Honey Bun
Austin, Texas | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
Support seasoned Texas theater artists in their filmmaking debut.
Honey Bun
Austin, Texas | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
47 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$5,376
Goal: $18,750 for production
Support seasoned Texas theater artists in their filmmaking debut.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Small-town Texas. August and hot.
Jess stumbles into a job as a body transporter for Ol' Bill's Morgue & Mo-rning (original songs included in all funeral services).
Over the course of a day, Jess encounters a colorful cast of Texas characters: a plant stealing neighbor, a no bullshit hospice nurse, a wise beyond his years six-year-old and various people whose lives intersect with death every day. Each brief, strange encounter brings Jess one step closer to being able to confront a loss of her own.
HONEY BUN is a dark comedy about grief, mortality, and the unexpected people who help us find our way. Blending Texas sized humor and emotional depth, the film explores the winding, occasionally funny, road toward accepting loss.
Here's why we're making this film:
In 2024, we (Malena and Kristen) went to SXSW for the first time on gifted passes. Our favorite event of the conference was the TEXAS SHORTS.
That night (at a truly bizarre after-party where everyone had to drunkenly tiptoe around a giant indoor pool that occupied most of the floor space) we made each other a promise: we'd make our own Texas short. Kristen would direct. Malena would write and perform.
Now we're making good on that promise!
This August, we're shooting our short film, HONEY BUN, in Austin with the support of our incredible producers, Vicky Boone (casting director of Hit Man and Tree of Life,) and Liz Frankel (dramaturg, creative producer and founder of the Alley All New Festival.)
HONEY BUN is the kind of story we love to tell: one with a big, tender heart and a dark, offbeat sense of humor. It's also a love letter to Texas, especially to the strange, unexpected people who offer guidance when we need it most.
To bring the film to life, we're raising $18,750 We'd be honored if you'd consider supporting the project. Your contribution will go directly towards paying Texas artists and creating this film the right way.
We can't wait to share this story with you!
Kristen and Malena before the Texas shorts at SXSW in 2024 
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Paying the Team!
Costs $11,000
Your money goes directly towards Texas artists! We're committed to paying all persons affiliated with the shoot.
Post Production & Delivery
Costs $3,000
Getting the show on the road (and into the world.)
Materials, Equipment, Locations
Costs $4,750
Think "lights, camera..." so we can capture the action!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Kristen Osborn (Director) is an Austin-based director and creative producer who creates immersive stories that nurture human connection and spark wonder, curiosity, and joy. Her work spans film, theater, magic and live performance, blending narrative, interactivity, and community engagement.Currently, Kristen is a producer with Texas film company Sailor Bear alongside Texas filmmakers David Lowery, Toby Halbrooks, and James M. Johnston. Her live work includes projects such as Dear Dickies (Mi Casa Es Tu Teatro Festival, Hyde Park Theatre,), Group Therapy (American Dance Festival, Fusebox Festival), and A Recipe for Action (Rainwater Innovation Grant Recipient, University of Texas at Austin). Her most recent immersive work was showcased at SXSW in collaboration with Whole Foods and Food Tank. She is an ensemble member of Rivendell Ensemble in Chicago, holds a BA in Theater from UCLA, an MFA in Directing from UT Austin, and is a graduate of the Texas Immersive Institute. kristenosborn.com
Malena Pennycook (Writer/Jess) is a writer, producer and performer of new plays. Malena’s plays have been developed by The Playwrights Realm; The Kennedy Center; The Playwrights Center; The New Harmony Project; STAGES Houston; Palm Beach Dramaworks; Crashbox; Teatro Vivo; The University of Washington; the University of Texas at Austin; Take Ten MFA Playwrights Festival; Cosmic Cherry Arts Fest and The Seoul International Theater Festival. Malena is a producer of the Mi Casa Es Su Teatro festival with Hyde Park Theater and the founding director of The Sprint, a semi-annual artist retreat. She was a recipient of the Kennedy Center’s KCACTF Latinx Playwriting Award and was a2025 Yale Drama Prize finalist. She is published by Concord Theatricals. Malena teaches Playwriting at Austin Community College. BFA NYU Tisch Experimental Theater Wing. MFA Playwriting UT Austin. malenapennycook.com
Vicky Boone (Producer) founded Day for Night in 2020. Projects in development include poet Carrie Fountain’s feature film I’m Not Missing, adapted from her debut novel, and the feature Fuller, by acclaimed writer, Chisa Hutchinson, starring Leslie Jones.As a Casting Director, Boone works closely with many auteur directors, including Terrence Malik, Richard Linklater, Nia DaCosta and Annie Silverstein. Her many Casting Director credits include Hit Man, The Tree of Life, and David Lowery’s Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. Recent series credits include Brothers (Apple+), Love and Death (HBO Max) and Mo (Netflix).Before working to film, Boone spent a decade as the Artistic Director of Austin’s ground-breaking Frontera @ Hyde Park Theater, where she premiered new plays by Shay Youngblood, W. David Hancock, Phyliss Nagy, and many others. Her work has been supported by many grants and foundations, including the NEA, The Rockefeller Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. She has an MFA directing from Boston University School for the Arts.
