Inversion
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Horror
After moving across the world for a career-defining mission, an immigrant marine biologist must prove herself to her hostile mentor or risk being sent home. However, her waking nightmares reveal that whatever is killing the reef has already found her.
Inversion
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Horror
1 Campaigns | California, United States
31 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$1,635
Goal: $20,000 for production
After moving across the world for a career-defining mission, an immigrant marine biologist must prove herself to her hostile mentor or risk being sent home. However, her waking nightmares reveal that whatever is killing the reef has already found her.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
You are all alone.
Submerged in an endless darkened ocean.
Gasping for air… only to inhale water.
You can't tell which way is up or down.
One last, desperate push to survive -
Time’s up.
Air’s up.
You choke.
Director's Statement from Tori Ichikowitz (Born Johannesburg, South Africa):
I can vividly remember my first Friday night in the US. I remember sitting in my bedroom, thousands of kilometers away from anyone I could call friends or family and just feeling suffocatingly alone.
Everyone told me how exciting it was, how lucky I was, how privileged I was to be the one who was "making it." What they didn't tell me about was the crippling isolation of being ill at 2am with no-one to call, the terror of standing in front of a border patrol officer stammering my way through explaining my visa status, or the shame of being rejected from a job because they don't hire "internationals."
After years of submerging myself in the world of filmmaking, my team and I are finally ready to tell this story. We are a team of majority immigrant, award-winning, female filmmakers.
Inversion is a high concept, big budget, genre film! We know that this is a massive undertaking.
But… WE ARE READY!
We are ready to prove that we can execute a film at this scale and that our stories and voices have a place in the horror genre.
Filmmaking Through Community!
As immigrants, we know how hard it is to build community in a new place. That's why we've spent the last eight months hosting events that connect hundreds of filmmakers with new collaborators and opportunities!
We have already raised $10,000 through community events where we have worked with awesome brands like Kodak, Fujifilm and Cooke Optics.
Check out our previous and upcoming events on our Instagram at @stortstorylongpictures !
INVERSION is deeply personal, but it speaks to a shared experience of displacement. It's about losing your sense of self, and the horror of realizing the future you have been swimming toward never existed.
Sofia, our protagonist, is living her day from hell. Facing her looming visa deadline, she embarks on the most important job of her life, under the scrutiny of a ruthless mentor. Sofia's internal pressures manifest as real world hallucinations, and the existential stress becomes truly life-threatening.
We need films like this today.
Our generation inherited a world filled with climate uncertainty, migration disputes and a system that is actively turning us against each other. More people live outside their countries of origin than ever before, yet public discourse often reduces immigrants to statistics, threats, or “issues.”
The first step to healing these failing systems is to humanize our experiences.
That is why our film highlights the covert psychological toll immigrants endure, and how it compromises our mental health.
The most physically foreign terrain for any person on this planet is underwater.
It is the one place where all humans are equally foreign.
As a PADI-certified scuba diver myself, I have always been fascinated by the ocean. The ocean both terrifies and electrifies us with the hope of endless possibilities. This is synonymous with the feeling of chasing opportunities in a new place.
However, the ocean is also harsh and brutal. No matter how capable one is or how hard one tries to push back against the current, the ocean is in control: not you.
So many immigrants are fighting to win against a system that is simply not built for us. Our future is in the hands of a system we have no control over.
FILMING UNDERWATER, ON BOATS, IN MOVING CARS, MAJOR PRACTICAL HORROR GAGS AND MORE!
That's why we are raising the $20,000 needed to successfully and safely make this film!
INVERSION is a fiscally sponsored project. Your donation may be tax-deductible, check with your tax advisor for details.
Budget Breakdown!
This includes the $10,000 we have already raised.
Project Roadmap!
Here's where INVERSION actually stands right now. Our cast is locked, our department heads are confirmed, and the script? Also locked, after more rewrites and coffee than we're willing to admit!
Here's the part where you come in! This campaign is the final piece.
Want to be the reason we get to yell "action"? Every pledge gets us closer, and we'll be sharing behind the scenes updates with everyone along for the ride!
With your support, we can:
- Respectfully compensate our crew and cast
- Cover all necessary safety measures when filming underwater
- Afford all the locations that take this film to the next level!
We need to achieve 80% of our goal in order to receive ANY money at all on Seed & Spark.
It truly is all or nothing!!
STRETCH GOAL - $30,000
$30k transforms INVERSION from ambitious to uncompromising. It funds the camera movement, equipment, crew care, festival run, and post-production that lets every moment land with its full emotional impact.
Can't donate? Share!
