Mending
New York City, New York | Film Short
LGBTQ, Family
‘Mending’ follows Benny, a queer trans punk zine-writer as they collage their memories of their estranged older sibling, Leo, to heal. With an indie NYC punk score and practical animation, the film explores the ways queer siblings can know us best and hurt us most, and how we can grow from mending.
Mending
New York City, New York | Film Short
LGBTQ, Family
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
24 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$2,085
Goal: $16,620 for production
‘Mending’ follows Benny, a queer trans punk zine-writer as they collage their memories of their estranged older sibling, Leo, to heal. With an indie NYC punk score and practical animation, the film explores the ways queer siblings can know us best and hurt us most, and how we can grow from mending.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
'MENDING' is a short film experimenting with themes of what it means to have a queer sibling, atoning for past wrongs, and figuring out how you want to live. This short film will ask the question whether being queer strengths your bonds or pushes it further away?
The story follows Benny, who finds an old box of memorabilia they have forgotten about for many years. Realizing that they have been pushing down feelings of loss within their own family, Benny decides to final confront all those moment from their childhood through their own creative mind. They revisit old conversations of gender with their older sibling Leo, who they have not talked to since they were sixteen.
When the director of the film, Sean, was examining their own relationship with their queer sibling, they asked the question of why, from an outside perspective, it may seem that queerness creates a closer bond, but sometimes, it doesn't matter and you can still pushes each other away.
As trans filmmakers, we feel that many queer stories never discuss the queerness within your interpersonal family. It takes a long time to sit down and figure out the truth we have now found: It's a privilege to have a sibling who understands the struggles of growing up trans or queer in a very cis/ heteronormative world. Queerness has more power to embrace than to diverge. We want to share that power.
BENNY (they/them)- is a 22-year-old punky queer bartender, navigating the complexities of adulthood while grappling with unresolved family issues. They organize the brain like a junk journal, blocking out tough moments and memorializing the happy memories. Their journey is one of self-discovery and reconciliation.
LEO (they/them)- is Benny's older sibling. The glass child, overlooked, straight As (mostly), and a painter. Once close, their relationship has been strained by time and misunderstandings. Leo's character embodies the challenges of balancing personal aspirations with familial responsibilities.
The visuals of “MENDING” serve to guide us in the experiences and memories of siblings BENNY and LEO. The animations and editing will combine the use of analog, stop-motion, digital, and hand drawn methods. Using both physical and digital collage techniques will capture the anger, frustration, and love that exist between the two siblings. Each era of the characters will have contrasting styles and tones, starting with innocent and lively as children to somber and heavy as adults.
Tag, you're it.
The score and songs of 'Mending' are inspired by the punk, riotgrrrl, trans, and queer bands of New York City combined with the visuals of a junk journal to enforce Benny's identity of being strong willed and powerful, through their love of these two interests.
The characters in this story create a tone that is very raw, empathetic and passionate for the strong familial love they share for one another. It creates a space for hard truths and admissions within this tense drama felt by Benny and by Leo.
What your contribution is going towards!
There are so many different expenses that go into making a film, and each department requires immense funds in order to do such a small portion of the film itself.
- Location (Where we will be filming part of the film)
- Paying our much deserved Cast & Crew
- Lighting Gear
- Camera Gear
- Set & Props Build
- Transportation for Equipment.
- Crafts & Services (feeding the mass of our company)
- Insurance
Share Our Film!
Instagram: @mendingsf
We cannot thank you enough for considering to donate to our small but mighty film! We are greenlit around $17,000 and looking to raise a little over $21,000.00 in funds for our production to happen! If you can even help a little bit we would be eternally grateful. If you can't, please follow our campaign (it helps us get on the front page of S&S) and our Instagram @mendingsf. Please share this campaign to people who would love to fund some young trans & queer filmmakers!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Package
Costs $3,600
Help us make our film look really professional and cool! This includes: Sony FX6, Canon Vintage Lenses, Monitors, and other Misc.
Storage
Costs $700
Help us store and share our film! Hard drives that make sure we get everything we need in no time and zero bumps along the way 🤞
Locations
Costs $500
Help film our child tent scene (oooo what is that?) by sponsoring an NYC space rental!
Meals & Crafty
Costs $1,320
Help us feed our cast and crew something delicious & nutritious! Queers gotta eat to eat. $15x12-peoplex4days (meals) & $150/day (crafty)
Cast Stipends
Costs $1,000
For our two brilliant and powerful cast members who have helped devise this film and make it what it is now and what it will become!
