Our story begins in the middle. While seeking a stolen artifact, a young, determined elf has enlisted the help of an unlikely ally: Mintrix Vandalore, an alluring bard with singular skills. The two of them set off on a path of discovery and redemption, from a silky parlor to the bowels of ruined catacombs.

However, a violent cult also covets the artifact and, even now, pursues the pair of adventurers across the land. The only way to outsmart the cultists is to trust, but trust comes at a price…

Our goal with this story is to showcase the full talents of our cast and crew and provide a glimpse into a new universe of stories waiting to be told. Kimberly Woods brings her longtime role-playing character, Mintrix, to the screen for the first time, alongside Valeria Rodriguez, playing Nape. Kiff Vandenheuvel plays the relentless cult leader, Crahdol, and acclaimed voice actor, Dave Fennoy, makes a guest appearance as Reeve, the innkeeper. Behind the camera, we have Natalia Moscoso, a member of the Chicana Director’s Initiative, as our cinematographer to capture the striking imagery of this dynamic, magical adventure. Longtime collaborator, director Andrew Jordan works with Kimberly to bring this character to life.

The Crew - everyone involved is a working professional in Los Angeles. The director and lead actor have produced multiple long-form documentaries, a horror feature (BnB Hell), the web series “Chicks Flippin' The Script”, the multi-narrative short “Heartprints”, and more. The cast has voiced and acted in dozens of films, TV shows, video games, animated series, and commercials. We're independent producers trying to make our way in a very siloed and consolidated industry.

The Story - If you want to encourage original stories created by fresh and unique voices, this is the place. If you love Fantasy, and want to see more women, BIPOC, and queer stories centered in the genre you love, join us on our quest. There are lots of fellow nerds creating original fantasy in other media like Live-Play, Web Series, and Graphic Novels…we want to bring that same energy to film.

Now, more than ever, stories like this need your support. With rights being rolled back and discrimination enabled by recent Supreme Court rulings, we can't rely on institutions alone to protect the values we share. At the same time, major corporations dominate genre franchises, stifling new IP and revisiting stories and characters that are decades old. That’s why we’re making this film. Your contribution helps us push back against these trends and celebrate the diversity that strengthens our society. We’re bringing marginalized talent and voices to the forefront. Our film is a blend of gritty fantasy and stark reality that also finds space for optimism and wonder. By donating now, you're doing more than supporting our film, you're sending a message of unity and acceptance, as well as employing artists during a challenging time. Let's make a difference together.

Message in Support of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes: 

Our team stands in solidarity with WGA and SAG-AFTRA members in their fight for a fair contract.  Mintrix and the Elven Figurine is not under the same contract currently struck with the AMPTP. We are independent producers who believe in fair pay and equity and will be working under a SAG-AFTRA approved contract for our talent.  Small independent projects like ours can help provide a lifeline to crew and artists affected by the strikes.

Kimberly Woods is an American actress, award-winning voice over artist and film producer. After graduating from Princeton with a degree in neuroscience and theatre, she moved to Los Angeles to start her career. You may have seen her in shows like Barry and Westworld or heard her in Archer and Street Fighter 6. Growing up in America as a multiracial woman of color, racial equality and uplifting diverse stories have always been important to her. 

Producer’s statement:

As a Black/Latina/Indigenous woman, I don't often see myself as the lead in fantasy. I want to play a part in changing that. Mintrix is a character that I've created. She's intelligent, complicated, and like a medieval, female James Bond. She's also pansexual, and we don't see enough queer representation in fantasy.

Valeria Rodriguez hails from Cancun, Mexico, and has done voice work for Nickelodeon, MGA Entertainment, The Coca-Cola company, Apple, Genshin Impact, and many other projects and companies. She is currently a series regular on Monster High.

Valeria considers herself a nerdy, geeky extrovert with entirely too many ideas, and not enough time. She has been a Dungeon Master for over 7 years, running Dungeons and Dragons, among other TTRPGs, both professionally and with her close group of friends. With a large pantheon of gods, rich history for the diverse races of her planets, and intricate plotlines and stories, Valeria hopes to someday publish her own D&D source books, and share her world with the rest of us.

Kiff VandenHeuvel has been working in VO since 1996 and has worked in all realms of VO, from TV and radio commercials, audiobooks, animation, and video games such as BIOSHOCK: INFINITE, STAR WARS: SQUADRONS, SPIDER-MAN to name a few.   

