Hunger Pains
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Western
A story about the feral brutality of simply being a woman, this tale of two sisters (Imagine Thelma & Louise meets Yellowjackets) reminds us all just how strong and hungry the love between two women can actually be...
Hunger Pains
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Western
13 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$746
Goal: $15,000 for pre-production
A story about the feral brutality of simply being a woman, this tale of two sisters (Imagine Thelma & Louise meets Yellowjackets) reminds us all just how strong and hungry the love between two women can actually be...
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
A MAGICAL REALIST, MODERN WESTERN
THAT SHOWS US THE EXPERIENCE & VIOLENCE OF SETTLING INTO WOMANHOOD
SYNOPSIS
In the dark, we hear the sound of what might be sex...but more likely a struggle...only to jump to a woman, rushing home to find her younger sister being attacked by her (the older sister's) husband. We meet this older sister, ARA, 30s, a tired battle of a woman, as she stares down at her now very, very dead husband, JACK.
Ara turns to face her younger sister, LACIE, normally a sunshine wrapped in a smile, eating a sandwich with potato chips in it. Did we mention Lacie's covered in blood and badly beaten herself? And yes, really made a sandwich after all this?
The pair drag Jack’s body to the garage, toss him into their pick-up, and drive out into the Mojave desert to bury him. Yet along the journey, Ara and only Ara is haunted by a not alive version of Jack (we don't use the term ghost round here- he sucks too much).
What follows is a tailspinning journey as our two sisters bury the body and the secrets of Jack with it.
WHY NOW & WHY THIS:
A NOTE FROM OUR WRITER & DIRECTOR
My sister is my best friend. I would do anything for her.
There is simply something fierce and wild and hungry in the love you have for your little sister. And the thought of someone ever hurting her. It feels very western, the truth that I would stand up to anyone, anything, any entity for her.
But perhaps find it much harder to do that for myself.
I see so many women bending ourselves out of shape in order to be loved until it’s too late, until we lose what we were in the beginning. And perhaps even lose our lives. So I wrote this story as a warning sign, an honoring and questioning of how brutal being a young woman can actually be.
I think we need to see more of that, especially right now.
-matilda (your writer)
A woman would do anything to protect her sister, her mother, her own. HUNGER PAINS is first a film about the lengths two sisters will go to keep each other safe, while desperately longing to be seen as their truest selves.
Ara has spent her life protecting Lacie, and now must let go. Lacie has always used brevity as a mask, and is forced to face a hard truth: nice girls don’t always end up first.
Matilda, a long time collaborator of mine, has such an indelible capacity to capture girlhood and coming of age with all of the grit and nuance it deserves. HUNGER PAINS is the kind of film I want to be watching. As a survivor myself, seeing two young women take control over their own narrative revs my emotional engine.
This film will live in the pace and chaos of its mystery, while also being punctuated with Matilda’s biting humor and wit. It is a film that has earned its vast scope and I can’t wait to build this powerful, poignant world.
-tessa (your director)
YOUR CONTRIBUTION
&
OUR PROMISE
We have already raised $12,000 through a private donor, and are asking for the final $15,000 through your support ( if we raise $15,000 our private donor will match your donation allowing us to make sure our cast & crew are paid fairly).
YEP, WE BELIEVE EVERYONE SHOULD BE PAID :)
Time and effort are invaluable. Especially with artists who wish to create stories that have something meaningful and hopeful to say -- those that hope to create change within our society.
OUR SHOOT DATES ARE SET!!!
November 5th, 6th, 7th 2026 here we come!
Where we are RIGHT NOW:
- script is locked
- core team is hired
- locations are about to be locked
- casting in progress
- schedule of shoot planned out
Where your funds are going TO :
- paying crew, cast, meals, gear, post-production
- ALL EXTRA FUNDS will be allocated to our producers and department heads
WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY
PLEDGE:
Any donation, no matter how small, gets us closer to our goal and helps us make this story as wonderful as it can possibly be.
SHARE & FOLLOW OUR SEED& SPARK PAGE :
This is how we spread the word and get more eyes on our story --> it's the little heart in the upper right hand corner of this page <3
(It takes 30 seconds to make an account, and you'll get your updates through the site!!)
FOLLOW OUR INSTAGRAM:
Come on the road with us @hungerpains_thefilm for updates and a firsthand look into our production.
LIKE, COMMENT, & SHARE OUR POSTS -- THE MORE EYES, THE BETTER!
ALSO....
Our short is fiscally sponsored through Stowe Story Labs, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting independent storytellers. Contributions are made through Stowe and are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. .
