Missing Rhythms Short Film
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Thriller
Missing Rhythms is a Black women centered-psychological thriller that follows a woman who must use to rhythm to remember her true identity and fight being lost forever. Our film makes history as the first project fiscally sponsored by 501(c)3 Black Film Space making your contribution tax-deductible!
Missing Rhythms Short Film
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Thriller
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $25,001 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
154 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Missing Rhythms is a Black women centered-psychological thriller that follows a woman who must use to rhythm to remember her true identity and fight being lost forever. Our film makes history as the first project fiscally sponsored by 501(c)3 Black Film Space making your contribution tax-deductible!
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
In a mysterious insane asylum full of missing Black women, one woman must use rhythm to remember her true identity and fight being lost forever behind the ominous Blue Door.
Through a psychological thriller lens, MISSING RHYTHMS centers a Black woman who—after awakening from an amnesic state—must fight to remember her identity in a world that wants to erase her.
When she and her fellow test subjects slowly regain memory of the versions of themselves that were nearly destroyed, they conspire to break free of the oppressive organization that seeks to contain them at the risk of being forgotten forever...
If you’re a fan of psychological thriller films with social commentary such as Jordan Peele’s Get Out or Us, or TV shows with dystopian realities like Handmaid’s Tale or Black Mirror, chances are you will enjoy our film centering Black women.
Visually, we will be playing with cool tones and chilling wide shots to immerse us in the eerie world of the insane asylum. We will then use things like warm, extreme close ups to give us a glimpse inside the memories of our protagonist, serving as a stark contrast to the insane asylum world.
Here are 3 REASONS WHY this film is needed now:
1. The Curious Case of Black People Being Consistently Questioned
Aja penned the script after being profoundly saddened after repeatedly coming across news stories of Black women who were punished for their successes being incongruent to the institutional racist representations of Black people that permeate this country. Within our team and in the media, there's a recurring pattern where Black women and Black individuals in general face disbelief and skepticism about their identities stemming from various problematic reasons. Assumptions about their wealth or lack thereof to be sitting in first class (source), Racial profiling while renting an AirBnb with their family (source), questioning their professional standing and ability to own luxury vehicles (source), and doubts about their intelligence to even be able to attend certain universities (an actual experience Regina had) are all unfortunate but very real examples of this prevalent issue.
2. Amplifying the Overlooked Cases of Missing Black Persons
Additionally, in 2022, despite 214,582 reported missing persons of color, the media historically underreports them, particularly in cases involving African-Americans, who, though constituting just 13 percent of the population, account for 40 percent of missing persons (source).
3. The Film Industry Pledged Inclusivity That Hasn't Happened. Let's Fix That!
After the events of 2020 including the death of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, many companies pledged inclusivity, particularly in entertainment. However, a 2023 USC report revealed that Hollywood's commitments were performative, with only 14 women among the top 116 directors of the highest-grossing domestic films. Of these 14 women only 4 were women of color and just 1 a Black woman. (source)
Our film addresses all of the above timely issues and then some. This project has been in the works for nearly 5 years after Aja first approached Regina with the script. After several drafts, much development, one pandemic and two historic entertainment industry strikes later, safe to say the time is NOW to bring this compelling narrative to screen.
Our goal for this film is to highlight these issues in an empowering and humanizing way. We are intentionally assembling a team made up almost entirely of Black, women, and POC filmmakers across all stages of production as we strive to quite literally be the change we desire to see in this industry. We see this film as an opportunity to move the people not only through impactful visual storytelling, but also by creating on a holistic level, offering opportunities to the often misrepresented and unprotected behind the scenes as well. We are a group of young working professionals who come equipped with experience and an array of unique and diverse perspectives not often at the forefront of the current TV/Film landscape, and believe we are more than capable of telling this long overdue story.
