Crossing The Desert
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
LGBTQ, Drama
Crossing the Desert is a short film that explores the complex relationship between a South Asian immigrant woman and her queer American daughter. This tender story asks us to re-examine our expectations of our loved ones. Can we accept them for who they really are, not who we want them to be?
Crossing The Desert
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
LGBTQ, Drama
2 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $6,030 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
76 supporters | followers
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Crossing the Desert is a short film that explores the complex relationship between a South Asian immigrant woman and her queer American daughter. This tender story asks us to re-examine our expectations of our loved ones. Can we accept them for who they really are, not who we want them to be?
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Crossing the Desert - written by Anu Bhatt and directed by Reena Dutt - is a short film dramedy that follows Antara, a queer writer bent on getting her immigrant mother’s approval of her same-sex relationship, even if that means betraying her mother’s confidence to come out to her grandmother in India.
Set in Los Angeles, we open on Antara, a struggling writer who keeps hinting to her mother Supriya to invite Antara’s Muslim girlfriend Saira over for dinner. But Supriya is more concerned with the WhatsApp family gossip chain, the Garrulous Guptas, and whether Antara’s cousin Devesh will finally settle down.
Antara’s frustration boils over as she considers how she, not her male cousin, is ready for marriage. She, after all, is the one secretly engaged to Saira. Against her mother’s explicit wishes, Antara decides to come out to her grandmother, Didima, in India, hoping that the gossip chain will force Supriya to open her doors to Antara’s chosen family.
When Supriya finds out, tensions explode and truths are revealed about how mother and daughter really see each other. As they face off across the fragmented desert of their relationship, they must decide how to cross it – with acceptance of who the other is, or with denial.
I am a first-generation South Asian-American woman who wants to live fully, but doesn’t always know how. I feel caught between two opposing cultures: the American creative culture of "living out loud", having strong convictions, and speaking your truth; and the South Asian culture that prioritizes family, stability and moderation. I wrote a character who decides to live life on her own terms within this dichotomy. She may go about it entirely the wrong way, but she takes the decision, come what may. I want someone sitting in the audience, who feels like they don't have it all together, to say “I want to live bravely like her.”
The main theme of this story is the mother-daughter relationship: a complex and deeply loving bond between two people who, in this case, are at odds with one another. Threaded through this relationship is a commentary on the communication gap between South Asian immigrants and their American-born children; anti-Muslim sentiment within the Hindu Indian diaspora; and living authentically as an LGBTQ+ individual.
Decision to Leave (2022)
YELLOW, SATURATED: The bustling warmth of an Indian kitchen is the centerpiece of conversation and conflict. There is tension simmering in the pot on the stove. There is a wealth of unspoken words in the silences. That is not to say there is not deep love there. But in the lack of communication that is "band-aided" by action, things can fester.
Insecure (2021)
SHARP, BRIGHT: At the climax, things come to a head and tip over the edge. Everything is in sharp relief. We don't know it's dangerous until it's too late.
Don't Look Up (2021)
BLUE, DESATURATED: At the height of conflict, there is complete disconnect, leaving both characters focused inward.
Filming was completed in the beautiful Los Angeles hills at the end of May, and the footage is absolutely stunning. We're ready to slide right into post-production, with a goal of submitting to festivals by the end of this summer (in time for that Sundance deadline!) - and this is where we need your help!
We aim to raise $5700 to put the finishing touches on this heartfelt and personal story. We are beyond honored to be sponsored by Film Independent and Chicago's Silk Road Cultural Center - and so your TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donation will go directly to support our home stretch: paying our incredible post team (editor, sound, color correction, VFX and composition), as well as helping us apply to festivals around the world so we can share this story of acceptance and love with families everywhere.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for supporting our story, and be sure to Like, Share and otherwise spread the word to everyone you know who believe in familial healing and expansive love.
We look forward to sharing the rest of the journey with you!