BUILDING A BIGGER WORLD
As we said before, Tessa and I (Matilda) are long time collaborators who love telling stories where women get to be fully heard. Where they get to be hungry, and angry, and in love, and scared, and all the things they were always meant to be.
This story we're telling today, is just the beginning of a long standing creative relationship that hopes to add narratives into the world that help young women, or women who perhaps have felt like they have been told to be quiet, that their voice is worth being heard.
And now that we're building out our collaborators and our stories...
HUNGER PAINS: THE SHORT FILM is a stepping stone towards HUNGER PAINS: THE FEATURE FILM which is actively in script development.
SO FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HUNGRY, HUNGRY HEARTS THANK YOU!!!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
MUSIC/SCORE
Costs $400
you'd be surprised how much rock'n'roll music on the radio costs...
CAST
Costs $4,000
Can't have a movie, without actors right? (well, you can but not this one ;) )
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
OUR DIRECTOR:
TESSA SLOVIS
Tessa Slovis is an Argentinian-American/Jewish filmmaker. Her directorial debut, PIZZA PARTY, a magic realist retelling of the night before the Larry Nassar trials, screened at more than 20 Academy Award-qualifying and international festivals, including Indy Shorts, Florida Film Festival, and Bentonville Film Festival, earning multiple jury and directing honors. Her subsequent films, including FALSIES and the romantic comedy AISLES, have continued to screen at prominent festivals nationwide. She is a 2026 Starz and Alliance of Women Directors' Creative Leadership Directing fellow and is currently attached to direct the feature comedy FALSE PROFITS. Beyond film, Tessa has directed acclaimed stage productions including Luis Alfaro’s bilingual adaptation Mojada at Cal State LA and actress Jen Ponton’s solo show Sugarcoated, which played at the Denver Fringe Festival and Off-Broadway at The Flea Theater. She is a film and theater professor at University of Southern California, Stella Adler Art of Acting Studio, and Cal State LA, where she co-founded the USC MFA Film initiative alongside Ahmed Best and David Warshofsky to support emerging actors and filmmakers through the production company Dramatic Narrative Design. She is a graduate of Barnard College (BA) and the USC School of Dramatic Arts (MFA) .
OUR WRITER:
MATILDA CORLEY SCHULMAN
Matilda Corley Schulman is a Los Angeles-based writer and actor—and former NCAA Division I equestrian (yes, she’s a horse girl) — who loves telling stories that are a blend of rebellion, heartbreak, and just a touch of magic. As she puts it, she writes westerns (the one standing up to the many) in every font and hopes to amplify voices that have too often been told to quiet down—stories that help us all feel a little less alone.
Her plays, pilots, and features have been recognized by the O’Neill, Mazumdar, Stowe Story Labs, Cinestory, Austin Film Festival, Coverfly, Stage 32, ScreenCraft and more. She has multiple features in development and pilots looking for attachments and was named to the Coverfly x Tracking Board's The Next List 2024
And as you guessed it, if she’s not holed up in a coffee shop writing or memorizing lines, you can be sure to find her on the back of a horse
OUR PRODUCERS:
KIANNA MAYNARD
Kianna Maynard is the Manager of Physical Production at Annapurna Pictures. She and her team oversee all aspects of production management for Annapurna’s vast slate of film, television, and animation projects. Most recently, she worked on Olivia Wilde’s third feature, The Invite, now playing in theaters. Kianna also works as a freelance producer and prides herself on bringing creative visions to life.
Prior to joining Annapurna, Kianna worked as the coordinator of production at Lionsgate, where she supported the motion picture group and oversaw production on films including White Bird, Joy Ride, and Miller’s Girl. When she’s not working, Kianna enjoys reading, traveling, and hanging out with her two cats, Mowgli and Noodle.
CRONIN CULLEN
Cronin Cullen is an award-winning producer, actor and founder of Old Rogues, an independent production company developing shorts, features and pilots with a recurring cohort of creatives drawn to work rooted in community and lived experience. His work has premiered and received awards at numerous festivals including Tribeca, HollyShorts, Nashville Film Festival, SeriesFest, Fantasia, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival, among others.
Selected producing credits include IDYLL (International Premiere, Edinburgh International Film Festival), 12 Hours (HollyShorts, Nevada City Film Festival), and Camp Greenwood (Nashville Film Festival, Catalyst Content Festival, SeriesFest) . He is currently producing Mt. Mystic Rangers (Amplify Pictures) while developing three projects of his own. Old Rogues full slate of work can be seen at https://www.oldrogues.co/
As an actor, Cronin recurs as Bragdon on Mt. Mystic Rangers and recently played Biff Loman opposite Frances Fisher in Death of a Salesman at the Colony Theatre. Additional selected acting credits include This Is Us, Westworld, Blue Bloods, The Equalizer, and Netflix's The Half of It.