Send this campaign to your friends, enemies, frenemies, ex-lovers, family, coworkers, and group chats. Every share puts INVERSION in front of someone who could help make this film a reality.
Need something ready to go? Copy this and post it:
"After moving across the world for a career-defining mission, an immigrant marine biologist must prove herself to her hostile mentor or risk being sent home. However, her waking nightmares reveal that whatever is killing the reef has already found her. Back Inversion on Seed&Spark: [link] #Inversion #IndieFilm #SeedAndSpark and follow us on @stortstorylongpictures "
INVERSION was born from real isolation and real fear. The best thing you can do, beyond donating, is make sure it finds the people who need it. And trust us: there are a lot of them.
Share the campaign. Bring your people. Let's dive!
This campaign is just the beginning of the conversation. We will be taking you behind the scenes every step of the way: from prep to production to post.
Website: inversionfilm.my.canva.site
Instagram at @stortstorylongpictures
And if you want to stay closest to the story, sign up for email updates to never miss a beat!
You are not just funding a film. You are part of making it.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Underwater Soundstage
Costs $5,000
An underwater soundstage ensures controlled conditions, clear visuals & top-tier safety for our actress during all submerged scenes.
VFX Vendor
Costs $1,500
This is key to bringing to life certain horror elements in the film that we cannot create manually.
Crew
Costs $4,000
We respect all our creative partners and crew and want to pay them a fair wage for all the hard work they will do on this project
Scuba Equipment
Costs $1,500
This equipment is key to keeping our performers and crew safe while working underwater.
Special Effects Props and Set Design
Costs $4,000
We need props for Inversion to make the world feel real and lived-in, like marine research equipment, coral plants and more!
Meals on Set!
Costs $1,000
We need to feed our crew to keep everyone energized, focused, and taken care of throughout long shoot days!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Tori Ichikowitz is an award winning South African filmmaker. Her produced short films have won Best Narrative Short at Brooklyn Film Festival, Audience Award: Best Student Short at Palm Springs SHORTFEST, Finalist in the Student Academy Awards, Nominee for the College Television Academy Awards and selected for the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes Film Festival.
During her Masters Degree of Fine Arts at The American Film Institute Conservatory, she was a development intern at David Heyman’s Heyday Films, Sam Raimi's Ghost House, and she assisted Hanway Films at the American Film Market 2023.
She was the Brand Strategy Lead Producer of the Slamdance Film Festival. She has been a content producer and director for iStore South Africa (Apple Premium Reseller), Nintendo South Africa, and iSchoolAfrica (NGO in South Africa). She has been published in several international magazines as an editorial photographer.
She is a padi advanced open water diver whose favourite comfort movie is The Conjuring....
Anja Racić is a Serbian actor and producer trained at Art of Acting Studio, Stella Adler Studio of Acting (NYC), and RADA.
She recently received the Outstanding Performance Award at the Los Feliz Film Festival for the short film Cake, which was also an Official Selection at LA Shorts International Film Festival, Pasadena International Film Festival, and Venice Shorts.
On stage, Anja has worked with Antaeus Theatre Company, Shakespeare Center of LA, The Queen’s Fools & After Hours Theatre Company. Her credits include The Tempest: Immersive Experience, named one of the LA Times’ Top 9 Shows of 2023; additionally, her performance as Miranda earned a Breakout Featured Performer recognition in 2024 Scenies; Paris: 1925, named Best Immersive Show by LA Theater Bites; and HAG, which received No Proscenium and BroadwayWorld nominations and was an Official Selection at the Overlook Film Festival.
On screen, Anja recently appeared in Alaska Airlines’ Super Bowl commercial, with additional commercial credits including Volkswagen ID. BUZZ, Tinder, and ionava, for which she served as the face of the health startup.
IG: @racicanja
Dr. Breven Warren is a passionate advocate for independent filmmakers and artists dedicated to advancing equity, access, and innovation across film and television. As the founder of Angaelica, an arts and ecology organization supporting creators from over 200 countries, she has built mentorship festivals, production partnerships, education initiatives, and IP development programs that empower visionary storytellers.
With nearly two decades of experience including work with the Sundance Institute, Film Independent, Outfest, and AFI Fest, Dr. Warren has led artist support programs and lectured internationally on talent discovery, creative film finance, and emerging fintech solutions for entertainment.
Tara is a Toronto-born, California-raised South Asian producer with 15+ years of experience on both sides of the camera. Tired of auditioning for flat, stereotypical roles, she pivoted to writing and producing to tell the stories she wasn't seeing on screen.