In total, we need to raise $50,000 to complete the film. This would be enough to shoot, edit, and submit it to festivals. While $25,000 wouldn't cover all costs of the film from start to finish, it would be enough for us to cover the bulk of PRODUCTION, covering important costs such as cast & crew wages and production insurance by the end of Black History Month (February 2024). We have some extremely talented cast and crew already on board who we are excited to announce, and it is crucial to ensure that everyone is properly compensated.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Seed & Spark only pays out if 80% of the goal is reached, meaning that we need to reach at least 80% of our goal in 30 days or we don’t receive anything and all your donations revert back to you. Every dollar counts and brings us that much closer to making this film happen!
Q: What happens when you make your initial $25K fundraising goal?
A: Woo! This means we can now push to reach our…
Stretch Goals:
- $30,000 - Locations! The psychological thriller genre allows us to immerse viewers in a compelling cinematic experience. Reaching a stretch goal of $30,000 will support us in covering the costs of essential locations, enhancing this crucial aspect of visual storytelling.
- $35,000 - Equipment! We all want to make something we’re proud of and more importantly, we want to create a high-quality product that our supporters and audiences can enjoy. Reaching $35,000 helps us to pay for the cost of added equipment rentals and expendables that will elevate the viewing experience.
- $40,000 - Production Design! Things like set design, costumes, and props give a film that added element of feeling fully lived in. Reaching a stretch goal of $40,000 will go towards increasing our art department budget as well as be used to purchase art pieces to be featured in the film created by independent Black artists.
- $50,000 - PRAISE! Reaching $50K not only means that we have successfully completed filming, but our project can now be fully edited and the entirety of our amazing post-production team can be compensated. Hitting this milestone also provides us with the essential budget for film festivals and marketing, ensuring that this film gets out there for audiences like YOU to see!
Beyond crowdfunding, we're actively seeking additional grants and welcoming in-kind donations for locations, food, art, props, and costumes. For non-monetary contributions, please contact [email protected].
Exciting news! MISSING RHYTHMS is making history as the first project to be fiscally sponsored by the 501(c)3 Black Film Space, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a community of Black filmmakers through skill enhancing and community building events.This groundbreaking collaboration means that your contribution to our Seed & Spark campaign can be tax-deductible!
We are so grateful to everyone who has joined the journey thus far and look forward to welcoming new supporters! Here are some ways to keep with us and the project:
- Sign up for our newsletter: SIGN UP
- Follow REGINA, our Director on Instagram: @reginahoyles
- Follow AJA, our Writer on Instagram: @ajaoneandonly
- Follow RLH PRODUCTIONS on Instagram: @rlhproductions
- Visit our website: https://rlhprod.com/missingrhythms
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Locations
Costs $6,000
The insane asylum location is a major part of this film and we are going to need help securing the eeriest asylum that ever lived!
Catering
Costs $1,000
Our talented cast and crew will definitely be working up an appetite so we will need hearty lunches to feed everyone for 3 days!
Insurance
Costs $2,700
Production insurance ensures the safety of all involved and is a requirement for any professional film set!
Crafty (Snacks)
Costs $350
In between meals, it helps to have something to snack on to keep the energy up! For this reason, crafty is a MUST.
Cast Wages
Costs $6,900
Our project is being done under the SAG-AFTRA Short Project Agreement and we'll be paying all of our main cast union scale wages!
Equipment
Costs $5,000
We want this film to look and sound it's best. Quality equipment rentals are key to making a film we all can be proud of!
Production Design
Costs $2,000
Details matter and great Production Design has the power to elevate any story and can be the one thing to put a film over the top!
Production Expenses
Costs $1,050
General production expenses include things like production supplies, PPE, and hard drives!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Our team is spearheaded by Black women and comprised of an incredible team of women and POC filmmakers.