CROSSING THE DESERT
written by Anu Bhatt
directed by Reena Dutt
Featuring:
Anu Bhatt, ANTARA
Rumela Ganguly, SUPRIYA
Zehra Fazal, SAIRA
Ranjita Chakravarty, DIDIMA
Diana Pérez Riveros, Producer
Josh Sobel, Executive Producer
Anu Bhatt, Executive Producer
Riley H. Shen, Director of Photography
Victoria Segura, 1st Assistant Director
Steph MacDonald, Production Designer
Jilmil, Art Supervisor
Sangam Rai, 1st Assistant Camera
Puppett, Editor
Kishan Patel, Gaffer
TJ Thickett, Key Grip
Kevin Remy, Sound Mixer
Ruth Fowler, Script Supervisor
Ulka Mohanty, Food Stylist
Lily "LV" Valera, MUA Assistant
Jon Chau, Original Music
Asher Adel, Post Sound
Ron Sudul, Color Correction
Johnna Adams, Assistant Editor
Lexi Randolph, Production Assistant
Gary Cook, Production Assistant
Zoe Munoz, Production Assistant
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Festival Submissions
Costs $1,000
Those submission fees add up fast!
Title Cards
Costs $250
A pretty important element, we'd say!
Poster
Costs $150
The face of the film out in the world!
Music Composition
Costs $800
Music to help lift the heart of this story!
Post-Production Team
Costs $3,500
Editor, color, sound, VFX!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
ANU BHATT (writer/Antara, she/her) is a SAG-AFTRA actor, writer, dancer and language nerd originally from San Diego. She is passionate about creating work that focuses on the "balancing act" of being South Asian and American. Anu studied Linguistics at U.C. Berkeley and speaks French, Spanish, Hindi, Bengali and Korean in wildly varying degrees of fluency (read: she's only fluent in French.) She received her M.F.A. in Acting from Chicago College of Performing Arts/Roosevelt University and worked in theatre, commercials and TV in Chicago from 2010-2019. In 2018, Anu wrote her one-woman show, Hollow/Wave about her journey with depression. During the pandemic, she created the award-winning short film AutoCorrect, a dramedy about the importance of name pronunciation. Follow Anu and her work on Instagram @iamanubhatt or visit her website at www.anubhatt.com.
REENA DUTT (director, she/her) works in film and theatre as director and producer, and has screened films at over 80 festivals worldwide including Sundance, NBCUniversal and HBO. Her most recent short film, FOUND, brings voice to transracial adoption through fictional storytelling from the adoptee’s point of view. TOO MANY BODIES, a socially driven music and dance piece advocating for gun reform, was picked up by NoRAnow.org and Survivors Empowered and received numerous awards in music video and social justice categories. She was a finalist for New Filmmakers Los Angeles: On Location competition with her film "SNAPSHOT!" (2011) and has collaborated as producer with notable names such as Lulu Wang and John Legend. www.ReenaDutt.com
DIANA PÉREZ RIVEROS (producer, she/her) is an award-winning actress and producer originally from Bogotá, Colombia. With over 6 years of experience, this young producer has had the opportunity to work in the production department in sets like Gente-Fied (Netflix) and Grey's Anatomy (Season 16) as well as multiple award-winning short films. Diana debuted in the industry with her short film In a Heartbeat which premiered worldwide at Cannes International Film Festival, the Short Film Corner. Her film was later nominated and won numerous awards for which she had big recognition in her home country Colombia. As a strong Latinx young woman, she's always looking to bring forward stories about her culture and strong female leaders. Diana has a BFA in Acting for Film and has transitioned smoothly into the production side to complement her as an artist.
JOSH SOBEL (Executive Producer, he/him) is a content developer, director, producer and educator with a passion for heightened realities, poetic expression and the celebration of the Event. His work has screened in festivals across the United States, and has been named Best of the Year in the Chicago Tribune, Time Out, Washington Post, Newcity Stage and others. His productions have enjoyed sell-out performances at the legendary Steppenwolf Theatre Company and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and he was one of Newcity’s “Players 2019: The Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago” alongside some of the most venerated names in Chicago art. Formerly Artistic Director of Haven Chicago, additional credits include projects with Victory Gardens Theater, Steep Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, CalArts, the University of Iowa and Strawdog Theatre. Josh founded FutureHome Productions in 2021, where he is currently developing a slate of projects ranging from live experience to broadcast media. SDCF Observer 2012. MFA, CalArts. BA, Oberlin College. www.jmichaelsobel.com
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Crossing the Desert - written by Anu Bhatt and directed by Reena Dutt - is a short film dramedy that follows Antara, a queer writer bent on getting her immigrant mother’s approval of her same-sex relationship, even if that means betraying her mother’s confidence to come out to her grandmother in India.