She served as Segment Producer/Correspondent on TV Asia's Star Talk and created the food series “Conscious Kitchen” for Good Morning LaLa Land. A 2026 SeriesFest Pitch-A-Thon Finalist, she is actively developing a narrative slate that centers underrepresented voices above and below the line.
Driven to make an impact through storytelling, Tara gravitates toward dark comedy and horror-comedy: flipping tropes, poking at taboos, and centering complex women. She brings that same intentionality to the female-led sets she works on.
With a decade of industry experience, Hector is a seasoned content creator and producer from South Florida. His portfolio includes branded content for renowned national and international companies such as Hard Rock, Virgin Voyages, Carnival Corp., Celsius Energy, Tag Heuer, and St. Jude Children's Hospital.
As recent graduate from the esteemed Film Producing program at the American Film Institute, his work focuses on themes of connection, exploring the intricacies of human relationships, the unifying bonds, and the life experiences that give our existence meaning.
Nicole Baroudi is a Lebanese production designer and graphic designer based in LA and Europe. She recently became a member of the local 800 Union.
Earning a BA in Graphic Communication Design from Central Saint Martins in London, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue narrative filmmaking. Nicole is a recent MFA Production Design graduate from the American Film Institute Conservatory. She has designed over 9 short films, and has been graphic designer on over 25 other films, including upcoming features THE SAVIORS, THE LEMURIAN CANDIDATE, and THE BIG GAME.
Quinn Thomashow is a cinematographer with a degree from the American Film Institute. She has contributed to notable projects such as Ken Burns' documentary COUNTRY MUSIC, Jodie Mack’s experimental animation WASTELAND NO. 2, and Alex Gibney’s THE CLINTON AFFAIR. She also curated White River Indie Film's LIGHT RIVER JUNCTION, an expanded cinema festival.
Quinn's exceptional skills in cinematography were recognized with awards for her work on INVENTOR CRAZYBRAINS AND THE GIRL CALLED BIRD. By integrating her experimental filmmaking background into narrative projects, she crafts captivating and unconventional storytelling techniques that engage audiences.
Claudio Del Pino Mercado is a writer/producer born in Guadalajara, México. Raised in the heart of a socially-oriented family, he learned at a very young age the value of tradition and culture.
After receiving his MFA in producing from The American Film Institute Conservatory, Claudio has produced and line produced multiple award-winning short films, micro-dramas, and music videos that together had earned over millions of views across multimedia platforms.
He has Lined Produced short films that have screened at high-profile festivals including the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the HollyShorts Film Festival.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
You are all alone.
Submerged in an endless darkened ocean.
Gasping for air… only to inhale water.
You can't tell which way is up or down.
One last, desperate push to survive -
Time’s up.
Air’s up.
You choke.
Director's Statement from Tori Ichikowitz (Born Johannesburg, South Africa):
I can vividly remember my first Friday night in the US. I remember sitting in my bedroom, thousands of kilometers away from anyone I could call friends or family and just feeling suffocatingly alone.
Everyone told me how exciting it was, how lucky I was, how privileged I was to be the one who was "making it." What they didn't tell me about was the crippling isolation of being ill at 2am with no-one to call, the terror of standing in front of a border patrol officer stammering my way through explaining my visa status, or the shame of being rejected from a job because they don't hire "internationals."
After years of submerging myself in the world of filmmaking, my team and I are finally ready to tell this story. We are a team of majority immigrant, award-winning, female filmmakers.
Inversion is a high concept, big budget, genre film! We know that this is a massive undertaking.
But… WE ARE READY!
We are ready to prove that we can execute a film at this scale and that our stories and voices have a place in the horror genre.
Filmmaking Through Community!
As immigrants, we know how hard it is to build community in a new place. That's why we've spent the last eight months hosting events that connect hundreds of filmmakers with new collaborators and opportunities!
We have already raised $10,000 through community events where we have worked with awesome brands like Kodak, Fujifilm and Cooke Optics.
Check out our previous and upcoming events on our Instagram at @stortstorylongpictures !
INVERSION is deeply personal, but it speaks to a shared experience of displacement. It's about losing your sense of self, and the horror of realizing the future you have been swimming toward never existed.
Sofia, our protagonist, is living her day from hell. Facing her looming visa deadline, she embarks on the most important job of her life, under the scrutiny of a ruthless mentor. Sofia's internal pressures manifest as real world hallucinations, and the existential stress becomes truly life-threatening.
We need films like this today.
