CHEYENNE
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Horror
CHEYENNE is a horror comedy about a Native American shaman cursed to see only white ghosts. Now they're colonizing his last safe space: his dreams. We're raising funds for production with support from THE SUNDANCE INSTITUTE. Join our team!
CHEYENNE
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Horror
2 Campaigns | California, United States
26 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$3,150
Goal: $30,000 for production
CHEYENNE is a horror comedy about a Native American shaman cursed to see only white ghosts. Now they're colonizing his last safe space: his dreams. We're raising funds for production with support from THE SUNDANCE INSTITUTE. Join our team!
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Ever since Cheyenne’s dreams have been invaded by a group of selfish spirits, he’s desperate to find a way to get rid of them. After seeking an impartial ear from a therapist, he shares his truth: the ghosts he sees are all ...white. As we bounce from Cheyenne’s liminal dreamscape to his therapy session, it’s clear that the ghosts have a hold on him, and that his therapist, despite their best intentions, assumes Cheyenne is masking his own personal insecurities about his identity. It’s only when the ghosts decide to crash his appointment and confront Cheyenne that his therapist discovers the truth and all hell breaks loose.
CHEYENNE is a fast-paced, visual, comedic feast. Every detail is deliberate: black box sets art-directed to the inch, a score of traditional Mohawk instruments twisted into something entirely new, even the festival circuit swag. Nothing here is accidental.
It's film unapologetically its own. CHEYENNE is committed to being a high-concept, genre-rich, character-led performance film that can break out of the pack and embed itself in the cultural zeitgeist. It’s a love letter to the bold. To the outcasts. To the ones who find themselves wanting to break out of their lives ...or afterlife.
"Cheyenne is a story, a character, and a question that has sat with me for years. As a Native person, where do my choices begin, and where does my ancestors’ influence end? How much of myself is formed by the post-colonized society I inhabit? Which parts of me are truly me? Cheyenne is a dedication to those who seek a better understanding of their place in what can still feel like a strange new world." - Tai Leclaire
CHEYENNE came into existence on the stage of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater as a scathing live comedic character performance titled “A NATIVE AMERICAN SHAMAN” and has been performed at dozens of comedy festivals around the country. Watch it here!
What's next? CHEYENNE is heading to the big screen. In 2027, we're building the feature we've been working toward for years and we're swinging big. Think ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES meets PARASITE. Campy, elevated, and unafraid to ask the hard questions. A love letter to the 90s horror comedies we grew up on, with a lot more on its mind.
From the Sundance Film Festival to the Oscars, our team is a collection of passionate filmmakers, artists, and creative minds that aspire to uplift and enhance genre based storytelling in film.
From left to right: Tai Leclaire [Director, Writer], Mike Maliwanag [Director of Photography], Alex Nystrom [Producer], Brianna Murphy [Costume Design]
We're raising $30,000 to cover our production costs. This budget will go towards equitable pay for our cast and crew, location, equipment rentals, and designing the intricate dreamworld of Cheyenne. We have a July 2026 shoot and aiming to be on the festival circuit for 2027. With the film industry in a turbulent change, right now it's more important than ever to help support independent film and voices like ours. Here's what you can do:
CONTRIBUTE!
Seed&Spark requires we reach at least 80% of our goal ($24,000) before we receive any funds. Now, this is where YOU come in — we’re turning to our friends, family, and community to help us finish the film! Every contribution makes a difference in making our film possible! With an early contribution from THE SUNDANCE INSTITUTE your support is vital to help us cross the finish line and help bring Native films like ours to life.
FOLLOW!
Follow our campaign on Seed & Spark and stay updated on CHEYENNE'S progress! It's 100% free and it helps us earn products, services, and festival fee waivers courtesy of Seed & Spark! It takes a second and helps us immensely. Follow @Cheyenne.film on instagram.
SPREAD THE WORD!
The only way we will reach our goal is if we reach beyond our networks. We depend on people like you spreading the word about our film and campaign. Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you want! It all makes a massive impact. Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste!
