Fantasia
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Experimental
On a strange night in the sleepless sprawl of New York, Jack follows a mysterious girl as reality and his own identity fracture around him.
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This campaign raised $4,170 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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On a strange night in the sleepless sprawl of New York, Jack follows a mysterious girl as reality and his own identity fracture around him.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
On a strange night in the sleepless sprawl of New York, Jack grapples with the sudden foreignness of his own experience. As the boundaries of his reality start to crack, he follows the path toward a mysterious girl in an apartment, caught in the space between desire and jealousy, connection and obsession.
Director’s Statement
Growing up, I learned that the spaces around you—in my case: Western Canada, my religious school, church—and the spaces inside of you can stand at odds with one another. I found the concept of identity strange in and of itself. What does it mean to have an identity? What does it mean to have it change?
In my immigrant home where we cried during happy times and laughed during hard ones, and found humour in the irony, I learned life was found in a mess of impossibilities, contradictions, and mismatches of expectation. Fantasia inhabits the strange, tender space where laughter and grief, belonging and alienation, obsession and genuine connection all coexist. It believes that there’s humour in bleakness, and beauty in incongruity—found not on some grand, cosmic scale, but in the minutiae of everyday life.
Jack’s world hovers between the real and the unreal as a reflection of the dissociative, surreal quality often embedded in our everyday life. In an age of constant, often dystopic media, where absurdity feels normal and reality feels fractured at times, existence can feel vaguely familiar. Fantasia seeks to externalize that sensation—the quiet, unsettling experience of living in a world that is, at once, too much and not enough.
Fantasia is born from a desire to explore these contradictions and experiences of incongruity within the act of simply existing and inhabiting any identity at all—an experience that has always existed, everywhere and for everyone, but that can be particularly sharp in trying to feel alive, human, and connected in the modern world today.
Intentions, Approaches & Inspiration
A lot of my creative inspiration draws from human interaction, especially between strangers, intergenerationally, or otherwise in the gap of mutually foreign experiences.
The film explores these social dynamics, drawing from the logic of dreams and poetry; it’s emotional, intuitive, and sometimes contradictory. There is the external objective world—if one exists—and there are the emotional truths inside, that are invisible but nonetheless define our experience and relationships. At its core, Fantasia asks: do we ever truly see each other, or do we only see reflections of ourselves, everywhere we look? And what can queerness reveal about the nature of longing, of desire, and of being misunderstood? The film lives inside these questions.
Fantasia blends character-driven narrative with a strong visual and tonal identity, resulting in the immersive emotional impression of Jack’s world. It draws visual and tonal inspiration from Fallen Angels (1995), Aftersun (2022), Perfect Blue (1997), and Mulholland Drive (2001). Each frame is designed to feel somewhere between a dream and a memory: soft, fractured, slightly out of reach.
This project lives in the often strange space between ourselves and our own identity. My hope is that it offers a moment of connection for those navigating the same.
We are currently in the pre-production process and assembling a creative team of talented, passionate collaborators. Funds raised will go toward securing authentic New York City locations, specialized lighting, a safe set, and fair crew compensation.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast & Crew
Costs $1,400
The life and blood of our film, your donation will go towards compensating our talented team!
Lighting and Sound
Costs $600
This is the game-changer in an indie film. Help us make our film look and sound amazing!
Locations
Costs $600
Your donations will help us champion and feature local NYC businesses!
Production design
Costs $200
Help us bring the dreamlike world of Fantasia to life!
Food & Transport
Costs $1,200
Crew crafts and transport are essential, helping us get through long shoot days.
Risk & Safety
Costs $400
Help us make our set equipped with insurance and permits!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
CYNTHIA GAN - WRITER/DIRECTOR
Cynthia Gan is a Chinese-Canadian writer and director from Vancouver, based in New York City. Her directorial debut, Eulogy, was awarded Best Student Film at the 2024 Vancouver International Short Fest and played at festivals in Vancouver and New York City. She is also a published writer and poet.
ELINA DESHPANDE - PRODUCER
Elina Deshpande is a Mumbai-born writer, director, and producer currently living in New York City, pursuing an MFA in Creative Producing from Columbia School of the Arts. Coming from a background of communication and public relations, she has spent her entire life involved in the arts in one form or another. She is drawn to stories about the complexities of human relationships and the extraordinariness of life’s seemingly ordinary moments.
DEVIKA GOYAL - PRODUCER
Devika Goyal is a producer and writer from Delhi, working primarily on short documentaries and educational content. Studying social sciences across France and New York, she finds conversing with strangers the best way to find new stories. She writes short fiction and poetry. When not in the field doing research work, she is caught at the cinema or on a long walk!
JAYME COVELIERS - DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Jayme Coveliers is a filmmaker currently located in New York City. They have a BFA in Film and Television with a concentration in Directing after attending Emerson College and DePaul University. They are currently attending Columbia University for their MFA in Screenwriting/Directing. Their work has been nominated and awarded at film festivals such as the Big Shoulders International Film Festival, DePaul’s Premiere Film Festival, and the Big Apple Film Festival.
