Iris
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Shorts Program, Drama
A short film about coming to terms with who we are, the life we've lived and our desire to be better for our children. This film asks how you find the confidence to be the parent you want to be when you weren't given that yourself.
Iris
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Shorts Program, Drama
2 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $9,176 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
94 supporters | followers
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A short film about coming to terms with who we are, the life we've lived and our desire to be better for our children. This film asks how you find the confidence to be the parent you want to be when you weren't given that yourself.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"THEY JUST LET US LEAVE WITH THIS TINY HUMAN?"
Anyone who's brought home a baby knows the feeling "Iris" begins with. Parenting is the only job with no user manual where you're expected to learn on the job. Full competency in the highest stakes situation of your life. It's just a human, that you brought into the world. No big deal.
Maggie and Oscar arrive home just six hours after giving birth to their yet-to-be-named baby girl. Maggie has been through it, as any woman who's had a baby can relate to, and is vulnerable and scared. She's been thrown into the deep end; this next chapter of her life. She's worried if Oscar will be able to take care of her and her sense of aloneness is vast. As she stares down into her newborn baby's face, she is flooded with memory of her childhood. Memories both good and bad of her mother. And, for the first time in a long time, she reaches out...to the person she shared her childhood with -- her mother.
IT IS TIME.
I wrote this story to make sense of my own relationship with my mother. For a long time, my estrangement with my mother was something that brought me a lot of shame and sadness. Changing the narrative, embracing the complexity and owning my own story is a large part of why I can't wait to make "Iris".
I've found very few films about the delicate, intricate, nuanced relationship between mother and daughter. I am deeply interested in generational trauma, cycles in families and how our trauma gets passed down generation to generation, until one person comes along with the tools and the strength to say it ends with me. I am also interested in the complex feelings that arise in the postpartum period. "Iris" explores this time through the localized lens of very early postpartum provides a lens with heightened emotionality, vulnerability and honesty.
WHO ARE YOU?
My name is Caitlin Norton Wyatt. I write and make films about people coming to terms with who they are.
A mother’s love is unconditional. But what about the life lived in between those moments of first love with their newborn and the lifetime in between the love for an adult child. Generational trauma, conflicting personalities, and disappointments linger soaked in between the love. We explain this with the phrase “they did their best”. But what if that simply wasn’t enough and we aspire to do better, be better, love more gently?
I am making this film because every single time I work on it, I cry. Not always from grief, but also from joy, cathartic and pure. I feel deeply how important it is to share this story. What a gift our artistry can give us if we have the strength to listen. And what an even more powerful gift we can give the next generation in cycle breaking and changing the path for our children.
LET'S DO THIS!
Our script is locked.
Our location has been chosen.
Actors have been cast.
SAG-AFTRA micro budget agreement has been cleared.
We are shooting this summer in Los Angeles, CA.
GET GENEROUS!
When you contribute to our campaign you are supporting a film that:
- Increases representation on screen by creating COMPLEX LEAD ROLES for women.
- SUPPORTS WOMEN on and off camera (over 70% female crew!)
- SHEDS LIGHT on a foundational element of women’s lives that is vastly under represented in film.
STRETCH GOALS:
- If we raise $8,000 through our Seed & Spark campaign we’ll be able to to cover the minimum costs of shooting the film at a production quality everyone involved can be proud of and avoid exploiting the work of all production members.
- If we raise $10,000, we'll be able to have contingency funds in place should anything go wrong.
- If we raise $13,000, we'll be able to cover post production, festival, distribution and promotional costs for completing and getting the film into the world and in front of a wider audience.
- If we raise $15,000, we'll be able to pay our director and producers (who are currently sacrificing pay for their work out of passion for the project and its message). And we'll be able to offer our team higher day rates for their time and effort!
Want to support our project, but aren’t in a place to financially? Never fear!
- You can FOLLOW OUR CAMPAIGN (scroll up and look for the heart icon) so you can stay updated with our fundraising and progress.
