The meaning of the Daughter of Wands tarot card:

"She can be stubborn and much stronger than she looks.

This card can also represent a woman going through a transformation or spiritual breakthrough.

As with all the Wands family, the Daughter makes a dangerous enemy."

DAUGHTER OF WANDS is a coming-of-age short set in rural Oregon that explores the complexities of sisterhood, the struggle of not being accepted, and the dangers of simply being a teenage girl.

Image from Cusp (2021)

On the way to a skatepark in rural Oregon, 17-year-old Cass is annoyed by her younger sister, 15-year-old Ruby’s inability to conquer her fear of driving. In a fit of frustration, Cass drives recklessly and causes Ruby to hit her head hard against the car door. Instead of apologizing, Cass blames Ruby, using the moment to make it clear to her sister that she is not her ally.

At the skatepark, Cass tries to fit in with her friends who are more experienced in drugs and drinking than she, while Ruby waits to meet a boy she has been texting. When the “boy” turns out to be a 21-year-old with a reputation, Cass callously encourages her sister to go off alone with him, despite Ruby's clear discomfort.

As the day goes on, Cass is made to feel more and more excluded from her friends the harder she tries to fit in with them. But when the leader of the pack Madison breaks a promise to Cass in front of everyone, Cass can no longer hold her emotions inside. 

Just as her yelling match with Madison looks as though it is about to turn physical, Ruby appears and strikes down Madison, rescuing her big sister. The entire skatepark is in shock as Ruby leads Cass to the parking lot, takes the keys from her, and drives them away in their car.

Over the last four years in grad school, I have had the opportunity to learn more than I thought possible about movies, about myself, and about the stories I want to tell.

I never would have anticipated I would have such a strong desire to shoot a film in my hometown. What beauty was there? With its wide streets, and its broken houses. Its gas stations, and fast food restaurants, and the single bar that finally popped up after its status as "the last dry town in Oregon" was finally rebuked in 2003. What's so special about a place like that? But the longer I've been away, and the more I've come to understand myself, the more beauty I see in exactly those details. Towns like mine rest perfectly at the intersection of ordinary and singular--an impossible junction that any small-town person will understand. I cannot wait to capture that feeling.

Pulling from influences such as Andrea Arnold, Eliza Hittman, Mati Diop, and Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt's extrordinary 2021 documentary Cusp, my cinematographer Daniel Christopher-Blackwell and I hope to create a beautiful set of images of this place, coccooned by a poignant story.

If you're interested in checking out mine and Daniel's previous work together (alongside several other DoW crewmembers), check out Congratulations, now streaming on Film Shortage.

Thank you so much for your support--even if that means just reading this. You are appreciated.

-Emma Hall-Martin

Writer/Director

Check out Congratulations, the DoW team's first collab on a short film written and directed by Emma!

By supporting this film, you are supporting the work of women, non-binary, and POC filmmakers. Despite a major push in the last couple years to change, representation (or lack thereof) in each of these broad demographics and their intersections is still lacking. There is no doubt that each group has its own unique and varying degree of underrepresentation in film--some much more so, or less than others. Because this film is written by and will be directed by a woman, here are some thoughts we'd like to offer from that vantage point:

Films by, and about, women and girls are still grossly underreppresented in the industry.

In 2019, of the year’s 100 top-grossing films, only 10.7% of those were directed by women, and in a 2017 study of over 900 films, just 31.4% of speaking characters were women or girls.

With financing for independent and low-buget films continuing to decline, the space in which women filmmakers have historically found prominence is disappearing. Correcting this and achieving true representation in film is a long game--one that starts at the local level. 

All the teen characters in Daughter of Wands will be played by actual teenagers.

The depiction of teenagers on-screen has been dominated by actors in their 20s and 30s. Though this is usually rooted in sound child labor practices and the need for long shooting days, it also informs the content of these teenage portrayals, often resulting in a hypersexualized filmic gaze upon these "teenage" bodies. Many film scholars and cultural critics have pointed out the affects of these choices on culture. In the age of Euphoria, I believe it is extremely important that we attempt to find balance where ever possible, and show what real teenagers look and act like as well. Not only does this create a more authentic depiction of the teenage story, it also may serve as a reminder to audiences of the difference.

“When characters with the faces and bodies of conventionally-attractive adults explore sexuality on screen, not only does it provide confusing signals to teenage viewers about what level of sexual maturity is expected of them, it creates a problematic dynamic wherein adult viewers are attracted to adult bodies inhabited by, narratively speaking, children.” Annette Hasnas, Georgetown Voice February 2022

Representation in front of and behind the camera matters. By supporting women, non-binary, and POC filmmakers and their ideas at the independent level you are supporting the long-term shift of the film industry.

After fundraising concludes, we move into production in August. This is where all the Seed & Spark pledges, along with a grant we recieved from Columbia faculty, will carry us through to the end of filming. If you're curious, you can check out our spending breakdown under the "WISHLIST" tab.

During production, we will abide by all COVID regulations stipulated by Oregon Film and Columbia University. These guidances will be overseen by none other than certified COVID Compliance Officer and my mom, Kim Martin!

As my thesis project, this film is the final step in my Master's degree. Of course, this is only a very small part of why I am making this film.

After the post-production process and once the film is finished, we will submit it to film festivals where it will hopefully show in different cities across the country (and beyond!). This film will also serve as an example of my skillset and voice to show others what I can, and want to do. Daughter of Wands is the first step towards a career that churns out truthful and nuanced stories about women and girls that are new, exciting, and lovely to watch. I want to see more movies like that, don't you? Supporting this project is a way you can be a part of this journey.

Want a little help spreading the word? Lucky for you, I am a ~*writer*~ and made it easy. Copy and paste one of the below messages!

Support Oregonian filmmaker @elevenlikes by contributing to her thesis film @daughterofwandsfilm on @seedandspark! www.seedandspark.com/fund/daughter-of-wands 

I support women in film! Pledge your support by contributing to @daughterofwandsfilm here: www.seedandspark.com/fund/daughter-of-wands

Help this film student make the thesis of her dreams! Support her film, Daughter of Wands, here:  www.seedandspark.com/fund/daughter-of-wands  

Femme Films Forever! Support @daughterofwandsfilm here: www.seedandspark.com/fund/daughter-of-wands

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CHECKING OUT OUR CAMPAIGN!

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