Girl Beneath the Floorboard
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Short
Mystery, Drama
When 16-year-old Devynn Mitchell discovers a box of buried secrets and begins experiencing visions through the eyes of a girl who vanished thirty years ago, she must follow the truth wherever it leads and bring healing to her family and community.
Girl Beneath the Floorboard
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Short
Mystery, Drama
1 Campaigns | Georgia, United States
When 16-year-old Devynn Mitchell discovers a box of buried secrets and begins experiencing visions through the eyes of a girl who vanished thirty years ago, she must follow the truth wherever it leads and bring healing to her family and community.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
There are stories the world never forgets.
Then there are the stories that quietly disappear.
Girl Beneath the Floorboard was born from a simple but heartbreaking truth: when Black girls go missing, their stories too often receive less attention, fewer headlines, and fewer resources than they deserve. While our film is a work of fiction, it was created to honor the countless families who continue searching, hoping, and waiting for answers.
At the heart of our story is Lavenia Stevenson.
She isn't just a missing girl.
She's a daughter.
A best friend.
A girl with dreams.
She laughs too loud at neighborhood block parties. She loves Italian ice. She's finally worked up the courage to talk to her crush. She has her whole life ahead of her...
...until one summer afternoon changes everything.
Nearly 30 years later, her story is still waiting to be told.
Through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Devynn Mitchell, Girl Beneath the Floorboard explores grief, family, community, memory, and the unbreakable bond between generations. Wrapped inside a supernatural mystery is a deeply human story about what happens when communities refuse to forget those they've lost.
A girl the world looked away from in 1999, and another girl who refuses to look away. But its also about mothers and daughters and what gets passed down between them: a generational gift carried through her mother’s line, and the fear that made her mother run from it, and the silence that grew in its place. It’s about a boy who searched for years and grew into a father still carrying it. A family broken by a gift nobody could face. A whole neighborhood that had to bury its grief just to keep living and what happens when one girl finally digs it up.
Right now, today, there are Black daughters missing whose faces you have never seen, because nobody put them in front of you. This film exists because I believe every child deserves the front page. Every family deserves answers. Every girl deserves someone who won't stop looking.
You were seen. You were loved. You were enough.
THE TONE
MOOD BOARD
I knew when Cimone sent me the script, it was my duty to make this film happen. It was divine. I want to use my storytelling as a tool to create change. I knew that this was and still is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed. Thousands of Black women and girls are reported missing every year, yet they don't get the same national attention like our white counterparts. I believe that storytelling plays a huge role in shaping our perspective and creating awareness, especially when issues like these are buried.
But I didn't want to make a lecture. I wanted to make the kind of story your grandmother would nod at. A gift passed down through the women of one family, and a girl who refuses to stay buried until somebody answers. It's Atlanta to the bone. Block party heat, hot combs on the stove, hand games in the grass, and a neighborhood that held onto one of their own for thirty years, because where I'm from, we don't leave anybody behind.
-Colbie Inez
Every dollar raised goes directly toward bringing Girl Beneath the Floorboard to life while creating a high-quality film capable of competing on the festival circuit.
Your contribution helps fund:
Professional cast and crew
Camera, lighting, and sound equipment
Production insurance
Location fees and permits
Transportation and logistics
Period wardrobe
Hair and makeup
Production design
Set decoration
Props and specialty items
Editing.
This gets the film cut. Every scene, both eras, assembled to picture lock. Our stretch goal takes it from there: color, sound, score.
Finish It Right, Get It Seen
$30,000 gets this film shot. $36,500 gets it finished the way this story deserves — and puts it in front of the world. Every dollar past our goal goes to: an original score ($2,000) composed for the film's two eras; a professional color grade ($1,500) — the visual language that separates 1999 from now; a full sound design and mix ($1,500) — because in this film, what moves beneath the floorboards is something you hear; festival submissions ($1,000) across the 2027 circuit; and our premiere and marketing ($500) — bringing the film home to Atlanta first.
Can't give cash?
You can still get us there. If you own gear, location. or services we need, you can loan them through our WISH LIST!
Every contribution—large or small—helps us tell this story with the care, authenticity, and cinematic quality it deserves.