- You can SHARE THIS WITH THE WORLD. Call your parents. Tell your friends (especially the wealthy ones, ha.) @theIRISfilm
- Have suggestions, ideas, or other services? REACH OUT and say hello. Email: [email protected]
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Rentals
Costs $2,000
Lenses, camera, lights, you name it! Your pledge will go towards everything we need in order to bring this beautiful film to life.
Post Production
Costs $1,500
Music, Color, Editing, and more- your contribution will go towards our post production budget.
Money Honey!
Costs $2,000
Your contribution will help us pay our fantastic cast and crew
Food
Costs $500
Your contribution will make sure we can give some grub to our cast and crew (hopefully something a little better than pizza)
Studio Teacher
Costs $1,000
The cast of "Iris" includes children, and, in order to meet SAG-AFTRA and California guidelines we have to pay a studio teacher!
Location
Costs $1,000
We need two locations for "Iris". The family's home, as well as a location for our memory montage.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
We've assembled an incredible team to bring Iris to life. Creatives, at the top of their game, who are true collaborators. Also, WOMEN!
CAITLIN NORTON WYATT (writer, director, producer, actor): Caitlin makes art about people coming to terms with who they are. Previous projects include "Jesse's Girl" (Cleveland International Film Festival), "Pumpkin Eater", "Bunny" and "The Thing Before the Thing". She loves collaborating, taking on too much and laying down with a good book (alternate, on repeat, forever). She is a mother, wife, friend and artist.
JENNY GULLEY (producer): Jenny is an actor and producer based in Los Angeles. She thrives on championing stories that stir something deep within your soul. Acting projects include Happiest Season, House of Cards, Accidental Love, and The Originals.
MALINDA ZEHNER GUERRA (editor): Malinda Zehner Guerra, is celebrated for shaping a variety of visual stories across television and film. Most recently, Malinda received an Emmy win and an ACE Eddie nomination for her work on HBO's A Black Lady Sketch Show, working alongside an all female editing team for Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programming on the episode, "My Love Language Is Words Of Defamation." Malinda has three previous Emmy-nominations for her editing work on VH1's RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, A&E's Born This Way, and Discovery's Naked & Afraid XL. She previously edited Caitlin's short film "Bunny".
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"THEY JUST LET US LEAVE WITH THIS TINY HUMAN?"
Anyone who's brought home a baby knows the feeling "Iris" begins with. Parenting is the only job with no user manual where you're expected to learn on the job. Full competency in the highest stakes situation of your life. It's just a human, that you brought into the world. No big deal.
Maggie and Oscar arrive home just six hours after giving birth to their yet-to-be-named baby girl. Maggie has been through it, as any woman who's had a baby can relate to, and is vulnerable and scared. She's been thrown into the deep end; this next chapter of her life. She's worried if Oscar will be able to take care of her and her sense of aloneness is vast. As she stares down into her newborn baby's face, she is flooded with memory of her childhood. Memories both good and bad of her mother. And, for the first time in a long time, she reaches out...to the person she shared her childhood with -- her mother.
IT IS TIME.
I wrote this story to make sense of my own relationship with my mother. For a long time, my estrangement with my mother was something that brought me a lot of shame and sadness. Changing the narrative, embracing the complexity and owning my own story is a large part of why I can't wait to make "Iris".
I've found very few films about the delicate, intricate, nuanced relationship between mother and daughter. I am deeply interested in generational trauma, cycles in families and how our trauma gets passed down generation to generation, until one person comes along with the tools and the strength to say it ends with me. I am also interested in the complex feelings that arise in the postpartum period. "Iris" explores this time through the localized lens of very early postpartum provides a lens with heightened emotionality, vulnerability and honesty.
WHO ARE YOU?
My name is Caitlin Norton Wyatt. I write and make films about people coming to terms with who they are.
A mother’s love is unconditional. But what about the life lived in between those moments of first love with their newborn and the lifetime in between the love for an adult child. Generational trauma, conflicting personalities, and disappointments linger soaked in between the love. We explain this with the phrase “they did their best”. But what if that simply wasn’t enough and we aspire to do better, be better, love more gently?