Support Indigenous film. CHEYENNE (@Cheyenne.Film) is a horror comedy from writer/director TAI LECLAIRE (KING OF THE HILL, RUTHERFORD FALLS) that digs into the complexity of modern Native identity. Back it now on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/Cheyenne
SPOOKY. NATIVE. COMEDY. CHEYENNE (@Cheyenne.Film) is a fast-paced, surrealist gut-punch of a film about identity. Directed by Tai Leclaire. Back it on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/Cheyenne
HELP US MANIFEST A STRETCH GOAL!
We hope to not only meet our budget, but go even further. Why? Because we genuinely believe CHEYENNE has the potential to break barriers in Native film and help launch a collection of new voices that deserve to be heard. Our stretch goal is $40,000. If we get there, we can bring on more production support, raise crew and cast pay, and give CHEYENNE the chance to reach wider audiences and more festivals after production. We'd love for you to be part of that journey. Join us!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew
Costs $6,000
Help pay our incredible team. From our camera team, to sound, to everyone in-between.
Cast
Costs $4,000
Help pay our group of incredibly talented cast the equitable rates they deserve.
Camera & Lens
Costs $2,500
To help ensure we have the best equipment for a high quality image to help showcase our magical world.
Production Design
Costs $3,000
We're passionate about real life sets! Contribute to the dedicated hand crafted artists creating our surreal worlds.
Costume
Costs $2,000
Our story contains characters that are unique with highly detailed wardrobes to match. Help us establish our characters look and feel!
Practical Effects
Costs $1,000
We're dedicated to shooting practical effects and committed to getting as much in camera to keep our story authentic and tactile.
Location & Insurance
Costs $3,500
Help us cover our location fees, insurance needs and create a contingency.
Craft Services
Costs $1,000
You can help feed our amazing cast, crew and everyone in-between during our production!
Post Production
Costs $7,000
From the editing bay to the coloring room, this fund will go towards all of our post-production and the talented people working behind it.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Tai Leclaire - Director/Writer/Actor
Tai Leclaire is a director, writer, and actor from the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawà:ke. Tai is the voice of Joseph Gribble on “King Of The Hill” and has appeared on shows on NBC, Shudder, PBS, and Dropout TV. Tai’s most recent short film, “The Prince & The Pauper,” produced with Warner Bros. Studios, is now streaming on HBO Max. His previous short film, “Headdress," premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. He’s a former writer on the NBC comedy “Rutherford Falls,” and the Crave animated comedy “Super Team Canada.” He was featured as a “New Faces: Writers” at the 2025 Just For Laughs Festival, was a member of the 2022 Native Lab at The Sundance Institute, and has been featured on The Blacklist. He’s a former house player at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. He’s the co-chair of the Native American and Indigenous committee at The Writers Guild of America.
ALEX NYSTROM - Producer
Alex Nystrom is a 2025 Sundance Institute Native Lab Fellow developing his debut feature, Spiral, which most recently participated in the 2025 Gotham Week Project Market. As a producer, recent credits include the feature film Yasmeen’s Element (SXSW 2024), Long’s Long Lost & Mini Mart (Tribeca 2025), and Legend of Fry-Roti: Rise of the Dough (Audience Award Best Short, deadCenter 2025). He also produced Tai's most recent short film, The Prince and the Pauper, as part of Reframed: Next Gen Narratives on HBO MAX.
MIKE MALIWANAG - Director of Photography
Mike Maliwanag (pronounced MAH-lee-WAH-nahg) is a Filipino American cinematographer based in Los Angeles. His work premiered at Sundance, SXSW, & Tribeca. In 2019, Mike was selected in the inaugural ASC Vision mentorship and was mentored under Mark Doering Powell, ASC. The following year in 2020, Mike received a best cinematography award at the Queens World Film Festival for the feature, In The Land of Lost Angels. In 2021, Mike was selected as a cinematography fellow through Film Independent’s Project Involve Artist Development program. With a grounded approach to his work, Mike brings a vulnerability into his imagery through an empathetic lens.