Our generation inherited a world filled with climate uncertainty, migration disputes and a system that is actively turning us against each other. More people live outside their countries of origin than ever before, yet public discourse often reduces immigrants to statistics, threats, or “issues.”
The first step to healing these failing systems is to humanize our experiences.
That is why our film highlights the covert psychological toll immigrants endure, and how it compromises our mental health.
The most physically foreign terrain for any person on this planet is underwater.
It is the one place where all humans are equally foreign.
As a PADI-certified scuba diver myself, I have always been fascinated by the ocean. The ocean both terrifies and electrifies us with the hope of endless possibilities. This is synonymous with the feeling of chasing opportunities in a new place.
However, the ocean is also harsh and brutal. No matter how capable one is or how hard one tries to push back against the current, the ocean is in control: not you.
So many immigrants are fighting to win against a system that is simply not built for us. Our future is in the hands of a system we have no control over.
FILMING UNDERWATER, ON BOATS, IN MOVING CARS, MAJOR PRACTICAL HORROR GAGS AND MORE!
That's why we are raising the $20,000 needed to successfully and safely make this film!
INVERSION is a fiscally sponsored project. Your donation may be tax-deductible, check with your tax advisor for details.
Budget Breakdown!
This includes the $10,000 we have already raised.
Project Roadmap!
Here's where INVERSION actually stands right now. Our cast is locked, our department heads are confirmed, and the script? Also locked, after more rewrites and coffee than we're willing to admit!
Here's the part where you come in! This campaign is the final piece.
Want to be the reason we get to yell "action"? Every pledge gets us closer, and we'll be sharing behind the scenes updates with everyone along for the ride!
With your support, we can:
- Respectfully compensate our crew and cast
- Cover all necessary safety measures when filming underwater
- Afford all the locations that take this film to the next level!
We need to achieve 80% of our goal in order to receive ANY money at all on Seed & Spark.
It truly is all or nothing!!
STRETCH GOAL - $30,000
$30k transforms INVERSION from ambitious to uncompromising. It funds the camera movement, equipment, crew care, festival run, and post-production that lets every moment land with its full emotional impact.
Can't donate? Share!
Send this campaign to your friends, enemies, frenemies, ex-lovers, family, coworkers, and group chats. Every share puts INVERSION in front of someone who could help make this film a reality.
Need something ready to go? Copy this and post it:
"After moving across the world for a career-defining mission, an immigrant marine biologist must prove herself to her hostile mentor or risk being sent home. However, her waking nightmares reveal that whatever is killing the reef has already found her. Back Inversion on Seed&Spark: [link] #Inversion #IndieFilm #SeedAndSpark and follow us on @stortstorylongpictures "
INVERSION was born from real isolation and real fear. The best thing you can do, beyond donating, is make sure it finds the people who need it. And trust us: there are a lot of them.
Share the campaign. Bring your people. Let's dive!
This campaign is just the beginning of the conversation. We will be taking you behind the scenes every step of the way: from prep to production to post.
Website: inversionfilm.my.canva.site
Instagram at @stortstorylongpictures
And if you want to stay closest to the story, sign up for email updates to never miss a beat!
You are not just funding a film. You are part of making it.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Underwater Soundstage
Costs $5,000
An underwater soundstage ensures controlled conditions, clear visuals & top-tier safety for our actress during all submerged scenes.
VFX Vendor
Costs $1,500
This is key to bringing to life certain horror elements in the film that we cannot create manually.
Crew
Costs $4,000
We respect all our creative partners and crew and want to pay them a fair wage for all the hard work they will do on this project
Scuba Equipment
Costs $1,500
This equipment is key to keeping our performers and crew safe while working underwater.
Special Effects Props and Set Design
Costs $4,000
We need props for Inversion to make the world feel real and lived-in, like marine research equipment, coral plants and more!
Meals on Set!
Costs $1,000
We need to feed our crew to keep everyone energized, focused, and taken care of throughout long shoot days!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Tori Ichikowitz is an award winning South African filmmaker. Her produced short films have won Best Narrative Short at Brooklyn Film Festival, Audience Award: Best Student Short at Palm Springs SHORTFEST, Finalist in the Student Academy Awards, Nominee for the College Television Academy Awards and selected for the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes Film Festival.
During her Masters Degree of Fine Arts at The American Film Institute Conservatory, she was a development intern at David Heyman’s Heyday Films, Sam Raimi's Ghost House, and she assisted Hanway Films at the American Film Market 2023.
She was the Brand Strategy Lead Producer of the Slamdance Film Festival. She has been a content producer and director for iStore South Africa (Apple Premium Reseller), Nintendo South Africa, and iSchoolAfrica (NGO in South Africa). She has been published in several international magazines as an editorial photographer.