I am making this film because every single time I work on it, I cry. Not always from grief, but also from joy, cathartic and pure. I feel deeply how important it is to share this story. What a gift our artistry can give us if we have the strength to listen. And what an even more powerful gift we can give the next generation in cycle breaking and changing the path for our children.
LET'S DO THIS!
Our script is locked.
Our location has been chosen.
Actors have been cast.
SAG-AFTRA micro budget agreement has been cleared.
We are shooting this summer in Los Angeles, CA.
GET GENEROUS!
When you contribute to our campaign you are supporting a film that:
- Increases representation on screen by creating COMPLEX LEAD ROLES for women.
- SUPPORTS WOMEN on and off camera (over 70% female crew!)
- SHEDS LIGHT on a foundational element of women’s lives that is vastly under represented in film.
STRETCH GOALS:
- If we raise $8,000 through our Seed & Spark campaign we’ll be able to to cover the minimum costs of shooting the film at a production quality everyone involved can be proud of and avoid exploiting the work of all production members.
- If we raise $10,000, we'll be able to have contingency funds in place should anything go wrong.
- If we raise $13,000, we'll be able to cover post production, festival, distribution and promotional costs for completing and getting the film into the world and in front of a wider audience.
- If we raise $15,000, we'll be able to pay our director and producers (who are currently sacrificing pay for their work out of passion for the project and its message). And we'll be able to offer our team higher day rates for their time and effort!
Want to support our project, but aren’t in a place to financially? Never fear!
- You can FOLLOW OUR CAMPAIGN (scroll up and look for the heart icon) so you can stay updated with our fundraising and progress.
- You can SHARE THIS WITH THE WORLD. Call your parents. Tell your friends (especially the wealthy ones, ha.) @theIRISfilm
- Have suggestions, ideas, or other services? REACH OUT and say hello. Email: [email protected]
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Rentals
Costs $2,000
Lenses, camera, lights, you name it! Your pledge will go towards everything we need in order to bring this beautiful film to life.
Post Production
Costs $1,500
Music, Color, Editing, and more- your contribution will go towards our post production budget.
Money Honey!
Costs $2,000
Your contribution will help us pay our fantastic cast and crew
Food
Costs $500
Your contribution will make sure we can give some grub to our cast and crew (hopefully something a little better than pizza)
Studio Teacher
Costs $1,000
The cast of "Iris" includes children, and, in order to meet SAG-AFTRA and California guidelines we have to pay a studio teacher!
Location
Costs $1,000
We need two locations for "Iris". The family's home, as well as a location for our memory montage.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
We've assembled an incredible team to bring Iris to life. Creatives, at the top of their game, who are true collaborators. Also, WOMEN!
CAITLIN NORTON WYATT (writer, director, producer, actor): Caitlin makes art about people coming to terms with who they are. Previous projects include "Jesse's Girl" (Cleveland International Film Festival), "Pumpkin Eater", "Bunny" and "The Thing Before the Thing". She loves collaborating, taking on too much and laying down with a good book (alternate, on repeat, forever). She is a mother, wife, friend and artist.
JENNY GULLEY (producer): Jenny is an actor and producer based in Los Angeles. She thrives on championing stories that stir something deep within your soul. Acting projects include Happiest Season, House of Cards, Accidental Love, and The Originals.
MALINDA ZEHNER GUERRA (editor): Malinda Zehner Guerra, is celebrated for shaping a variety of visual stories across television and film. Most recently, Malinda received an Emmy win and an ACE Eddie nomination for her work on HBO's A Black Lady Sketch Show, working alongside an all female editing team for Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programming on the episode, "My Love Language Is Words Of Defamation." Malinda has three previous Emmy-nominations for her editing work on VH1's RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, A&E's Born This Way, and Discovery's Naked & Afraid XL. She previously edited Caitlin's short film "Bunny".