Lucie, a repressed 30-year-old Cambodian-American woman, suffers a PTSD episode filled with violent childhood memories after moving back into her childhood home in Chicago from NYC. Falling into severe suicidal ideations with no one to turn to, she says a prayer to her late grandfather for help and a sign to live. Her prayer gets answered when she serendipitously meets Ana, the owner of Cloud & Bunny baby boutique, who’s suffered a similar fate years ago. An unexpected connection filled with humor, friendship, and laughter gives Lucie a glimmer of hope that healing is possible.

Since the pandemic, we have collectively felt the world move towards apathy, social segregation, and fear due to interpersonal, relational, and/or systemic trauma. Cloud & Bunny is a slice-of-life piece about the nuance of trauma healing, how shame can isolate us, and how human connection can save our lives. We are not meant to move through life alone, and when we encounter an experience where we are seen and heard exactly as we are, we can inhale hope and exhale peace, even for a moment.

When you contribute to our campaign, you are supporting a film that increases awareness of PTSD/trauma healing, increases representation of marginalized groups in front and behind the camera, and encourages empathy, sensitivity, and community to help create a more compassionate world. Mary Kethya Khuon is also a fully trained Trauma Recovery Coach with a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner Certificate, a public speaker, and has worked with the trauma healing community for the past 5 years, reaching over 1 million people through her coaching business. Sincerely Miss Mary. She believes this short film will reach even more people and share the message that trauma healing is not only possible but also that all trauma survivors can live full lives.

We also want to uplift the entertainment industry in Chicago and continue to fill our group with underrepresented groups. By putting this short film on the map, we will get the attention of networks and production companies who have the ability to turn this film into a bigger project like a feature or a limited TV series. We will ensure to continue expanding our cast and crew toward BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and other marginalized groups.

As the writer, director, co-producer, and lead actor in this film, representation is important for me as a 2nd generation Cambodian American whose parents survived the Cambodian genocide, where artists, culture shakers, and social influencers were the first to be executed. By sharing my story inspired by true events, I hope to inspire others who can relate to my experiences tha we are deserving of sharing our stories and using our voices.

My path to filmmaking has been an unpredictable journey driven by my love for writing and storytelling, which was discovered during my career as a fashion designer in New York City for Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, and Tommy Hilfiger. During my time in New York City, I experienced a series of traumatic events in my personal life, leading me to discover the healing power of writing my truths and sharing it with the world. I retired from my fashion career during the pandemic to become a trauma recovery coach with a certificate in Somatic Experiencing, a Keynote speaker for universities, and the founder of my coaching business, Sincerely Miss Mary, where I have taught over 20,000 people how to use writing as a tool for emotional regulation.

Writing became my muse and the vessel for self-expression, taking me back to the stage in Chicago in 2022. I’ve written and published over 100 personal essays online, performed a story slam at The Moth, performed standup comedy at the Laugh Factory, and was in the writer’s room for a Gen Z web series called Ambitious. Cloud & Bunny is a short film adapted from a chapter of my one-woman show, Sweet Inner Child O’ Mine, and I’m excited to bring this vision to life with my producing partner, Porsha Shanese.

-Mary Kethya Khuon

My journey as an artist started in Atlanta when I moved there for better opportunities and growth within the entertainment industry. Over the course of the 7 years I lived there, I truly became a student of the game. Working on several independent projects and video shoots, all pro bono, so that I could gain knowledge on set. That's when the lightbulb came on. I knew that this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life if I was willing to do it for free.

After moving from Atlanta back to Chicago, I got a job on my first major show on VH1 Network. I worked my way up from production assistant to producer and worked on shows for the Discovery Channel, BET, Bravo, FOX, Netflix, and Food Network. Although I've been having a blossoming career, working in reality tv was never the goal because there's no real room to be creative. Nonetheless, I wouldn't trade my experience for the world. My true passion is to work on scripted television shows and motion pictures.

Earlier this year I was accepted into the Chicago Filmmakers Cohort where I met our Writer and Director of Cloud & Bunny (Mary Kethya Khuon). She brought me onto her project and I am so grateful to be a part of it because it's a story that needs to be told. I am looking forward to all the great things that will unfold from this film. I'm also excited to continue sharpening my skills as a Producer and help to craft meaningful pictures that will touch audiences worldwide.

