physician at a facility that claims it can create fully-immersive, life-like simulations without monitors or computers. Professional, but playful in her interactions with colleagues and patients. She is someone who can put on a collared shirt and exhibit social grace with equal ease. She is routinely mocked for her claims by both the public and gov’t. officials, but she knows that her invention has the potential to help her fellow citizens deal with grief and loneliness and the general malaise of their dystopian society.
We are seeking funding for production!
We hope to raise $11,600 to complete principal photography by mid-June. We have so many wonderfully talented people working on this project who want to make this film the best version it can be. In order to do that, we need your support. Every contribution brings us closer to that goal.
Please Follow & Share!
We are on Facebook, Instagram, and we have a dedicated website (callthesandman.com). Please help us get as many eyes on this as possible! This project has been in the making for a while now and with your support we can bring this story from the page to the screen. Thank you!
Incentives
$10
Thank You!
THANK YOU! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. These grassroots campaigns are built on the contributions of friends, family members and kind strangers. We truly appreciate the vote of confidence and you'll receive a shout out on social media.
$25
Showcard/Personal thank you
This amount of paper could buy you a gourmet cheeseburger and fries and you gave it to us. We appreciate it. At this level you'll receive a physical showcard for the film and a personal thank you from the team.
$50
Digital Download/Thank You
Wanna watch the film without having to put pants on? Here's your own copy of the film you can watch with dinner, a glass of whatever and without leaving your couch/bed. You'll Also Get a show card.
$100
Wrap Party + Download
You are invited to the cast and crew wrap party! Includes all previous rewards unless otherwise specified.
Claimed: 5 of 20
$500
Associate Producer Credit
You'll receive a credit along with others that pledged at this level. You'll also be invited to the wrap party, receive a link to the digital download, Thank you/show card, and our unwaivering gratiude.
$1,000
Executive Producer Credit
Brian Grazer would be proud. A huge thank you to supporters on this level. And you'll receive an individual Executive Producer credit both in the film credits and on IMDB. You'll also receive an invite to the screening, a digital download copy and an autographed show card from the cast and the production team.
Claimed: 1 of 5
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$10
Thank You!
THANK YOU! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. These grassroots campaigns are built on the contributions of friends, family members and kind strangers. We truly appreciate the vote of confidence and you'll receive a shout out on social media.
$25
Showcard/Personal thank you
This amount of paper could buy you a gourmet cheeseburger and fries and you gave it to us. We appreciate it. At this level you'll receive a physical showcard for the film and a personal thank you from the team.
$50
Digital Download/Thank You
Wanna watch the film without having to put pants on? Here's your own copy of the film you can watch with dinner, a glass of whatever and without leaving your couch/bed. You'll Also Get a show card.
$100
Wrap Party + Download
You are invited to the cast and crew wrap party! Includes all previous rewards unless otherwise specified.
Claimed: 5 of 20
$500
Associate Producer Credit
You'll receive a credit along with others that pledged at this level. You'll also be invited to the wrap party, receive a link to the digital download, Thank you/show card, and our unwaivering gratiude.
$1,000
Executive Producer Credit
Brian Grazer would be proud. A huge thank you to supporters on this level. And you'll receive an individual Executive Producer credit both in the film credits and on IMDB. You'll also receive an invite to the screening, a digital download copy and an autographed show card from the cast and the production team.
Claimed: 1 of 5
- Updates
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Current Team
About This Team
Director - Lou Blackmon
Owner and founder of OddOneOut Pro., Lou has been working in the film industry since 2010 as a freelance cinematographer and producer. Lou has demonstrated his versatility as a rising filmmaker in shooting and producing feature and short films (narrative and documentary), music videos, commercials and content for brands like HBO, NBC Peacock, General Motors, RGA and Global Citizen.
Lou currently divides his time between New York and Atlanta.
Writer - Nathan Liu
Nathan Liu is a Screenwriter, Actor, and Award-winning Playwright. A graduate of NYU Tisch's Dramatic Writing Program, his experience in film and theater includes writing scripts for Pixeldust Studios, working as an intern at the Dramatists Guild of America, and penning the short play Christmas By The Pond, which was awarded "Best One Act" at the Broke People Play Festival. His other passions include learning languages (he is fluent in German and proficient in Mandarin), studying history, and advocating for disability rights and greater Asian media representation (he is legally blind and Chinese-American on his father's side).
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