She is a padi advanced open water diver whose favourite comfort movie is The Conjuring....
Anja Racić is a Serbian actor and producer trained at Art of Acting Studio, Stella Adler Studio of Acting (NYC), and RADA.
She recently received the Outstanding Performance Award at the Los Feliz Film Festival for the short film Cake, which was also an Official Selection at LA Shorts International Film Festival, Pasadena International Film Festival, and Venice Shorts.
On stage, Anja has worked with Antaeus Theatre Company, Shakespeare Center of LA, The Queen’s Fools & After Hours Theatre Company. Her credits include The Tempest: Immersive Experience, named one of the LA Times’ Top 9 Shows of 2023; additionally, her performance as Miranda earned a Breakout Featured Performer recognition in 2024 Scenies; Paris: 1925, named Best Immersive Show by LA Theater Bites; and HAG, which received No Proscenium and BroadwayWorld nominations and was an Official Selection at the Overlook Film Festival.
On screen, Anja recently appeared in Alaska Airlines’ Super Bowl commercial, with additional commercial credits including Volkswagen ID. BUZZ, Tinder, and ionava, for which she served as the face of the health startup.
IG: @racicanja
Dr. Breven Warren is a passionate advocate for independent filmmakers and artists dedicated to advancing equity, access, and innovation across film and television. As the founder of Angaelica, an arts and ecology organization supporting creators from over 200 countries, she has built mentorship festivals, production partnerships, education initiatives, and IP development programs that empower visionary storytellers.
With nearly two decades of experience including work with the Sundance Institute, Film Independent, Outfest, and AFI Fest, Dr. Warren has led artist support programs and lectured internationally on talent discovery, creative film finance, and emerging fintech solutions for entertainment.
Tara is a Toronto-born, California-raised South Asian producer with 15+ years of experience on both sides of the camera. Tired of auditioning for flat, stereotypical roles, she pivoted to writing and producing to tell the stories she wasn't seeing on screen.
She served as Segment Producer/Correspondent on TV Asia's Star Talk and created the food series “Conscious Kitchen” for Good Morning LaLa Land. A 2026 SeriesFest Pitch-A-Thon Finalist, she is actively developing a narrative slate that centers underrepresented voices above and below the line.
Driven to make an impact through storytelling, Tara gravitates toward dark comedy and horror-comedy: flipping tropes, poking at taboos, and centering complex women. She brings that same intentionality to the female-led sets she works on.
With a decade of industry experience, Hector is a seasoned content creator and producer from South Florida. His portfolio includes branded content for renowned national and international companies such as Hard Rock, Virgin Voyages, Carnival Corp., Celsius Energy, Tag Heuer, and St. Jude Children's Hospital.
As recent graduate from the esteemed Film Producing program at the American Film Institute, his work focuses on themes of connection, exploring the intricacies of human relationships, the unifying bonds, and the life experiences that give our existence meaning.
Nicole Baroudi is a Lebanese production designer and graphic designer based in LA and Europe. She recently became a member of the local 800 Union.
Earning a BA in Graphic Communication Design from Central Saint Martins in London, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue narrative filmmaking. Nicole is a recent MFA Production Design graduate from the American Film Institute Conservatory. She has designed over 9 short films, and has been graphic designer on over 25 other films, including upcoming features THE SAVIORS, THE LEMURIAN CANDIDATE, and THE BIG GAME.
Quinn Thomashow is a cinematographer with a degree from the American Film Institute. She has contributed to notable projects such as Ken Burns' documentary COUNTRY MUSIC, Jodie Mack’s experimental animation WASTELAND NO. 2, and Alex Gibney’s THE CLINTON AFFAIR. She also curated White River Indie Film's LIGHT RIVER JUNCTION, an expanded cinema festival.
Quinn's exceptional skills in cinematography were recognized with awards for her work on INVENTOR CRAZYBRAINS AND THE GIRL CALLED BIRD. By integrating her experimental filmmaking background into narrative projects, she crafts captivating and unconventional storytelling techniques that engage audiences.
Claudio Del Pino Mercado is a writer/producer born in Guadalajara, México. Raised in the heart of a socially-oriented family, he learned at a very young age the value of tradition and culture.
After receiving his MFA in producing from The American Film Institute Conservatory, Claudio has produced and line produced multiple award-winning short films, micro-dramas, and music videos that together had earned over millions of views across multimedia platforms.
He has Lined Produced short films that have screened at high-profile festivals including the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the HollyShorts Film Festival.