The House My Mother Left
Columbus, Ohio | Film Short
Drama
After burglars ransacked her mother’s childhood home, Frankie must help her mom clean the mess, but since the loss of her father, Frankie and her mother struggle to get along. Now, faced with so many reminders of the past, the two must find a way to navigate a world where they only have each other.
The House My Mother Left
Columbus, Ohio | Film Short
Drama
1 Campaigns | Ohio, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $8,265 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
98 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
After burglars ransacked her mother’s childhood home, Frankie must help her mom clean the mess, but since the loss of her father, Frankie and her mother struggle to get along. Now, faced with so many reminders of the past, the two must find a way to navigate a world where they only have each other.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
WE HIT OUR GOAL!! BUT WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP!
We are now focusing on our STRETCH GOALS. These are finishing funds, submissions for festivals, and paying our crew!
Stretch Goal #1: Finishing Funds - $8,600
Once the film is “in the can” (but this time it really will be in the can ‘cause it’s film!) we need to spend a bit more before we are able to see it. With this amount we will be able to ensure top quality development and scanning of the 16mm film. We will also be able to pay for a professional sound design and music composition to really bring the film to life and let all our hard work show through.
Stretch Goal #2: Festival Presence - $9,600
Once the film is complete, we plan to take it to film festivals (hopefully one near you!) Submission fees can quickly rack up, so with additional funds we can put aside money to bring The House My Mother Left to the big screen. The more people see the film, the greater change it can turn into something even bigger.
Stretch Goal #3: Crew Payment - $15,000
We all get by with a little help from our friends, or in this case A LOT. I'm incredibly lucky to have a group of amazingly talented indie-filmmaker friends investing their time and hard work into this project. While it is extremely generous for them to offer their help, we want to show how much we value them by paying them with not just undying gratitude.
Since the old family house was burglarized four months ago, this is the first time Frankie has come down to help her mother, Margot, clean it up. As Frankie starts to sort through the old photos and newspaper clippings of her moms past, she's interrupted by Margot accusing her of taking the keys to the truck. Frankie insists that she doesn't have them but Margot isn't convinced.
The next morning, Frankie is called by Margot down to the garage to straighten things up. Not long after, Margot discovers the two have been locked in the basement, Frankie having closed the door behind them. As Frankie pounds on the garage, the alarm is set off and the two begin to yell. Eventually the door flys open and they separate from each other.
Having found the keys to the truck earlier, but being too prideful to admit it, Frankie takes the truck out to the cemetery to visit her dad. Margot eventually finds her, and they lay on the ground together next to her father's grave.
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Production is set to start on The House My Mother Left in March 2023 in Pomeroy, Ohio. Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains it borders the beautiful Ohio River. A town of hard working citizens who take pride in their coal and salt mining roots, we feel it is the perfect backdrop to tell our story. The house is actually our director's late grandmother's home. Our cast and crew is comprised of filmmakers from across Ohio. We are excited to champion Ohio as a great place to shoot narritive film and showcase the incredible talents of Ohioians.
More importantly, this is a story about women, made by women. Our crew is over 50% women, and with a female director, director of photography, assistant director, and producer, women lead a majority of the departments. It is important to us that we tell this story strictly through a female lens because that's who it is for: the girls!
Currently, we have a majority of our crew, our locations secured, and the screenplay is complete . We've just held virtual auditions and our cast will be finalized soon! Our next step is to prepare for shooting!
We are hoping to raise $6,000 to make this film a reality. Here's what your contibution would help us do:
- Rent and test our 16mm camera
- Buy 16mm Film from Kodak, and then have it scanned and developed after shooting
- Secure Housing for our Crew in Pomeroy, OH or surrounding areas
- Pay for Meals and Snacks on Set
- Rent Equipment for Lighting
- Secure Cast
Lastly, we will need about $1,500 of this to edit the film, hire a composer, and make sure it sounds and looks as great as possible. We want this film to be SEEN that means submitting it to festivals! We want to submit this film to festivals across the world with an emphasis on women led festivals.