Together, we're not simply funding a film.
We're ensuring Lavenia's story is finally heard.
Select visuals in our campaign video were created with AI, using written prompts only. No reference photos, no real likenesses, no faces shown. AI is used for reference and concept purposes only, never as a replacement for real actors, real crew, or real filmmaking.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast
Costs $4,000
Paying our actors, including our young leads at supported indie rates.
Crew
Costs $9,200
This is to pay our professional Atlanta crew at supported indie rates.
Camera Package
Costs $2,000
Camera package, lenses.
Grip & Electric
Costs $2,000
For lighting and grip
Hair & Makeup
Costs $650
Period-accurate 1999 styling for a Black cast.
Wardrobe
Costs $500
This covers wardrobe
Locations
Costs $3,500
Two houses: the 1999 Stevenson home and the present-day Mitchell house
Meals & Crafty
Costs $1,500
Meals and crafty
Insurance and Location Permits
Costs $1,000
Production insurance and location permit
Post Production
Costs $3,000
Editing the film to picture lock.
Production Costs (Contingency)
Costs $1,150
Hard drives, walkie rentals, expendables, script printing
Production Design
Costs $1,500
We need to build the floorboard for Lavenia and production design materials needed.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Cimone is a filmmaker, storyteller, and founder of Green Heart Studios, an independent production company dedicated to creating meaningful, character-driven films. Passionate about stories rooted in community, family, and overlooked voices, her award-winning work has screened at film festivals and been featured on REVOLT. She believes the magic of film lies in its ability to transport audiences, ignite meaningful conversations, and leave a lasting impact long after the credits roll.
Colbie Inez is a director and cinematographer from Charlotte, NC, now based in Atlanta, GA. A self-taught DP with a background in journalism that shaped her instincts as a storyteller, Colbie has built a career spanning narrative, documentary, music videos, and branded content, with campaigns for major brands like Target, Nike, and Pepsi. Her narrative work has been featured on REVOLT and Peacock, including the series Girls Need Love (2026). Additional credits include As Above, So Below: The Woman with the Trapped Soul (2024), Laundry Day (2020).
At the heart of Colbie's work is a passion for telling stories centered on Black women — their healing, resilience, joy, and interior lives. Through bold, intimate imagery, she creates space for narratives that honor culture, community, and the journey toward wholeness.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
There are stories the world never forgets.
Then there are the stories that quietly disappear.
Girl Beneath the Floorboard was born from a simple but heartbreaking truth: when Black girls go missing, their stories too often receive less attention, fewer headlines, and fewer resources than they deserve. While our film is a work of fiction, it was created to honor the countless families who continue searching, hoping, and waiting for answers.
At the heart of our story is Lavenia Stevenson.
She isn't just a missing girl.
She's a daughter.
A best friend.
A girl with dreams.
She laughs too loud at neighborhood block parties. She loves Italian ice. She's finally worked up the courage to talk to her crush. She has her whole life ahead of her...
...until one summer afternoon changes everything.
Nearly 30 years later, her story is still waiting to be told.
Through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Devynn Mitchell, Girl Beneath the Floorboard explores grief, family, community, memory, and the unbreakable bond between generations. Wrapped inside a supernatural mystery is a deeply human story about what happens when communities refuse to forget those they've lost.
A girl the world looked away from in 1999, and another girl who refuses to look away. But its also about mothers and daughters and what gets passed down between them: a generational gift carried through her mother’s line, and the fear that made her mother run from it, and the silence that grew in its place. It’s about a boy who searched for years and grew into a father still carrying it. A family broken by a gift nobody could face. A whole neighborhood that had to bury its grief just to keep living and what happens when one girl finally digs it up.
Right now, today, there are Black daughters missing whose faces you have never seen, because nobody put them in front of you. This film exists because I believe every child deserves the front page. Every family deserves answers. Every girl deserves someone who won't stop looking.
You were seen. You were loved. You were enough.