Liz Frankel (Producer) is an Austin and New York–based dramaturg and creative producer. She helmed the literary office at the Public Theater for nine years, then became the first Director of New Work at the Alley Theatre, where she founded and produced the Alley All New Festival. Her ongoing freelance work has taken her to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Colorado New Play Summit, the Ojai Playwrights Conference, The Playwrights’ Center, the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, and Chautauqua Theater Company. With Austin’s Texas Performing Arts, she has worked as an advisor, sourcing projects for its expanding new work development program, and as a dramaturg, guiding multiple musician-driven projects into world premiere story-centered productions. lizfrankel.com
Brian Beattie (Ol' Bill) Brian Beattie played in the Austin band "Glass Eye" from 1983-1993. He's worked with and produced records by the Dead Milkmen, Daniel Johnston, Shearwater, Okkervil River, and Bill Callahan, among others. He's written 2 musicals, "Ivy and the Wicker Suitcase" and "El Camino Real de los Tejas Crankie Suite". He is currently playing with Alice Spencer in the band "Alice and the Lion". brianbeattie.com
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Small-town Texas. August and hot.
Jess stumbles into a job as a body transporter for Ol' Bill's Morgue & Mo-rning (original songs included in all funeral services).
Over the course of a day, Jess encounters a colorful cast of Texas characters: a plant stealing neighbor, a no bullshit hospice nurse, a wise beyond his years six-year-old and various people whose lives intersect with death every day. Each brief, strange encounter brings Jess one step closer to being able to confront a loss of her own.
HONEY BUN is a dark comedy about grief, mortality, and the unexpected people who help us find our way. Blending Texas sized humor and emotional depth, the film explores the winding, occasionally funny, road toward accepting loss.
Here's why we're making this film:
In 2024, we (Malena and Kristen) went to SXSW for the first time on gifted passes. Our favorite event of the conference was the TEXAS SHORTS.
That night (at a truly bizarre after-party where everyone had to drunkenly tiptoe around a giant indoor pool that occupied most of the floor space) we made each other a promise: we'd make our own Texas short. Kristen would direct. Malena would write and perform.
Now we're making good on that promise!
This August, we're shooting our short film, HONEY BUN, in Austin with the support of our incredible producers, Vicky Boone (casting director of Hit Man and Tree of Life,) and Liz Frankel (dramaturg, creative producer and founder of the Alley All New Festival.)
HONEY BUN is the kind of story we love to tell: one with a big, tender heart and a dark, offbeat sense of humor. It's also a love letter to Texas, especially to the strange, unexpected people who offer guidance when we need it most.
To bring the film to life, we're raising $18,750 We'd be honored if you'd consider supporting the project. Your contribution will go directly towards paying Texas artists and creating this film the right way.
We can't wait to share this story with you!
Kristen and Malena before the Texas shorts at SXSW in 2024
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Paying the Team!
Costs $11,000
Your money goes directly towards Texas artists! We're committed to paying all persons affiliated with the shoot.