Set in Los Angeles, we open on Antara, a struggling writer who keeps hinting to her mother Supriya to invite Antara’s Muslim girlfriend Saira over for dinner. But Supriya is more concerned with the WhatsApp family gossip chain, the Garrulous Guptas, and whether Antara’s cousin Devesh will finally settle down.
Antara’s frustration boils over as she considers how she, not her male cousin, is ready for marriage. She, after all, is the one secretly engaged to Saira. Against her mother’s explicit wishes, Antara decides to come out to her grandmother, Didima, in India, hoping that the gossip chain will force Supriya to open her doors to Antara’s chosen family.
When Supriya finds out, tensions explode and truths are revealed about how mother and daughter really see each other. As they face off across the fragmented desert of their relationship, they must decide how to cross it – with acceptance of who the other is, or with denial.
I am a first-generation South Asian-American woman who wants to live fully, but doesn’t always know how. I feel caught between two opposing cultures: the American creative culture of "living out loud", having strong convictions, and speaking your truth; and the South Asian culture that prioritizes family, stability and moderation. I wrote a character who decides to live life on her own terms within this dichotomy. She may go about it entirely the wrong way, but she takes the decision, come what may. I want someone sitting in the audience, who feels like they don't have it all together, to say “I want to live bravely like her.”
The main theme of this story is the mother-daughter relationship: a complex and deeply loving bond between two people who, in this case, are at odds with one another. Threaded through this relationship is a commentary on the communication gap between South Asian immigrants and their American-born children; anti-Muslim sentiment within the Hindu Indian diaspora; and living authentically as an LGBTQ+ individual.
Decision to Leave (2022)
YELLOW, SATURATED: The bustling warmth of an Indian kitchen is the centerpiece of conversation and conflict. There is tension simmering in the pot on the stove. There is a wealth of unspoken words in the silences. That is not to say there is not deep love there. But in the lack of communication that is "band-aided" by action, things can fester.
Insecure (2021)
SHARP, BRIGHT: At the climax, things come to a head and tip over the edge. Everything is in sharp relief. We don't know it's dangerous until it's too late.
Don't Look Up (2021)
BLUE, DESATURATED: At the height of conflict, there is complete disconnect, leaving both characters focused inward.
Filming was completed in the beautiful Los Angeles hills at the end of May, and the footage is absolutely stunning. We're ready to slide right into post-production, with a goal of submitting to festivals by the end of this summer (in time for that Sundance deadline!) - and this is where we need your help!
We aim to raise $5700 to put the finishing touches on this heartfelt and personal story. We are beyond honored to be sponsored by Film Independent and Chicago's Silk Road Cultural Center - and so your TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donation will go directly to support our home stretch: paying our incredible post team (editor, sound, color correction, VFX and composition), as well as helping us apply to festivals around the world so we can share this story of acceptance and love with families everywhere.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for supporting our story, and be sure to Like, Share and otherwise spread the word to everyone you know who believe in familial healing and expansive love.
We look forward to sharing the rest of the journey with you!