THE TONE
MOOD BOARD
I knew when Cimone sent me the script, it was my duty to make this film happen. It was divine. I want to use my storytelling as a tool to create change. I knew that this was and still is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed. Thousands of Black women and girls are reported missing every year, yet they don't get the same national attention like our white counterparts. I believe that storytelling plays a huge role in shaping our perspective and creating awareness, especially when issues like these are buried.
But I didn't want to make a lecture. I wanted to make the kind of story your grandmother would nod at. A gift passed down through the women of one family, and a girl who refuses to stay buried until somebody answers. It's Atlanta to the bone. Block party heat, hot combs on the stove, hand games in the grass, and a neighborhood that held onto one of their own for thirty years, because where I'm from, we don't leave anybody behind.
-Colbie Inez
Every dollar raised goes directly toward bringing Girl Beneath the Floorboard to life while creating a high-quality film capable of competing on the festival circuit.
Your contribution helps fund:
Professional cast and crew
Camera, lighting, and sound equipment
Production insurance
Location fees and permits
Transportation and logistics
Period wardrobe
Hair and makeup
Production design
Set decoration
Props and specialty items
Editing.
This gets the film cut. Every scene, both eras, assembled to picture lock. Our stretch goal takes it from there: color, sound, score.
Finish It Right, Get It Seen
$30,000 gets this film shot. $36,500 gets it finished the way this story deserves — and puts it in front of the world. Every dollar past our goal goes to: an original score ($2,000) composed for the film's two eras; a professional color grade ($1,500) — the visual language that separates 1999 from now; a full sound design and mix ($1,500) — because in this film, what moves beneath the floorboards is something you hear; festival submissions ($1,000) across the 2027 circuit; and our premiere and marketing ($500) — bringing the film home to Atlanta first.
Can't give cash?
You can still get us there. If you own gear, location. or services we need, you can loan them through our WISH LIST!
Every contribution—large or small—helps us tell this story with the care, authenticity, and cinematic quality it deserves.
Together, we're not simply funding a film.
We're ensuring Lavenia's story is finally heard.
Select visuals in our campaign video were created with AI, using written prompts only. No reference photos, no real likenesses, no faces shown. AI is used for reference and concept purposes only, never as a replacement for real actors, real crew, or real filmmaking.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast
Costs $4,000
Paying our actors, including our young leads at supported indie rates.
Crew
Costs $9,200
This is to pay our professional Atlanta crew at supported indie rates.
Camera Package
Costs $2,000
Camera package, lenses.
Grip & Electric
Costs $2,000
For lighting and grip
Hair & Makeup
Costs $650
Period-accurate 1999 styling for a Black cast.
Wardrobe
Costs $500
This covers wardrobe
Locations
Costs $3,500
Two houses: the 1999 Stevenson home and the present-day Mitchell house
Meals & Crafty
Costs $1,500
Meals and crafty
Insurance and Location Permits
Costs $1,000
Production insurance and location permit
Post Production
Costs $3,000
Editing the film to picture lock.
Production Costs (Contingency)
Costs $1,150
Hard drives, walkie rentals, expendables, script printing
Production Design
Costs $1,500
We need to build the floorboard for Lavenia and production design materials needed.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Cimone is a filmmaker, storyteller, and founder of Green Heart Studios, an independent production company dedicated to creating meaningful, character-driven films. Passionate about stories rooted in community, family, and overlooked voices, her award-winning work has screened at film festivals and been featured on REVOLT. She believes the magic of film lies in its ability to transport audiences, ignite meaningful conversations, and leave a lasting impact long after the credits roll.
Colbie Inez is a director and cinematographer from Charlotte, NC, now based in Atlanta, GA. A self-taught DP with a background in journalism that shaped her instincts as a storyteller, Colbie has built a career spanning narrative, documentary, music videos, and branded content, with campaigns for major brands like Target, Nike, and Pepsi. Her narrative work has been featured on REVOLT and Peacock, including the series Girls Need Love (2026). Additional credits include As Above, So Below: The Woman with the Trapped Soul (2024), Laundry Day (2020).
At the heart of Colbie's work is a passion for telling stories centered on Black women — their healing, resilience, joy, and interior lives. Through bold, intimate imagery, she creates space for narratives that honor culture, community, and the journey toward wholeness.