Mac, a young trans man, who is left stranded at his childhood home after his estranged mother passes away. In this home he finds an AI robot that suspiciously looks like his younger self. This AI begins to malfunction when it discovers the mother is not returning. Mac is then forced to confront the ways in which his relationship with his mother shaped his relationship with himself all while trying to prevent a full meltdown. 

A story about learning to love yourself despite being told your whole life that you are difficult to love. For every trans kid who grew up running in the woods, playing in the creek, (maybe reading Edgar Allan Poe way too young), and making up stories to escape a difficult reality, this story is for you. 

The very first bathroom bill was passed in North Carolina 10 years ago and since then anti-trans propaganda has reached unprecedented highs, especially in the south. It is becoming harder and harder to keep the hatred out, but some of us have been living with these feelings our whole lives. This project, at its core, is a story to remind us that we deserve love, and maybe, just maybe, it can show others the destruction that is wrought by refusing to love trans people fully. 

The Team

Andrew

Andrew is a DP who has worked on several short films and music videos over the years. This will be his first time directing a short narrative film. This all came about when he decided to write about his own experiences early on in his transition. He continued to work in support roles on others people's projects and this script sat for several years. He grew tired of not seeing stories that reflected his own experiences and at the encouragement of his now DP he decided to make this film a reality. This was only solidified when he sent the script to a friend and he realized this movie didn't just reflect his own world but so many other trans men/mascs who have grown up in similar environments.

Sebastian

Sebastian is the Producer. Originally from Peru, he has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications & Film from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru (Lima, Peru 2016), a Diploma in Writing for Film and Television from Vancouver Film School (Vancouver, Canada 2018) and a Master’s Degree in Marketing from Universidad ESAN (Lima, Peru 2022) and ESIC Business and Marketing School (Madrid, Spain 2022). Notable projects include the short documentary “Beatriz Velarde” (Peru, 2022), winner of the Best Documentary Short Award in Toulouse Shorts Festival (France, 2023), the short film “Pieces of Me” (Peru, 2024), winner of the Best Drama Award in the Hollywood Short Film Festival (Los Angeles, 2025) and the short film “Our Island” (Peru, 2024), winner of the Best Disability Film Award in the Power24 International Film Festival (South Africa, 2025).

Kathryn

Kathryn Fulp is a multitalented creative whose work has spanned three countries. As a cinematographer she uses her photographic background to create a visual language centered around poetic composition, with an emphasis on slow and still imagery. She holds a Masters of Fine Arts in Filmmaking from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Her clients include TedX, American Heart Association, Google, and more. Her work has been featured at Cucalorus Film Festival, the Center for Visual Artists in Greensboro N.C. and The Fruit gallery in Durham, N.C.

This film is meant to feel like a hot summer day in the south with creative choices being made to keep a minor feeling of unease in the audience. We drew from several Southern Gothic films. The high contrast lighting of Night of the Hunter and the natural earth tones of Eve’s Bayou, while also pulling a little inspiration from Sci-fi such as Mr. Robot. 

The style aims to evoke nostalgia of childhood summer days through vintage lens and a warm look and contrast it with abstract framing and wide lenses to represent Mac’s unease at being home. 

This project was started as a form of catharsis and a way to show more trans representation on screen, but the creative process never seems to end after 10-15 pages. This film will serve as a proof of concept for a feature film. This film, on its own, is a beautiful story about self love, but short films often require a very narrow view on the story. The feature film will give space to explore more themes surrounding the hypocrisy of southern hospitality, society’s growing tendency to personify technology, and the opportunity to focus more on fractured parental relationships as well as the central story of Mac and his younger self. 

Project Timeline

Early August: Filming!

Fall 2026: Post Production

Winter 2026-Early 2027: VFX and polishing

Early 2027: Film festival submissions

We will be taking this film on a film festival run in the second half of 2027 with focusing on queer and horror film festivals. It is during this time that we will be seeking funding for the feature film!

Stretch Goals

Our initial budget of $2,400 goes towards production costs. At $7,500 we will be able to support the VFX assets for our film as well as several other post production costs. At $10,000 we will be able to support our entire post production process as well as our film festival run in hopes of attaining funding for the feature film.