Generational impact seeps out of every corner in this relationship. Years of rich family history dominate Frankie and Margot’s space, both physically and metaphorically, like a wall between them. As they navigate the preserved world that is Margot’s old family home, history is the vehicle for their conflict. The memories, the relationships, and the items - all lost. It seems only fitting that we approach this story from a medium that calls out the importance of history and preservation: celluloid film. By shooting on film, we hope to accent the theme of generational repercussion and allow an extra layer for the viewer to really feel these character’s pasts and family looming over them. We want this film to feel as if Frankie plucked it out of the old boxes herself and popped it into a nearby projector.
With films like Everything Everywhere All at Once, Lady Bird, and Turning Red, we see a heavy emphasis on trauma passed down from various parenting methods that affect the relationship between mothers and daughters, but this isn't always the case. In The House My Mother Left, K.R. Allshouse explores how the external factor of loss inflicts trauma upon a relationship. This is important to explore now more than ever due to the spotlight being given to women in film to share their experiences and create female characters that are three dimensional and not always perfect.
This short is being made in association with d5 pictures. d5 Pictures is an independent production company and creative collective of four savvy filmmakers. Columbus-born, Los Angeles-based, d5 has already built a diverse body of work, from music videos, to genre-bending shorts, to eSports tournaments, always able to make a lot with a little. They are excited to be a part of this short and support Allshouse in telling her story.
We appreciate you checking out our Seed&Spark! If you connect with our story and want to see this film made, we ask that you not only contribute, but also share our page with friends and family.
Stay updated with us and the film by following us along on our social media page. We will be updating frequently and you will not want to miss it!
Instagram: @thehousemymotherleft
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Travel & Lodging
Costs $1,400
We are filming in rural Ohio roughly two hours from cast and crew's homes. Help us secure lodging!
Film Festivals
Costs $500
Help us fund our film festival submissions to screen the film across the world!
Share this update!
About This Team
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K. R. Allshouse - Writer/Director
K. R. Allshouse is an artist and filmmaker from Columbus, Ohio. She has a bachelor of arts from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio in Film and Studio Art in joint with a music minor. Allshouse explores the strange and unusual in her work, concentrating on complicated relationships. Her most recent short, PARTNR, places us into the future of dating. It has been accepted into festivals such as Austin Revolution, Boston Sci-Fi, and Cinema on the Bayou. Here it has earned accolades such as Best Overall Film, and nominations for Best Writer/Director and Best Sci-fi of the Year. She is excited to work with this incredible team and bring The House My Mother Left to life.
Sydney Lawson - Director of Photography
Sydney is a director of photography and member of the International Collective for Female Cinematographers. She was the cinematographer for Fresh Hell (a TV mini-series containing three feature films) and various commercials, documentary projects, and short films; her clients have included the Utah Jazz, L’Oreal, HBO’s House of Max, Lane Bryant, and Sole Classics. Sydney placed in the top 15 out of 700 films in a Russo Brothers’ film contest, received a gold CASE award, and was named a Voyage Ohio “Rising Star”. In May of 2018, she graduated with a film studies degree from The Ohio State University and in 2019 took the ASC masterclass where she learned from Robert Yeoman, ASC and many other brilliant ASC members.
Desirée Levingston - Producer
Desirée is an indie producer based out of Columbus, Ohio with a strong interest in helping filmmakers tell personal stories. She graduated from the Ohio State University in 2020 with a Bachelors degree in Film Studies with a focus on Production and minors in Screenwriting and Video Art. After graduation, she worked at a local camera retailer with a mission to get more hands on with film and video gear, before becoming a freelance filmmaker. Desirée has experience working on commercial and unscripted content but has an affinity for narrative projects. Former collaborators include, A&E, Hulu, Oxygen Network, Big Lots, the State of Nebraska, and more. Most recently, she served as the Unit Production Manager for Cranked Up Film's Fresh Hell feature series.
