In My Garden

New York City, New York | Film Short

Romance, Drama

Zahri Josita Jackson

1 Campaigns | New York, United States

Green Light

This campaign raised $8,050 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.

106 supporters | followers

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After the loss of her closest friend, Safiyah pushes through her lonely life by shutting out the world. Succumbing to the weight of her self-isolation, Safiyah is fired from her job and comforted by words from a generous stranger, who, during a fun girls' night, shows her a new meaning of "friend".

About The Project

  • The Story
  • Wishlist
  • Updates
  • The Team
  • Community

Mission Statement

The objective of this film is to celebrate the moment of realization between strangers that they have a true, soulful connection. Making friends is an awkward and beautiful process, especially in the beginning. This film aims to capture the very first night of a possibly lifelong friendship.

The Story

Question:

  In the digital and pandemic eras, friendship is hard and sentiments of loneliness – especially amongst young adults – continue to increase.

  Our objective is to celebrate that moment of realization between strangers that they have a true, soulful connection. Some of our tightest and long-lasting bonds in life are that of friends, and yet so often especially for Black female leads in film, the intimacy of friendship is overshadowed by romantic connections. 

 

So! ...Why are we making this film?


We hope to highlight the importance of sisterhood and finding one's chosen family/community – to ask people to share their own stories of finding that one meaningful connection or to share the story with their closest friend... to engage the community in a conversation about navigating friendship and loneliness. 

 

 

Zahri's Director's Statement

  "As a Black woman at a PWI, loneliness hit me the hardest upon moving to NYC and while it continues to be one of the most difficult challenges of my life, it blessed me with a newfound perspective on what I truly want in a friend and has taught me ways to co-create meaningful experiences with the people I've chosen to let into my life. I've accepted that curating something so precious takes time and trial and error. Thus, this film represents the spark I hope to feel when I finally find my tribe in this new city."

 

 

Meet our Characters

  • Safiyah - Our protagonist; A habitual loner in search of belonging, even if she doesn’t yet realize it.
  • Ajana - A young woman, generous in her time and energy, who may not notice when she’s overwatering her relationships.
  • Femi - The glue of the group who's here to have a good time, even if things get a little awkward, she’ll make sure everyone’s having fun.
  • Valentina - The protector of the friend group, who, to Safiyah, can come off cold, but really she’s just looking out for her girls.
  • Lola - Safiyah’s new roommate whose always ready for a party and not so much a deep connection.

 

 

How will this campaign move our film forward?

  • As we're currently in pre-production, we'll need funding to get locations, catering, and all other logistics off of the ground.
  • After we finish shooting, we're going to submit to festivals to give our story a platform.
  • Not only have we been engaging our community of filmmakers, college peers, and friends in thinking more deeply about our friendships during this pandemic, but everyone involved in supporting this film will get the chance to watch our film digitally (and possibly in-person if COVID permits) upon its completion!

 

Wishlist

Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.

Apartment Location

Costs $1,400

Help us secure an apartment to shoot in.

Transport

Costs $700

This will go toward transporting our equipment to and from location.

Production Design

Costs $900

We will create immersive settings that speak to our characters and their places in life.

Costumes & Makeup

Costs $700

Our aim is for the looks to be fun, current, and playful. Your support maximizes the possibilities!

Contingency

Costs $800

There's nothing like a surprise! This fund bolsters the burden of unforeseen production expenses.

Cash Pledge

Costs $0

Food & Craft Services

Costs $3,500

Food takes up one of our greatest costs, but keeping our crew happy and well-fed is key!

About This Team

 

https://zahrijosita.com

  • Amira Brown, Co-Production Designer 

 

 

  • Robert John Cantillon and Molly Scharlin Ben-Hamoo, Script Consultants

 

Current Team

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