Cronin strives to be completely absorbed in what he's doing so everything, even work, can be considered play.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
A MAGICAL REALIST, MODERN WESTERN
THAT SHOWS US THE EXPERIENCE & VIOLENCE OF SETTLING INTO WOMANHOOD
SYNOPSIS
In the dark, we hear the sound of what might be sex...but more likely a struggle...only to jump to a woman, rushing home to find her younger sister being attacked by her (the older sister's) husband. We meet this older sister, ARA, 30s, a tired battle of a woman, as she stares down at her now very, very dead husband, JACK.
Ara turns to face her younger sister, LACIE, normally a sunshine wrapped in a smile, eating a sandwich with potato chips in it. Did we mention Lacie's covered in blood and badly beaten herself? And yes, really made a sandwich after all this?
The pair drag Jack’s body to the garage, toss him into their pick-up, and drive out into the Mojave desert to bury him. Yet along the journey, Ara and only Ara is haunted by a not alive version of Jack (we don't use the term ghost round here- he sucks too much).
What follows is a tailspinning journey as our two sisters bury the body and the secrets of Jack with it.
WHY NOW & WHY THIS:
A NOTE FROM OUR WRITER & DIRECTOR
My sister is my best friend. I would do anything for her.
There is simply something fierce and wild and hungry in the love you have for your little sister. And the thought of someone ever hurting her. It feels very western, the truth that I would stand up to anyone, anything, any entity for her.
But perhaps find it much harder to do that for myself.
I see so many women bending ourselves out of shape in order to be loved until it’s too late, until we lose what we were in the beginning. And perhaps even lose our lives. So I wrote this story as a warning sign, an honoring and questioning of how brutal being a young woman can actually be.
I think we need to see more of that, especially right now.
-matilda (your writer)
A woman would do anything to protect her sister, her mother, her own. HUNGER PAINS is first a film about the lengths two sisters will go to keep each other safe, while desperately longing to be seen as their truest selves.
Ara has spent her life protecting Lacie, and now must let go. Lacie has always used brevity as a mask, and is forced to face a hard truth: nice girls don’t always end up first.
Matilda, a long time collaborator of mine, has such an indelible capacity to capture girlhood and coming of age with all of the grit and nuance it deserves. HUNGER PAINS is the kind of film I want to be watching. As a survivor myself, seeing two young women take control over their own narrative revs my emotional engine.
This film will live in the pace and chaos of its mystery, while also being punctuated with Matilda’s biting humor and wit. It is a film that has earned its vast scope and I can’t wait to build this powerful, poignant world.
-tessa (your director)
YOUR CONTRIBUTION
&
OUR PROMISE
We have already raised $12,000 through a private donor, and are asking for the final $15,000 through your support ( if we raise $15,000 our private donor will match your donation allowing us to make sure our cast & crew are paid fairly).
YEP, WE BELIEVE EVERYONE SHOULD BE PAID :)
Time and effort are invaluable. Especially with artists who wish to create stories that have something meaningful and hopeful to say -- those that hope to create change within our society.
OUR SHOOT DATES ARE SET!!!
November 5th, 6th, 7th 2026 here we come!
Where we are RIGHT NOW:
- script is locked
- core team is hired
- locations are about to be locked
- casting in progress
- schedule of shoot planned out
Where your funds are going TO :
- paying crew, cast, meals, gear, post-production
- ALL EXTRA FUNDS will be allocated to our producers and department heads
WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY
PLEDGE:
Any donation, no matter how small, gets us closer to our goal and helps us make this story as wonderful as it can possibly be.
SHARE & FOLLOW OUR SEED& SPARK PAGE :
This is how we spread the word and get more eyes on our story --> it's the little heart in the upper right hand corner of this page <3
(It takes 30 seconds to make an account, and you'll get your updates through the site!!)
FOLLOW OUR INSTAGRAM:
Come on the road with us @hungerpains_thefilm for updates and a firsthand look into our production.
LIKE, COMMENT, & SHARE OUR POSTS -- THE MORE EYES, THE BETTER!
ALSO....
Our short is fiscally sponsored through Stowe Story Labs, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting independent storytellers. Contributions are made through Stowe and are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. .
BUILDING A BIGGER WORLD
As we said before, Tessa and I (Matilda) are long time collaborators who love telling stories where women get to be fully heard. Where they get to be hungry, and angry, and in love, and scared, and all the things they were always meant to be.