REGINA HOYLES, DIRECTOR / PRODUCER
Regina Hoyles is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and performer based in LA and originally from the south suburbs of Chicago. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Regina is the founder of RLH Productions. Her works have garnered numerous festival selections and several awards such as the Black Girls Rock! Film Fest award for "Best Screenplay," the Blackstar Film Festival Lionsgate/STARZ Producer Award, the LA Diversity Film Festival Diversity in the Arts Award among others. Her directorial debut, ADULLAM, received distribution on REVOLT TV’s anthology series, “Short and Fresh. She produced two multi-award winning shorts directed by Felicia Pride, tender and Look Back At It starring Angel Laketa Moore and also produced and starred in the proof of concept short film WELCOME HOME written and directed by Jo Rochelle which was recently completed. As a writer, Regina was recently staffed on a new animated Disney series. As an actor, she can be seen guest starring on shows like THE MARVELOUS MS. MAISEL (Amazon), THE CHI (Showtime), ALL RISE (OWN) and 9-1-1: LONE STAR (FOX).
AJA HOUSTON, WRITER
Aja Houston is a nomadic playwright from Everywhere, USA due to an army brat adjacent childhood. Aja creates with passion, politics, and magic to boldly build off-kilter, uncanny worlds to tell monolith-breaking Black stories led by multi-faceted Black women. Starting her career as an actress in London, NYC, and San Francisco she moved to LA shifting to writing, earning her MFA in Dramatic Writing from the University of Southern California. Currently, Aja is developing “Ladyville” a socio-political horror TV series and her play, HERe, will be produced by the LA based Ammunition Theatre Company in the winter of 2024. To learn more about Aja’s work visit ajahouston.com
TONI ADEYEMI, PRODUCER
Toni Adeyemi is a Nigerian multi-hyphenate who is passionate about creating authentic stories for marginalized communities. She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Communications. Since then, she has worked in the entertainment industry as a consultant and coordinator, where she developed a keen understanding of what makes a compelling narrative. As an award-winning writer, producer, actor and editor, Toni brings a range of talent and experience to their projects. She created DOWN BAD, a dramedy TV pilot which won Best Web Series at the International Black & Diversity Film Festival. As a producer, she has worked on short films like CHAKRAS FOR SALE and VIOLET BLUE, both currently on the festival circuit. As an actor, Toni was recently featured in a national ad campaign for Apple's Vision Pro.
JULIE BERSANI, PRODUCER
A graduate of NYU Tisch and founder of Black Poppy Productions, which specializes in developing and producing uniquely told stories that value imagination and representation. Julie has produced critically acclaimed content across the mediums of theatre, film, and music videos for artists and clients including John Legend and The Grammys. Feature films include LAND OF GOLD (MAX); DYLAN & ZOEY (STARZ); and BACK TO LYLA (VOD). She is also a founding member of Los Angeles based Ammunition Theatre Company. BPP also offers an online crash course in line producing, which is available through the company website www.blackpoppyproductions.com.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
In a mysterious insane asylum full of missing Black women, one woman must use rhythm to remember her true identity and fight being lost forever behind the ominous Blue Door.
Through a psychological thriller lens, MISSING RHYTHMS centers a Black woman who—after awakening from an amnesic state—must fight to remember her identity in a world that wants to erase her.
When she and her fellow test subjects slowly regain memory of the versions of themselves that were nearly destroyed, they conspire to break free of the oppressive organization that seeks to contain them at the risk of being forgotten forever...
If you’re a fan of psychological thriller films with social commentary such as Jordan Peele’s Get Out or Us, or TV shows with dystopian realities like Handmaid’s Tale or Black Mirror, chances are you will enjoy our film centering Black women.
Visually, we will be playing with cool tones and chilling wide shots to immerse us in the eerie world of the insane asylum. We will then use things like warm, extreme close ups to give us a glimpse inside the memories of our protagonist, serving as a stark contrast to the insane asylum world.