CROSSING THE DESERT
written by Anu Bhatt
directed by Reena Dutt
Featuring:
Anu Bhatt, ANTARA
Rumela Ganguly, SUPRIYA
Zehra Fazal, SAIRA
Ranjita Chakravarty, DIDIMA
Diana Pérez Riveros, Producer
Josh Sobel, Executive Producer
Anu Bhatt, Executive Producer
Riley H. Shen, Director of Photography
Victoria Segura, 1st Assistant Director
Steph MacDonald, Production Designer
Jilmil, Art Supervisor
Sangam Rai, 1st Assistant Camera
Puppett, Editor
Kishan Patel, Gaffer
TJ Thickett, Key Grip
Kevin Remy, Sound Mixer
Ruth Fowler, Script Supervisor
Ulka Mohanty, Food Stylist
Lily "LV" Valera, MUA Assistant
Jon Chau, Original Music
Asher Adel, Post Sound
Ron Sudul, Color Correction
Johnna Adams, Assistant Editor
Lexi Randolph, Production Assistant
Gary Cook, Production Assistant
Zoe Munoz, Production Assistant
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Festival Submissions
Costs $1,000
Those submission fees add up fast!
Title Cards
Costs $250
A pretty important element, we'd say!
Poster
Costs $150
The face of the film out in the world!
Music Composition
Costs $800
Music to help lift the heart of this story!
Post-Production Team
Costs $3,500
Editor, color, sound, VFX!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
ANU BHATT (writer/Antara, she/her) is a SAG-AFTRA actor, writer, dancer and language nerd originally from San Diego. She is passionate about creating work that focuses on the "balancing act" of being South Asian and American. Anu studied Linguistics at U.C. Berkeley and speaks French, Spanish, Hindi, Bengali and Korean in wildly varying degrees of fluency (read: she's only fluent in French.) She received her M.F.A. in Acting from Chicago College of Performing Arts/Roosevelt University and worked in theatre, commercials and TV in Chicago from 2010-2019. In 2018, Anu wrote her one-woman show, Hollow/Wave about her journey with depression. During the pandemic, she created the award-winning short film AutoCorrect, a dramedy about the importance of name pronunciation. Follow Anu and her work on Instagram @iamanubhatt or visit her website at www.anubhatt.com.
REENA DUTT (director, she/her) works in film and theatre as director and producer, and has screened films at over 80 festivals worldwide including Sundance, NBCUniversal and HBO. Her most recent short film, FOUND, brings voice to transracial adoption through fictional storytelling from the adoptee’s point of view. TOO MANY BODIES, a socially driven music and dance piece advocating for gun reform, was picked up by NoRAnow.org and Survivors Empowered and received numerous awards in music video and social justice categories. She was a finalist for New Filmmakers Los Angeles: On Location competition with her film "SNAPSHOT!" (2011) and has collaborated as producer with notable names such as Lulu Wang and John Legend. www.ReenaDutt.com
DIANA PÉREZ RIVEROS (producer, she/her) is an award-winning actress and producer originally from Bogotá, Colombia. With over 6 years of experience, this young producer has had the opportunity to work in the production department in sets like Gente-Fied (Netflix) and Grey's Anatomy (Season 16) as well as multiple award-winning short films. Diana debuted in the industry with her short film In a Heartbeat which premiered worldwide at Cannes International Film Festival, the Short Film Corner. Her film was later nominated and won numerous awards for which she had big recognition in her home country Colombia. As a strong Latinx young woman, she's always looking to bring forward stories about her culture and strong female leaders. Diana has a BFA in Acting for Film and has transitioned smoothly into the production side to complement her as an artist.
JOSH SOBEL (Executive Producer, he/him) is a content developer, director, producer and educator with a passion for heightened realities, poetic expression and the celebration of the Event. His work has screened in festivals across the United States, and has been named Best of the Year in the Chicago Tribune, Time Out, Washington Post, Newcity Stage and others. His productions have enjoyed sell-out performances at the legendary Steppenwolf Theatre Company and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and he was one of Newcity’s “Players 2019: The Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago” alongside some of the most venerated names in Chicago art. Formerly Artistic Director of Haven Chicago, additional credits include projects with Victory Gardens Theater, Steep Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, CalArts, the University of Iowa and Strawdog Theatre. Josh founded FutureHome Productions in 2021, where he is currently developing a slate of projects ranging from live experience to broadcast media. SDCF Observer 2012. MFA, CalArts. BA, Oberlin College. www.jmichaelsobel.com