THE STORY

Cessation is a short horror film that follows Alice Tilden, a pest control worker making ends meet in a totalitarian America.  After confirming that a missed period is indeed a pregnancy, Alice seeks help from Jimmy McMann - her married boyfriend, the suspicious non-dependable nephew of a prominent political figure. He is unwilling to help her and threatens to ruin her life if she tries to involve him. Abortion is illegal, democracy is shattered, and privacy is in the past. Racing against the clock to get an abortion, Alice acquires contraband pills that at first appear to work. Over the course of the following day, something begins to grow inside her at an alarming rate. Entombed in her apartment, Alice discovers the medication has been tampered with and she must now face the sinister presence that is growing inside her womb before it takes control over her own body and life.    

WHY NOW

Abortion is health care. Abortion is freedom. Abortion is bodily autonomy. A country without this human right is not a free country. - H.R. Bellicosa, author of The Punishings, a novel about a world without abortion 

When we are left alone to face particularly deep trauma, it can often transform into an even deeper wound.

Taking away the rights of a woman’s body and making a procedure as common as abortion illegal, can end up causing more pain and suffering. 

Photo by Kaiyu Wu on Unsplash

In a post-Roe America, we are all now left to face the consequences of a growing attack on bodily autonomy in the United States

The horror genre is often one of the best tools in film to combat and explore issues of race, sex, gender, and politics. Horror can be ambivalent and its messages can be difficult to unpack with any sense of authority. In this film, the horror genre is a vehicle for the fear felt by women when their bodies are no longer their own. What can be more terrifying than growing a monster inside of you?

Cessation takes place in Atlanta in the winter. The stark, bare setting will emphasize the isolation and will highlight the dangerous growth inside her body. It will also explore what Atlanta (and surrounding areas) would look like if it was stripped of its culture and identity. How could this vibrant, diverse city change when the ability to express itself is gone? 

DIRECTORS' STATEMENT

It was impossible to say no; how could we ignore the opportunity to tell such a powerful story when so many of us, so many women in the US, are so close to facing the very essence of Alice's journey? 

When Eichenberger approached us with the premise for Cessation we were immediately drawn to it. Undoubtedly, the recent overturn of Roe v. Wade in the United States played an important factor in our decision to get on board. Eichenberger’s personal approach made the piece particularly relevant at a time when women were stripped of essential human rights. Utilizing the horror genre and its ability to showcase raw violations of the female body, we have embarked on an onerous task. One that seeks to tell a relatable story of a character trapped in a liminal space, while determined to empower women by avoiding exploitative attempts historically seen in cinema. By fictionalizing an experience shared by so many women, we hope to honor a shared truth and invite women to challenge the patriarchy; a social system that yet again is deciding what women can or can’t do with their own bodies. 

COMPARABLE FILMS [STORY]

COMPARABLE FILMS [STYLE]

MOOD & TONE

The world of Cessation, just like Alice’s body, is one in transition that at first seems recognizable and somewhat familiar, but as the narrative unfolds, one that becomes stranger, threatening, and alien. We translate cinematically that liminal essence to the screen. On the one hand, the film’s opening refrains from manipulation and overwrought formalistic approaches, instead, it presents a natural yet pessimistic view of the world where Alice lives. As the story progresses, so does the film’s style; the visuals express pictorially the duress and distress that Alice is experiencing in her fight to take control over her own body. 

COLOR PALETTE

Cessation will open with a cold blue color palette that will progressively transition to a feverish red. This unwanted warmth, initially produced by the omnipresent blood and pain of this totalitarian world, will by the end of the film define the courageous strength of Alice in her fight for freedom.  

LIGHTING

Lighting will convey the contrast between the light and the darkness that intoxicates the totalitarian world where Alice is trapped; in a way the premonitory sign of this woman’s imminent future.

Alice is resilient and the once dreadful and terrifying shadows will progressively become her hiding place, her accomplice in a journey for survival and independence. 

TIMELINE & LOGISTICS

• Pre-production: January - February 2023
• Production: March 4-8, 2023 in and around Atlanta, GA
• Post-Production: March - July 2023

We aim to have a first draft of the cut by May and a final edit by July 2023 followed by a festival run. 

COVID STATEMENT

Due to the everchanging COVID Pandemic, we will be monitoring the situation closely and will follow the latest SAG guidelines as we get closer to the shoot date.

BUDGET

Cessation Production Goal - $22,000

We have been granted fiscal sponsorship from Stowe Story Labs (https://www.stowestorylabs.org/) which allows supporters/donors to receive tax deductions towards their contributions.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

FOLLOW

Follow our campaign and stay up-to-date on the latest Cessation news! It's 100% free. 

What does the Cessation team get out of it? Seed&Spark rewards us for building our audience.  The more followers we get, the more we unlock products, services, and festival fee waivers courtesy of Seed&Spark!

CONTRIBUTE AND PLEDGE

You can make a contribution to our film by making a pledge. Seed&Spark requires at least 80% of our goal in 30 days to receive ANY funds. You can choose an incentive or make a pledge to a specific wishlist item. You can choose any pledge and incentive amount that fits your budget.  No pledge is too small. Every dollar makes a difference in making our film possible!

SPREAD THE WORD

The only way we will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks. If you’d like to be a part of supporting female filmmakers and supporting abortion access, YOU can make the difference in our success!

Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you want!  We can't do this without you!

Here are some examples.  Feel free to copy and paste!

Help directors @alsosisters and actor/writer @katerina_eichenberger by supporting their horror film CESSATION about a young woman who gets an illegal abortion in a totalitarian America, left alone to face a sinister presence rapidly growing inside of her. Join them on @seedandspark: [link to Seed&Spark page].

Make a pledge to support CESSATION, by directors @alsosisters and actor/writer @katerina_eichenberger! Filming this winter. Support them on @seedandspark: [link to Seed&Spark page].