Camera Crew
Costs $1,600
That’s Lauren, our DP (hi, Lauren!) She insists that her AC’s, Sound, and DIT/2nd AC get paid first but this covers all of them ;)
G&E Crew
Costs $1,000
For our forthcoming G&E baddies (gender neutral). Flexing their muscles with the Herculean task of light, grip, and electric.
Production Crew
Costs $2,600
That’s our Lead Producer, Gabs, but this pays for AD, PD, Art Dept, H&…Imagine how much easier it will be with your generous contribution.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
SEAN HAFFEY- DIRECTOR (any pronouns) is originally from Cleveland, OH and is currently a multidisciplinary artist in Brooklyn, NY. Their goal on collaboration is to let every voice in the room be heard, why let things go unsaid. Sean works in art departments to scenic art to props from theatre to film. RECENT WORK: NFL SLIMETIME, A Winter's Tale at the Delacorte, Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) at the Public.
GABI ETHRIDGE- EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (she/they) is a Texas girl in New York (yeehaw). She makes movies, music, and theatre, with the goal of creating kindness and community through centering untold stories w/ inclusive art that is uplifting, honest, and fun. Recent production credits: The Crypto Castle (DCP+, Line Producer), Rabbit (upcoming TV series, Creative Executive Producer), I've Got You (Indie, Line Producer), Cymbeline (St Luke's Theatre, Producer). They're an actress around NYC and LA, graduate of Circle in the Square, RAC Member of Hamlet Isn’t Dead, and one part of the band 'gentlebitches'.
LAUREN DELLIGATTI- CINEMATOGRAPHER (she/they) a NYC based cinematographer and photographer originally from Ohio. She focuses on character driven and portrait oriented work that highlights emotion and subtle expression. Using light, color (or lack of), and composition, she shapes images that feel natural and relatable while incorporating stylized and experimental elements to elevate tone and atmosphere. She works across analog and digital formats while drawing inspiration from music and a deeply visual way of seeing the world. Her upbringing influences both her visual storytelling and approach on set. She values collaborative and inclusive environments where people feel comfortable, supported, and seen.
LYD NOLL- BENNY (they/them) is a writer, creator and producer for Mending, while also acting in the lead role of Benny. Based in Brooklyn, NY, Lyd is an award winning filmmaker and actor. Being trans-nonbinary, Lyd is passionate about making LGBTQ+ stories come to life, especially ones that inspire conversations about a better tomorrow.
GIGI BROWN- LEO (they/she) is a New York based actor originally from Washington, D.C. They are artistically driven by compassionate storytelling and bringing new works to life, but also possesses a passion for the (undiscovered) classics!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
'MENDING' is a short film experimenting with themes of what it means to have a queer sibling, atoning for past wrongs, and figuring out how you want to live. This short film will ask the question whether being queer strengths your bonds or pushes it further away?
The story follows Benny, who finds an old box of memorabilia they have forgotten about for many years. Realizing that they have been pushing down feelings of loss within their own family, Benny decides to final confront all those moment from their childhood through their own creative mind. They revisit old conversations of gender with their older sibling Leo, who they have not talked to since they were sixteen.
When the director of the film, Sean, was examining their own relationship with their queer sibling, they asked the question of why, from an outside perspective, it may seem that queerness creates a closer bond, but sometimes, it doesn't matter and you can still pushes each other away.
As trans filmmakers, we feel that many queer stories never discuss the queerness within your interpersonal family. It takes a long time to sit down and figure out the truth we have now found: It's a privilege to have a sibling who understands the struggles of growing up trans or queer in a very cis/ heteronormative world. Queerness has more power to embrace than to diverge. We want to share that power.
BENNY (they/them)- is a 22-year-old punky queer bartender, navigating the complexities of adulthood while grappling with unresolved family issues. They organize the brain like a junk journal, blocking out tough moments and memorializing the happy memories. Their journey is one of self-discovery and reconciliation.
LEO (they/them)- is Benny's older sibling. The glass child, overlooked, straight As (mostly), and a painter. Once close, their relationship has been strained by time and misunderstandings. Leo's character embodies the challenges of balancing personal aspirations with familial responsibilities.
The visuals of “MENDING” serve to guide us in the experiences and memories of siblings BENNY and LEO. The animations and editing will combine the use of analog, stop-motion, digital, and hand drawn methods. Using both physical and digital collage techniques will capture the anger, frustration, and love that exist between the two siblings. Each era of the characters will have contrasting styles and tones, starting with innocent and lively as children to somber and heavy as adults.
Tag, you're it.