Kiff also has extensive on-camera experience as wide ranging as series regular on Netflix's family series RICHIE RICH to roles in BEHIND THE CANDELABRA, NIGHTCRAWLER, LA LA LAND, BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE. and THE LITTLE THINGS. Kiff has also appeared on the TV shows YOUNG ROCK, BOSCH: LEGACY, MOM, THE L WORD: GENERATION Q, NCIS, PARKS AND RECREATION, THE ROOKIE, THIS IS US, I'M DYING UP HERE, BASKETS, and many others.

Dave Fennoy has been a voiceover pro since the 90’s and has been named by IMDB as "one of the 20 best male game voices of all time." Dave has voiced a multitude of characters in over 500 games. He has been nominated for industry awards, including a BAFTA, and won a Dice and Machinima award for his work.

Andrew Jordan is a writer, filmmaker, graphic artist and editor working in Los Angeles. He grew up in Indiana and Vermont and has been working with video and computer graphics since the age of 13. He’s directed over twenty short films & video projects and received his degree from the Department of Art & Archaeology at Princeton. He directed and edited his first feature film in 2017. Recently, he has edited two feature documentaries, Leveling Lincoln: An Integration Story and Tender Points: A Fibromyalgia Journey.

Natalia Moscoso is a queer Mexican-American cinematographer based in Los Angeles. She is the first in her family to pursue a film related career. Natalia graduated from Cal. State University Northridge with a BA in Film & Television Arts, with a minor in psychology.

Seeing cinematography through a psychological lens, Natalia is able to express emotion through her work, whether it's a bigger-than-life moment or a more organic sentiment on the screen. 

Jillian Terwedo-Malsbury is an American filmmaker with a passion for storytelling.  She has been a dedicated script supervisor for the last twelve years and recently transitioned into the roles of director and producer. Jillian grew up in Sacramento California and graduated from Cal State Northridge with a B.A. in Film & Television Arts. 

Jillian loves the way a great story can change someone’s life and point of view. She’s passionate about being a part of the creative process and working with kind, talented, and hard-working people

Michelle Lynette Bush is a versatile, dedicated, and imaginative Costume Designer based in Los Angeles, with more than 20 years of experience designing costumes for theatre, film, and television. She began her career on the stages of Chicago theatre, where she won several awards

for her theatrical Costume Design. Her passion for the art of costume design led her to Los Angeles in 2003 topursue the craft in the mediums of Film and Television.Michelle is now a devoted filmmaker who loves to collaborate with other creative and talented artists. Her

vast knowledge of the history of fashion enables her to bring characters and stories to life in every genre, from period pieces to contemporary stories and beyond.

Lukas Resheske is an anti-capitalist capitalist, writer, and Finder of Funds for the Mintrix series. He runs a few companies, lives in the woods, and is dad to Loki, a 11 year old Aussie. If this film looks like it’s under budget, it’s Lukas’ fault. 

As we mentioned before, equity and equal pay is important to us. We're championing diverse talent and voices, and we want to pay them fairly for their work.

Filmmaking is expensive, and making a fantasy film, even more so. Every little bit helps, and we have fun additional perks and content planned for our goals along the journey.

If we reach $24,400 this project is a go! Unlock a special teaser scene for this film as a thank you!

At $28,000 our production is funded, and we can pay our cast and crew, afford the locations and meet our basic production goals. 

Stretch Goals

We can rise to the occasion! Above $28,000, we will be able to improve production value and the look of the film. We can also budget more for post production and roll some of the funds toward development of the next Mintrix film. 

We are planning to shoot 3 days at the end of August 2023. We intend to move into post-production afterwards, and have the film completed with a target of midwinter of this year.

OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT

IIf you'd like to aid us on our filmmaking quest, but aren't able to contribute financially, there are many other ways you can still show your support!

• Follow @mintrixfilm on social media for updates and behind-the-scenes fun
• Share our campaign on your socials and inspire others to donate by posting something like: “Support @mintrixfilm on @seedandspark!"
• Follow us here on Seed&Spark! (it's free!) If we hit 250 followers, we'll unlock creator discounts, products, services, and festival fee waivers for this and future projects, courtesy of Seed&Spark!
• In-kind services. If you'd like to contribute your expertise or other services, reach out to us at [email protected]