-Porsha Shanese

Cloud & Bunny is a trauma/comedy short film that lifts the veil of healing complex trauma by showcasing the full spectrum of human emotions and cultural/societal conditioning of masking our deepest darkest secrets because of guilt and shame. This short film is a blend of Fleabag’s blunt humor and self-sabotage as a means of escapism, Baby Reindeer’s bold truth-telling of a sinister tale, The Worst Person in the World’s theme of more than one emotional truth can co-exist moment to moment, and Past Lives' ability to get lost in conversation.

The visual of Cloud & Bunny showcases the complexities of human emotions during a journey of trauma healing. The beginning of the film will be dark and lonely, have closeups of Lucie’s body language and facial expressions of shame and inescapable pain, and eventually move through light and colorful shots of outdoor spaces in Chicago with Lucie running through which showcases the positive impact of moving the body through trauma healing, and finally wider and intimate shots of Lucie and Ana in the baby store, inviting more color into each shot through set design and wardrobe styling of Ana and shoppers.

Lucie, played by Mary Kethya Khuon, is a Cambodian American in her early 30s who just moved back to her childhood home during the pandemic from the life she built in New York City. She left behind her decade-long fashion career, the relationship of her dreams, and her beloved Upper East Side studio apartment to pursue her newfound dream, writing. However, childhood memories flood back as soon as she moves back home forcing her to face the betrayal, abuse, and neglect she fought so hard to forget as a child.

Lucie’s parents are Cambodian genocide survivors who immigrated to the quiet suburbs of Chicago in the late 70s. Lucie strayed from her heritage throughout her life until she discovered her love for creative writing while designing luxurious handbags in New York City. She lived a double life designing best-selling bags during the day and hitting up poetry mics at night. Soon she discovered her ancestry was filled with writers, poets, and storytellers who were murdered during the genocide. Lucie’s writing was a gift to reclaim her artistic voice that was lost during the genocide.

She moved back home during the pandemic to pursue a writing career not realizing symptoms of her PTSD would trigger childhood memories coming back.

Ana, played by Sophia Smarandescu, is a Bosnian refugee who immigrated to the US in the 90s. She is in her mid-30s, happily married to her husband, and has a 6-year-old daughter. She lives in Ravenswood in Chicago and opened her Children’s boutique, Cloud & Bunny after a successful career as an interior and fashion designer in Chicago.

Ana loves the arts and was educated at SAIC. She has a passion for high-end retail and meeting new people through her store. Ana has gone through decades of healing PTSD from escaping the Bosnian war. Although she has suffered immense pain in her childhood, she finds ways to experience joy and laughter in life and the cultural difference between her and her in-laws.

Her relationship with her daughter has been a big part of her purpose in healing her PTSD. Her daughter is her best friend. They do everything together from painting, to shopping, to playing dress up. Ana lives a life of gratitude for the support she received when her family moved to Chicago as refugees. Her clothing boutique gives back to the community and brings people from different worlds together.

Cloud & Bunny is a love letter to the trauma-healing community and pulls from the theme of serendipitous encounters. This is an intimate story of moving through darkness alone, lost, confused, and wanting to give up hope. However, during our darkest times, we encounter a glimmer of hope, where we can take off our masks, open our hearts, and let in light fueled by the power of compassionate human connection.

We are showcasing the personality of Chicago and it's sleepy, shy, steady, and quaint neighborhoods and landmarks. We will highlight the community, the beauty of stillness, and embracing steadiness, which Lucie didn’t know she needed when she left the hustle and bustle life style of New York City.

Our aim for the budget is $15,000. This is the minimum we need to raise money for production and post-production. These funds will help us properly pay for our crew, actors, rental equipment, crafts services, sound designer, composter, and more post-production costs.

Stretch Goal:

If we raise $20,000 we'll be able to cover film festival submission, travel fees, and marketing to premiere Cloud and Bunny all over the world, increasing our outreach and social impact messaging that healing trauma is possible.

Our goal is to complete the production of this film by the spring of 2025, complete post-production by the summer of 2025, and submit to film festivals by fall 2025 so we can share this film with the world in the winter of 2025 and all of 2026.

Contribute Today.  We have a variety of rewards for contributors, from a social media shoutout to name in the film credits as a funder and even a How to Produce/Write a Screenplay/Guide to Production Assisting.

Spread the Word. Please share our campaign page via text, social media, or email! By engaging with potential viewers through social media, screenings, and other events, we hope to cultivate a dedicated following who are eager to support our work.

Follow us. Follow our journey by taking a look at our social media profiles @marykethyakhuon and @sincerelymissmary and following our Seed&Spark Campaign, where we will update you throughout the process!