The score and songs of 'Mending' are inspired by the punk, riotgrrrl, trans, and queer bands of New York City combined with the visuals of a junk journal to enforce Benny's identity of being strong willed and powerful, through their love of these two interests.
The characters in this story create a tone that is very raw, empathetic and passionate for the strong familial love they share for one another. It creates a space for hard truths and admissions within this tense drama felt by Benny and by Leo.
What your contribution is going towards!
There are so many different expenses that go into making a film, and each department requires immense funds in order to do such a small portion of the film itself.
- Location (Where we will be filming part of the film)
- Paying our much deserved Cast & Crew
- Lighting Gear
- Camera Gear
- Set & Props Build
- Transportation for Equipment.
- Crafts & Services (feeding the mass of our company)
- Insurance
Share Our Film!
Instagram: @mendingsf
We cannot thank you enough for considering to donate to our small but mighty film! We are greenlit around $17,000 and looking to raise a little over $21,000.00 in funds for our production to happen! If you can even help a little bit we would be eternally grateful. If you can't, please follow our campaign (it helps us get on the front page of S&S) and our Instagram @mendingsf. Please share this campaign to people who would love to fund some young trans & queer filmmakers!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Package
Costs $3,600
Help us make our film look really professional and cool! This includes: Sony FX6, Canon Vintage Lenses, Monitors, and other Misc.
Storage
Costs $700
Help us store and share our film! Hard drives that make sure we get everything we need in no time and zero bumps along the way 🤞
Locations
Costs $500
Help film our child tent scene (oooo what is that?) by sponsoring an NYC space rental!
Meals & Crafty
Costs $1,320
Help us feed our cast and crew something delicious & nutritious! Queers gotta eat to eat. $15x12-peoplex4days (meals) & $150/day (crafty)
Cast Stipends
Costs $1,000
For our two brilliant and powerful cast members who have helped devise this film and make it what it is now and what it will become!
Camera Crew
Costs $1,600
That’s Lauren, our DP (hi, Lauren!) She insists that her AC’s, Sound, and DIT/2nd AC get paid first but this covers all of them ;)
G&E Crew
Costs $1,000
For our forthcoming G&E baddies (gender neutral). Flexing their muscles with the Herculean task of light, grip, and electric.
Production Crew
Costs $2,600
That’s our Lead Producer, Gabs, but this pays for AD, PD, Art Dept, H&…Imagine how much easier it will be with your generous contribution.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
SEAN HAFFEY- DIRECTOR (any pronouns) is originally from Cleveland, OH and is currently a multidisciplinary artist in Brooklyn, NY. Their goal on collaboration is to let every voice in the room be heard, why let things go unsaid. Sean works in art departments to scenic art to props from theatre to film. RECENT WORK: NFL SLIMETIME, A Winter's Tale at the Delacorte, Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) at the Public.
GABI ETHRIDGE- EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (she/they) is a Texas girl in New York (yeehaw). She makes movies, music, and theatre, with the goal of creating kindness and community through centering untold stories w/ inclusive art that is uplifting, honest, and fun. Recent production credits: The Crypto Castle (DCP+, Line Producer), Rabbit (upcoming TV series, Creative Executive Producer), I've Got You (Indie, Line Producer), Cymbeline (St Luke's Theatre, Producer). They're an actress around NYC and LA, graduate of Circle in the Square, RAC Member of Hamlet Isn’t Dead, and one part of the band 'gentlebitches'.
LAUREN DELLIGATTI- CINEMATOGRAPHER (she/they) a NYC based cinematographer and photographer originally from Ohio. She focuses on character driven and portrait oriented work that highlights emotion and subtle expression. Using light, color (or lack of), and composition, she shapes images that feel natural and relatable while incorporating stylized and experimental elements to elevate tone and atmosphere. She works across analog and digital formats while drawing inspiration from music and a deeply visual way of seeing the world. Her upbringing influences both her visual storytelling and approach on set. She values collaborative and inclusive environments where people feel comfortable, supported, and seen.
LYD NOLL- BENNY (they/them) is a writer, creator and producer for Mending, while also acting in the lead role of Benny. Based in Brooklyn, NY, Lyd is an award winning filmmaker and actor. Being trans-nonbinary, Lyd is passionate about making LGBTQ+ stories come to life, especially ones that inspire conversations about a better tomorrow.
GIGI BROWN- LEO (they/she) is a New York based actor originally from Washington, D.C. They are artistically driven by compassionate storytelling and bringing new works to life, but also possesses a passion for the (undiscovered) classics!