Post Production & Delivery
Costs $3,000
Getting the show on the road (and into the world.)
Materials, Equipment, Locations
Costs $4,750
Think "lights, camera..." so we can capture the action!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Kristen Osborn (Director) is an Austin-based director and creative producer who creates immersive stories that nurture human connection and spark wonder, curiosity, and joy. Her work spans film, theater, magic and live performance, blending narrative, interactivity, and community engagement.Currently, Kristen is a producer with Texas film company Sailor Bear alongside Texas filmmakers David Lowery, Toby Halbrooks, and James M. Johnston. Her live work includes projects such as Dear Dickies (Mi Casa Es Tu Teatro Festival, Hyde Park Theatre,), Group Therapy (American Dance Festival, Fusebox Festival), and A Recipe for Action (Rainwater Innovation Grant Recipient, University of Texas at Austin). Her most recent immersive work was showcased at SXSW in collaboration with Whole Foods and Food Tank. She is an ensemble member of Rivendell Ensemble in Chicago, holds a BA in Theater from UCLA, an MFA in Directing from UT Austin, and is a graduate of the Texas Immersive Institute. kristenosborn.com
Malena Pennycook (Writer/Jess) is a writer, producer and performer of new plays. Malena’s plays have been developed by The Playwrights Realm; The Kennedy Center; The Playwrights Center; The New Harmony Project; STAGES Houston; Palm Beach Dramaworks; Crashbox; Teatro Vivo; The University of Washington; the University of Texas at Austin; Take Ten MFA Playwrights Festival; Cosmic Cherry Arts Fest and The Seoul International Theater Festival. Malena is a producer of the Mi Casa Es Su Teatro festival with Hyde Park Theater and the founding director of The Sprint, a semi-annual artist retreat. She was a recipient of the Kennedy Center’s KCACTF Latinx Playwriting Award and was a2025 Yale Drama Prize finalist. She is published by Concord Theatricals. Malena teaches Playwriting at Austin Community College. BFA NYU Tisch Experimental Theater Wing. MFA Playwriting UT Austin. malenapennycook.com
Vicky Boone (Producer) founded Day for Night in 2020. Projects in development include poet Carrie Fountain’s feature film I’m Not Missing, adapted from her debut novel, and the feature Fuller, by acclaimed writer, Chisa Hutchinson, starring Leslie Jones.As a Casting Director, Boone works closely with many auteur directors, including Terrence Malik, Richard Linklater, Nia DaCosta and Annie Silverstein. Her many Casting Director credits include Hit Man, The Tree of Life, and David Lowery’s Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. Recent series credits include Brothers (Apple+), Love and Death (HBO Max) and Mo (Netflix).Before working to film, Boone spent a decade as the Artistic Director of Austin’s ground-breaking Frontera @ Hyde Park Theater, where she premiered new plays by Shay Youngblood, W. David Hancock, Phyliss Nagy, and many others. Her work has been supported by many grants and foundations, including the NEA, The Rockefeller Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. She has an MFA directing from Boston University School for the Arts.
Liz Frankel (Producer) is an Austin and New York–based dramaturg and creative producer. She helmed the literary office at the Public Theater for nine years, then became the first Director of New Work at the Alley Theatre, where she founded and produced the Alley All New Festival. Her ongoing freelance work has taken her to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Colorado New Play Summit, the Ojai Playwrights Conference, The Playwrights’ Center, the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, and Chautauqua Theater Company. With Austin’s Texas Performing Arts, she has worked as an advisor, sourcing projects for its expanding new work development program, and as a dramaturg, guiding multiple musician-driven projects into world premiere story-centered productions. lizfrankel.com
Brian Beattie (Ol' Bill) Brian Beattie played in the Austin band "Glass Eye" from 1983-1993. He's worked with and produced records by the Dead Milkmen, Daniel Johnston, Shearwater, Okkervil River, and Bill Callahan, among others. He's written 2 musicals, "Ivy and the Wicker Suitcase" and "El Camino Real de los Tejas Crankie Suite". He is currently playing with Alice Spencer in the band "Alice and the Lion". brianbeattie.com