This story we're telling today, is just the beginning of a long standing creative relationship that hopes to add narratives into the world that help young women, or women who perhaps have felt like they have been told to be quiet, that their voice is worth being heard.
And now that we're building out our collaborators and our stories...
HUNGER PAINS: THE SHORT FILM is a stepping stone towards HUNGER PAINS: THE FEATURE FILM which is actively in script development.
SO FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HUNGRY, HUNGRY HEARTS THANK YOU!!!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
MUSIC/SCORE
Costs $400
you'd be surprised how much rock'n'roll music on the radio costs...
CAST
Costs $4,000
Can't have a movie, without actors right? (well, you can but not this one ;) )
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
OUR DIRECTOR:
TESSA SLOVIS
Tessa Slovis is an Argentinian-American/Jewish filmmaker. Her directorial debut, PIZZA PARTY, a magic realist retelling of the night before the Larry Nassar trials, screened at more than 20 Academy Award-qualifying and international festivals, including Indy Shorts, Florida Film Festival, and Bentonville Film Festival, earning multiple jury and directing honors. Her subsequent films, including FALSIES and the romantic comedy AISLES, have continued to screen at prominent festivals nationwide. She is a 2026 Starz and Alliance of Women Directors' Creative Leadership Directing fellow and is currently attached to direct the feature comedy FALSE PROFITS. Beyond film, Tessa has directed acclaimed stage productions including Luis Alfaro’s bilingual adaptation Mojada at Cal State LA and actress Jen Ponton’s solo show Sugarcoated, which played at the Denver Fringe Festival and Off-Broadway at The Flea Theater. She is a film and theater professor at University of Southern California, Stella Adler Art of Acting Studio, and Cal State LA, where she co-founded the USC MFA Film initiative alongside Ahmed Best and David Warshofsky to support emerging actors and filmmakers through the production company Dramatic Narrative Design. She is a graduate of Barnard College (BA) and the USC School of Dramatic Arts (MFA) .
OUR WRITER:
MATILDA CORLEY SCHULMAN
Matilda Corley Schulman is a Los Angeles-based writer and actor—and former NCAA Division I equestrian (yes, she’s a horse girl) — who loves telling stories that are a blend of rebellion, heartbreak, and just a touch of magic. As she puts it, she writes westerns (the one standing up to the many) in every font and hopes to amplify voices that have too often been told to quiet down—stories that help us all feel a little less alone.
Her plays, pilots, and features have been recognized by the O’Neill, Mazumdar, Stowe Story Labs, Cinestory, Austin Film Festival, Coverfly, Stage 32, ScreenCraft and more. She has multiple features in development and pilots looking for attachments and was named to the Coverfly x Tracking Board's The Next List 2024
And as you guessed it, if she’s not holed up in a coffee shop writing or memorizing lines, you can be sure to find her on the back of a horse
OUR PRODUCERS:
KIANNA MAYNARD
Kianna Maynard is the Manager of Physical Production at Annapurna Pictures. She and her team oversee all aspects of production management for Annapurna’s vast slate of film, television, and animation projects. Most recently, she worked on Olivia Wilde’s third feature, The Invite, now playing in theaters. Kianna also works as a freelance producer and prides herself on bringing creative visions to life.
Prior to joining Annapurna, Kianna worked as the coordinator of production at Lionsgate, where she supported the motion picture group and oversaw production on films including White Bird, Joy Ride, and Miller’s Girl. When she’s not working, Kianna enjoys reading, traveling, and hanging out with her two cats, Mowgli and Noodle.
CRONIN CULLEN
Cronin Cullen is an award-winning producer, actor and founder of Old Rogues, an independent production company developing shorts, features and pilots with a recurring cohort of creatives drawn to work rooted in community and lived experience. His work has premiered and received awards at numerous festivals including Tribeca, HollyShorts, Nashville Film Festival, SeriesFest, Fantasia, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival, among others.
Selected producing credits include IDYLL (International Premiere, Edinburgh International Film Festival), 12 Hours (HollyShorts, Nevada City Film Festival), and Camp Greenwood (Nashville Film Festival, Catalyst Content Festival, SeriesFest) . He is currently producing Mt. Mystic Rangers (Amplify Pictures) while developing three projects of his own. Old Rogues full slate of work can be seen at https://www.oldrogues.co/
As an actor, Cronin recurs as Bragdon on Mt. Mystic Rangers and recently played Biff Loman opposite Frances Fisher in Death of a Salesman at the Colony Theatre. Additional selected acting credits include This Is Us, Westworld, Blue Bloods, The Equalizer, and Netflix's The Half of It.
Cronin strives to be completely absorbed in what he's doing so everything, even work, can be considered play.