Nate Shively - Producer
Nate is an independent filmmaker from Youngstown, Ohio. He studied film and sociology at Kent State University, where he graduated in 2019. At the age of 20, Nate directed his first feature film Fly By Night while a student at Kent State. After graduating, Nate started in the commercial world for two years as a Director of Photography, working with brands such as Samsung and Nestle. In 2022, Nate found his home in narrative storytelling, joining the team at Good Deed Entertainment, an independent film studio producing, financing and distributing quality entertainment.
Eve Bianco (SAG-AFTRA, AEA) - Margot
Eve is a proud graduate of The Juilliard School’s Drama Division where she was a member of Group 23. She has been seen in many plays in New York and across the United States. Some of her favorites are Merry Wives of Windsor, The Immigrant, A MidSummer Night’s Dream, The Dybbuk (World Premiere), Bedroom Farce, All in The Timing, and The Marriage of Bette and Boo and has worked with many notable directors such as Daniel Fish, Michael Mayer, and Michael Kahn, as well as playwrights including Tony Kushner, Christopher Durang, Keira Obolensky, Brooke Berman and Marsha Norman. Along with her work in Independent Film, Eve has appeared in and voiced national commercials for products ranging from fertility health to telephone companies and is the narrator of over 60 recorded books. In addition to teaching Acting at The New York Conservatory of Dramatic Art in New York City, Eve works as a private acting and dialect coach. Eve is the single mother of two smart, successful, funny children.
Alexandra Bianco - Frankie
Alexandra Bianco is an Actor, Writer, and Director from New York City. She graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School as a Drama Major in 2019 and will graduate from Kenyon College as a Film & Drama Double Major in the spring. Bianco is passionate about creating and contributing to art that centers female characters. She’s directed three short films: Happy Valentine’s Day, Alien: The Musical, and The Big Five, which all explore different facets of girlhood and womanhood. Her Most recent film, IUDemon, is currently in post-production. She also acted in Wormtown, a short produced by Good Deed Entertainment. She also has ample experience performing in plays: she’s acted in The Maids, The Year of The Rooster, Two Birds and A Bag of Bones (a One-Act Play that she wrote), The House of Bernarda Alba, Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and Horse Girls. Bianco is so grateful and excited to be working on Allhouse’s latest film The House My Mother Left and cannot wait to get started!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
WE HIT OUR GOAL!! BUT WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP!
We are now focusing on our STRETCH GOALS. These are finishing funds, submissions for festivals, and paying our crew!
Stretch Goal #1: Finishing Funds - $8,600
Once the film is “in the can” (but this time it really will be in the can ‘cause it’s film!) we need to spend a bit more before we are able to see it. With this amount we will be able to ensure top quality development and scanning of the 16mm film. We will also be able to pay for a professional sound design and music composition to really bring the film to life and let all our hard work show through.
Stretch Goal #2: Festival Presence - $9,600
Once the film is complete, we plan to take it to film festivals (hopefully one near you!) Submission fees can quickly rack up, so with additional funds we can put aside money to bring The House My Mother Left to the big screen. The more people see the film, the greater change it can turn into something even bigger.
Stretch Goal #3: Crew Payment - $15,000
We all get by with a little help from our friends, or in this case A LOT. I'm incredibly lucky to have a group of amazingly talented indie-filmmaker friends investing their time and hard work into this project. While it is extremely generous for them to offer their help, we want to show how much we value them by paying them with not just undying gratitude.
Since the old family house was burglarized four months ago, this is the first time Frankie has come down to help her mother, Margot, clean it up. As Frankie starts to sort through the old photos and newspaper clippings of her moms past, she's interrupted by Margot accusing her of taking the keys to the truck. Frankie insists that she doesn't have them but Margot isn't convinced.
The next morning, Frankie is called by Margot down to the garage to straighten things up. Not long after, Margot discovers the two have been locked in the basement, Frankie having closed the door behind them. As Frankie pounds on the garage, the alarm is set off and the two begin to yell. Eventually the door flys open and they separate from each other.