BRIANNA MURPHY - Costume Designer
Brianna is a costume designer and filmmaker who’s been storytelling since she opened her first dress up box. Some of her recent work includes oscar winning The Singers and Tai’s The Prince and the Pauper. She’s super stoked to join Tai in bringing the After to life once again!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Ever since Cheyenne’s dreams have been invaded by a group of selfish spirits, he’s desperate to find a way to get rid of them. After seeking an impartial ear from a therapist, he shares his truth: the ghosts he sees are all ...white. As we bounce from Cheyenne’s liminal dreamscape to his therapy session, it’s clear that the ghosts have a hold on him, and that his therapist, despite their best intentions, assumes Cheyenne is masking his own personal insecurities about his identity. It’s only when the ghosts decide to crash his appointment and confront Cheyenne that his therapist discovers the truth and all hell breaks loose.
CHEYENNE is a fast-paced, visual, comedic feast. Every detail is deliberate: black box sets art-directed to the inch, a score of traditional Mohawk instruments twisted into something entirely new, even the festival circuit swag. Nothing here is accidental.
It's film unapologetically its own. CHEYENNE is committed to being a high-concept, genre-rich, character-led performance film that can break out of the pack and embed itself in the cultural zeitgeist. It’s a love letter to the bold. To the outcasts. To the ones who find themselves wanting to break out of their lives ...or afterlife.
"Cheyenne is a story, a character, and a question that has sat with me for years. As a Native person, where do my choices begin, and where does my ancestors’ influence end? How much of myself is formed by the post-colonized society I inhabit? Which parts of me are truly me? Cheyenne is a dedication to those who seek a better understanding of their place in what can still feel like a strange new world." - Tai Leclaire
CHEYENNE came into existence on the stage of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater as a scathing live comedic character performance titled “A NATIVE AMERICAN SHAMAN” and has been performed at dozens of comedy festivals around the country. Watch it here!
What's next? CHEYENNE is heading to the big screen. In 2027, we're building the feature we've been working toward for years and we're swinging big. Think ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES meets PARASITE. Campy, elevated, and unafraid to ask the hard questions. A love letter to the 90s horror comedies we grew up on, with a lot more on its mind.
From the Sundance Film Festival to the Oscars, our team is a collection of passionate filmmakers, artists, and creative minds that aspire to uplift and enhance genre based storytelling in film.
From left to right: Tai Leclaire [Director, Writer], Mike Maliwanag [Director of Photography], Alex Nystrom [Producer], Brianna Murphy [Costume Design]
We're raising $30,000 to cover our production costs. This budget will go towards equitable pay for our cast and crew, location, equipment rentals, and designing the intricate dreamworld of Cheyenne. We have a July 2026 shoot and aiming to be on the festival circuit for 2027. With the film industry in a turbulent change, right now it's more important than ever to help support independent film and voices like ours. Here's what you can do:
CONTRIBUTE!
Seed&Spark requires we reach at least 80% of our goal ($24,000) before we receive any funds. Now, this is where YOU come in — we’re turning to our friends, family, and community to help us finish the film! Every contribution makes a difference in making our film possible! With an early contribution from THE SUNDANCE INSTITUTE your support is vital to help us cross the finish line and help bring Native films like ours to life.
FOLLOW!
Follow our campaign on Seed & Spark and stay updated on CHEYENNE'S progress! It's 100% free and it helps us earn products, services, and festival fee waivers courtesy of Seed & Spark! It takes a second and helps us immensely. Follow @Cheyenne.film on instagram.
SPREAD THE WORD!
The only way we will reach our goal is if we reach beyond our networks. We depend on people like you spreading the word about our film and campaign. Please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you want! It all makes a massive impact. Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste!
Support Indigenous film. CHEYENNE (@Cheyenne.Film) is a horror comedy from writer/director TAI LECLAIRE (KING OF THE HILL, RUTHERFORD FALLS) that digs into the complexity of modern Native identity. Back it now on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/Cheyenne
SPOOKY. NATIVE. COMEDY. CHEYENNE (@Cheyenne.Film) is a fast-paced, surrealist gut-punch of a film about identity. Directed by Tai Leclaire. Back it on @seedandspark: www.seedandspark.com/fund/Cheyenne
HELP US MANIFEST A STRETCH GOAL!