JULIA SY - PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Julia graduated from NYU this year, and has always been interested in the intersection of Design and Film. She is a Production Designer who has worked in the art department of companies like Netflix, Del Monte and Nestle as well as a Production designer on several short films, most recently, Pestilence & My Home, My Love.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
On a strange night in the sleepless sprawl of New York, Jack grapples with the sudden foreignness of his own experience. As the boundaries of his reality start to crack, he follows the path toward a mysterious girl in an apartment, caught in the space between desire and jealousy, connection and obsession.
Director’s Statement
Growing up, I learned that the spaces around you—in my case: Western Canada, my religious school, church—and the spaces inside of you can stand at odds with one another. I found the concept of identity strange in and of itself. What does it mean to have an identity? What does it mean to have it change?
In my immigrant home where we cried during happy times and laughed during hard ones, and found humour in the irony, I learned life was found in a mess of impossibilities, contradictions, and mismatches of expectation. Fantasia inhabits the strange, tender space where laughter and grief, belonging and alienation, obsession and genuine connection all coexist. It believes that there’s humour in bleakness, and beauty in incongruity—found not on some grand, cosmic scale, but in the minutiae of everyday life.
Jack’s world hovers between the real and the unreal as a reflection of the dissociative, surreal quality often embedded in our everyday life. In an age of constant, often dystopic media, where absurdity feels normal and reality feels fractured at times, existence can feel vaguely familiar. Fantasia seeks to externalize that sensation—the quiet, unsettling experience of living in a world that is, at once, too much and not enough.
Fantasia is born from a desire to explore these contradictions and experiences of incongruity within the act of simply existing and inhabiting any identity at all—an experience that has always existed, everywhere and for everyone, but that can be particularly sharp in trying to feel alive, human, and connected in the modern world today.
Intentions, Approaches & Inspiration
A lot of my creative inspiration draws from human interaction, especially between strangers, intergenerationally, or otherwise in the gap of mutually foreign experiences.
The film explores these social dynamics, drawing from the logic of dreams and poetry; it’s emotional, intuitive, and sometimes contradictory. There is the external objective world—if one exists—and there are the emotional truths inside, that are invisible but nonetheless define our experience and relationships. At its core, Fantasia asks: do we ever truly see each other, or do we only see reflections of ourselves, everywhere we look? And what can queerness reveal about the nature of longing, of desire, and of being misunderstood? The film lives inside these questions.
Fantasia blends character-driven narrative with a strong visual and tonal identity, resulting in the immersive emotional impression of Jack’s world. It draws visual and tonal inspiration from Fallen Angels (1995), Aftersun (2022), Perfect Blue (1997), and Mulholland Drive (2001). Each frame is designed to feel somewhere between a dream and a memory: soft, fractured, slightly out of reach.
This project lives in the often strange space between ourselves and our own identity. My hope is that it offers a moment of connection for those navigating the same.
We are currently in the pre-production process and assembling a creative team of talented, passionate collaborators. Funds raised will go toward securing authentic New York City locations, specialized lighting, a safe set, and fair crew compensation.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast & Crew
Costs $1,400
The life and blood of our film, your donation will go towards compensating our talented team!
Lighting and Sound
Costs $600
This is the game-changer in an indie film. Help us make our film look and sound amazing!
Locations
Costs $600
Your donations will help us champion and feature local NYC businesses!
Production design
Costs $200
Help us bring the dreamlike world of Fantasia to life!
Food & Transport
Costs $1,200
Crew crafts and transport are essential, helping us get through long shoot days.
Risk & Safety
Costs $400
Help us make our set equipped with insurance and permits!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
CYNTHIA GAN - WRITER/DIRECTOR
Cynthia Gan is a Chinese-Canadian writer and director from Vancouver, based in New York City. Her directorial debut, Eulogy, was awarded Best Student Film at the 2024 Vancouver International Short Fest and played at festivals in Vancouver and New York City. She is also a published writer and poet.
ELINA DESHPANDE - PRODUCER
Elina Deshpande is a Mumbai-born writer, director, and producer currently living in New York City, pursuing an MFA in Creative Producing from Columbia School of the Arts. Coming from a background of communication and public relations, she has spent her entire life involved in the arts in one form or another. She is drawn to stories about the complexities of human relationships and the extraordinariness of life’s seemingly ordinary moments.
DEVIKA GOYAL - PRODUCER
Devika Goyal is a producer and writer from Delhi, working primarily on short documentaries and educational content. Studying social sciences across France and New York, she finds conversing with strangers the best way to find new stories. She writes short fiction and poetry. When not in the field doing research work, she is caught at the cinema or on a long walk!
JAYME COVELIERS - DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Jayme Coveliers is a filmmaker currently located in New York City. They have a BFA in Film and Television with a concentration in Directing after attending Emerson College and DePaul University. They are currently attending Columbia University for their MFA in Screenwriting/Directing. Their work has been nominated and awarded at film festivals such as the Big Shoulders International Film Festival, DePaul’s Premiere Film Festival, and the Big Apple Film Festival.
JULIA SY - PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Julia graduated from NYU this year, and has always been interested in the intersection of Design and Film. She is a Production Designer who has worked in the art department of companies like Netflix, Del Monte and Nestle as well as a Production designer on several short films, most recently, Pestilence & My Home, My Love.