Having found the keys to the truck earlier, but being too prideful to admit it, Frankie takes the truck out to the cemetery to visit her dad. Margot eventually finds her, and they lay on the ground together next to her father's grave.
Production is set to start on The House My Mother Left in March 2023 in Pomeroy, Ohio. Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains it borders the beautiful Ohio River. A town of hard working citizens who take pride in their coal and salt mining roots, we feel it is the perfect backdrop to tell our story. The house is actually our director's late grandmother's home. Our cast and crew is comprised of filmmakers from across Ohio. We are excited to champion Ohio as a great place to shoot narritive film and showcase the incredible talents of Ohioians.
More importantly, this is a story about women, made by women. Our crew is over 50% women, and with a female director, director of photography, assistant director, and producer, women lead a majority of the departments. It is important to us that we tell this story strictly through a female lens because that's who it is for: the girls!
Currently, we have a majority of our crew, our locations secured, and the screenplay is complete . We've just held virtual auditions and our cast will be finalized soon! Our next step is to prepare for shooting!
We are hoping to raise $6,000 to make this film a reality. Here's what your contibution would help us do:
- Rent and test our 16mm camera
- Buy 16mm Film from Kodak, and then have it scanned and developed after shooting
- Secure Housing for our Crew in Pomeroy, OH or surrounding areas
- Pay for Meals and Snacks on Set
- Rent Equipment for Lighting
- Secure Cast
Lastly, we will need about $1,500 of this to edit the film, hire a composer, and make sure it sounds and looks as great as possible. We want this film to be SEEN that means submitting it to festivals! We want to submit this film to festivals across the world with an emphasis on women led festivals.
Generational impact seeps out of every corner in this relationship. Years of rich family history dominate Frankie and Margot’s space, both physically and metaphorically, like a wall between them. As they navigate the preserved world that is Margot’s old family home, history is the vehicle for their conflict. The memories, the relationships, and the items - all lost. It seems only fitting that we approach this story from a medium that calls out the importance of history and preservation: celluloid film. By shooting on film, we hope to accent the theme of generational repercussion and allow an extra layer for the viewer to really feel these character’s pasts and family looming over them. We want this film to feel as if Frankie plucked it out of the old boxes herself and popped it into a nearby projector.
With films like Everything Everywhere All at Once, Lady Bird, and Turning Red, we see a heavy emphasis on trauma passed down from various parenting methods that affect the relationship between mothers and daughters, but this isn't always the case. In The House My Mother Left, K.R. Allshouse explores how the external factor of loss inflicts trauma upon a relationship. This is important to explore now more than ever due to the spotlight being given to women in film to share their experiences and create female characters that are three dimensional and not always perfect.
This short is being made in association with d5 pictures. d5 Pictures is an independent production company and creative collective of four savvy filmmakers. Columbus-born, Los Angeles-based, d5 has already built a diverse body of work, from music videos, to genre-bending shorts, to eSports tournaments, always able to make a lot with a little. They are excited to be a part of this short and support Allshouse in telling her story.
We appreciate you checking out our Seed&Spark! If you connect with our story and want to see this film made, we ask that you not only contribute, but also share our page with friends and family.
Stay updated with us and the film by following us along on our social media page. We will be updating frequently and you will not want to miss it!
Instagram: @thehousemymotherleft
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Travel & Lodging
Costs $1,400
We are filming in rural Ohio roughly two hours from cast and crew's homes. Help us secure lodging!
Film Festivals
Costs $500
Help us fund our film festival submissions to screen the film across the world!
Share this update!
About This Team
K. R. Allshouse - Writer/Director
K. R. Allshouse is an artist and filmmaker from Columbus, Ohio. She has a bachelor of arts from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio in Film and Studio Art in joint with a music minor. Allshouse explores the strange and unusual in her work, concentrating on complicated relationships. Her most recent short, PARTNR, places us into the future of dating. It has been accepted into festivals such as Austin Revolution, Boston Sci-Fi, and Cinema on the Bayou. Here it has earned accolades such as Best Overall Film, and nominations for Best Writer/Director and Best Sci-fi of the Year. She is excited to work with this incredible team and bring The House My Mother Left to life.