We hope to not only meet our budget, but go even further. Why? Because we genuinely believe CHEYENNE has the potential to break barriers in Native film and help launch a collection of new voices that deserve to be heard. Our stretch goal is $40,000. If we get there, we can bring on more production support, raise crew and cast pay, and give CHEYENNE the chance to reach wider audiences and more festivals after production. We'd love for you to be part of that journey. Join us!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew
Costs $6,000
Help pay our incredible team. From our camera team, to sound, to everyone in-between.
Cast
Costs $4,000
Help pay our group of incredibly talented cast the equitable rates they deserve.
Camera & Lens
Costs $2,500
To help ensure we have the best equipment for a high quality image to help showcase our magical world.
Production Design
Costs $3,000
We're passionate about real life sets! Contribute to the dedicated hand crafted artists creating our surreal worlds.
Costume
Costs $2,000
Our story contains characters that are unique with highly detailed wardrobes to match. Help us establish our characters look and feel!
Practical Effects
Costs $1,000
We're dedicated to shooting practical effects and committed to getting as much in camera to keep our story authentic and tactile.
Location & Insurance
Costs $3,500
Help us cover our location fees, insurance needs and create a contingency.
Craft Services
Costs $1,000
You can help feed our amazing cast, crew and everyone in-between during our production!
Post Production
Costs $7,000
From the editing bay to the coloring room, this fund will go towards all of our post-production and the talented people working behind it.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Tai Leclaire - Director/Writer/Actor
Tai Leclaire is a director, writer, and actor from the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawà:ke. Tai is the voice of Joseph Gribble on “King Of The Hill” and has appeared on shows on NBC, Shudder, PBS, and Dropout TV. Tai’s most recent short film, “The Prince & The Pauper,” produced with Warner Bros. Studios, is now streaming on HBO Max. His previous short film, “Headdress," premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. He’s a former writer on the NBC comedy “Rutherford Falls,” and the Crave animated comedy “Super Team Canada.” He was featured as a “New Faces: Writers” at the 2025 Just For Laughs Festival, was a member of the 2022 Native Lab at The Sundance Institute, and has been featured on The Blacklist. He’s a former house player at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. He’s the co-chair of the Native American and Indigenous committee at The Writers Guild of America.
ALEX NYSTROM - Producer
Alex Nystrom is a 2025 Sundance Institute Native Lab Fellow developing his debut feature, Spiral, which most recently participated in the 2025 Gotham Week Project Market. As a producer, recent credits include the feature film Yasmeen’s Element (SXSW 2024), Long’s Long Lost & Mini Mart (Tribeca 2025), and Legend of Fry-Roti: Rise of the Dough (Audience Award Best Short, deadCenter 2025). He also produced Tai's most recent short film, The Prince and the Pauper, as part of Reframed: Next Gen Narratives on HBO MAX.
MIKE MALIWANAG - Director of Photography
Mike Maliwanag (pronounced MAH-lee-WAH-nahg) is a Filipino American cinematographer based in Los Angeles. His work premiered at Sundance, SXSW, & Tribeca. In 2019, Mike was selected in the inaugural ASC Vision mentorship and was mentored under Mark Doering Powell, ASC. The following year in 2020, Mike received a best cinematography award at the Queens World Film Festival for the feature, In The Land of Lost Angels. In 2021, Mike was selected as a cinematography fellow through Film Independent’s Project Involve Artist Development program. With a grounded approach to his work, Mike brings a vulnerability into his imagery through an empathetic lens.
BRIANNA MURPHY - Costume Designer
Brianna is a costume designer and filmmaker who’s been storytelling since she opened her first dress up box. Some of her recent work includes oscar winning The Singers and Tai’s The Prince and the Pauper. She’s super stoked to join Tai in bringing the After to life once again!