Sydney Lawson - Director of Photography
Sydney is a director of photography and member of the International Collective for Female Cinematographers. She was the cinematographer for Fresh Hell (a TV mini-series containing three feature films) and various commercials, documentary projects, and short films; her clients have included the Utah Jazz, L’Oreal, HBO’s House of Max, Lane Bryant, and Sole Classics. Sydney placed in the top 15 out of 700 films in a Russo Brothers’ film contest, received a gold CASE award, and was named a Voyage Ohio “Rising Star”. In May of 2018, she graduated with a film studies degree from The Ohio State University and in 2019 took the ASC masterclass where she learned from Robert Yeoman, ASC and many other brilliant ASC members.
Desirée Levingston - Producer
Desirée is an indie producer based out of Columbus, Ohio with a strong interest in helping filmmakers tell personal stories. She graduated from the Ohio State University in 2020 with a Bachelors degree in Film Studies with a focus on Production and minors in Screenwriting and Video Art. After graduation, she worked at a local camera retailer with a mission to get more hands on with film and video gear, before becoming a freelance filmmaker. Desirée has experience working on commercial and unscripted content but has an affinity for narrative projects. Former collaborators include, A&E, Hulu, Oxygen Network, Big Lots, the State of Nebraska, and more. Most recently, she served as the Unit Production Manager for Cranked Up Film's Fresh Hell feature series.
Nate Shively - Producer
Nate is an independent filmmaker from Youngstown, Ohio. He studied film and sociology at Kent State University, where he graduated in 2019. At the age of 20, Nate directed his first feature film Fly By Night while a student at Kent State. After graduating, Nate started in the commercial world for two years as a Director of Photography, working with brands such as Samsung and Nestle. In 2022, Nate found his home in narrative storytelling, joining the team at Good Deed Entertainment, an independent film studio producing, financing and distributing quality entertainment.
Eve Bianco (SAG-AFTRA, AEA) - Margot
Eve is a proud graduate of The Juilliard School’s Drama Division where she was a member of Group 23. She has been seen in many plays in New York and across the United States. Some of her favorites are Merry Wives of Windsor, The Immigrant, A MidSummer Night’s Dream, The Dybbuk (World Premiere), Bedroom Farce, All in The Timing, and The Marriage of Bette and Boo and has worked with many notable directors such as Daniel Fish, Michael Mayer, and Michael Kahn, as well as playwrights including Tony Kushner, Christopher Durang, Keira Obolensky, Brooke Berman and Marsha Norman. Along with her work in Independent Film, Eve has appeared in and voiced national commercials for products ranging from fertility health to telephone companies and is the narrator of over 60 recorded books. In addition to teaching Acting at The New York Conservatory of Dramatic Art in New York City, Eve works as a private acting and dialect coach. Eve is the single mother of two smart, successful, funny children.
Alexandra Bianco - Frankie
Alexandra Bianco is an Actor, Writer, and Director from New York City. She graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School as a Drama Major in 2019 and will graduate from Kenyon College as a Film & Drama Double Major in the spring. Bianco is passionate about creating and contributing to art that centers female characters. She’s directed three short films: Happy Valentine’s Day, Alien: The Musical, and The Big Five, which all explore different facets of girlhood and womanhood. Her Most recent film, IUDemon, is currently in post-production. She also acted in Wormtown, a short produced by Good Deed Entertainment. She also has ample experience performing in plays: she’s acted in The Maids, The Year of The Rooster, Two Birds and A Bag of Bones (a One-Act Play that she wrote), The House of Bernarda Alba, Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and Horse Girls. Bianco is so grateful and excited to be working on Allhouse’s latest film The House My Mother Left and cannot wait to get started!