Here are 3 REASONS WHY this film is needed now:
1. The Curious Case of Black People Being Consistently Questioned
Aja penned the script after being profoundly saddened after repeatedly coming across news stories of Black women who were punished for their successes being incongruent to the institutional racist representations of Black people that permeate this country. Within our team and in the media, there's a recurring pattern where Black women and Black individuals in general face disbelief and skepticism about their identities stemming from various problematic reasons. Assumptions about their wealth or lack thereof to be sitting in first class (source), Racial profiling while renting an AirBnb with their family (source), questioning their professional standing and ability to own luxury vehicles (source), and doubts about their intelligence to even be able to attend certain universities (an actual experience Regina had) are all unfortunate but very real examples of this prevalent issue.
2. Amplifying the Overlooked Cases of Missing Black Persons
Additionally, in 2022, despite 214,582 reported missing persons of color, the media historically underreports them, particularly in cases involving African-Americans, who, though constituting just 13 percent of the population, account for 40 percent of missing persons (source).
3. The Film Industry Pledged Inclusivity That Hasn't Happened. Let's Fix That!
After the events of 2020 including the death of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, many companies pledged inclusivity, particularly in entertainment. However, a 2023 USC report revealed that Hollywood's commitments were performative, with only 14 women among the top 116 directors of the highest-grossing domestic films. Of these 14 women only 4 were women of color and just 1 a Black woman. (source)
Our film addresses all of the above timely issues and then some. This project has been in the works for nearly 5 years after Aja first approached Regina with the script. After several drafts, much development, one pandemic and two historic entertainment industry strikes later, safe to say the time is NOW to bring this compelling narrative to screen.
Our goal for this film is to highlight these issues in an empowering and humanizing way. We are intentionally assembling a team made up almost entirely of Black, women, and POC filmmakers across all stages of production as we strive to quite literally be the change we desire to see in this industry. We see this film as an opportunity to move the people not only through impactful visual storytelling, but also by creating on a holistic level, offering opportunities to the often misrepresented and unprotected behind the scenes as well. We are a group of young working professionals who come equipped with experience and an array of unique and diverse perspectives not often at the forefront of the current TV/Film landscape, and believe we are more than capable of telling this long overdue story.
In total, we need to raise $50,000 to complete the film. This would be enough to shoot, edit, and submit it to festivals. While $25,000 wouldn't cover all costs of the film from start to finish, it would be enough for us to cover the bulk of PRODUCTION, covering important costs such as cast & crew wages and production insurance by the end of Black History Month (February 2024). We have some extremely talented cast and crew already on board who we are excited to announce, and it is crucial to ensure that everyone is properly compensated.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Seed & Spark only pays out if 80% of the goal is reached, meaning that we need to reach at least 80% of our goal in 30 days or we don’t receive anything and all your donations revert back to you. Every dollar counts and brings us that much closer to making this film happen!
Q: What happens when you make your initial $25K fundraising goal?
A: Woo! This means we can now push to reach our…
Stretch Goals:
- $30,000 - Locations! The psychological thriller genre allows us to immerse viewers in a compelling cinematic experience. Reaching a stretch goal of $30,000 will support us in covering the costs of essential locations, enhancing this crucial aspect of visual storytelling.
- $35,000 - Equipment! We all want to make something we’re proud of and more importantly, we want to create a high-quality product that our supporters and audiences can enjoy. Reaching $35,000 helps us to pay for the cost of added equipment rentals and expendables that will elevate the viewing experience.
- $40,000 - Production Design! Things like set design, costumes, and props give a film that added element of feeling fully lived in. Reaching a stretch goal of $40,000 will go towards increasing our art department budget as well as be used to purchase art pieces to be featured in the film created by independent Black artists.
- $50,000 - PRAISE! Reaching $50K not only means that we have successfully completed filming, but our project can now be fully edited and the entirety of our amazing post-production team can be compensated. Hitting this milestone also provides us with the essential budget for film festivals and marketing, ensuring that this film gets out there for audiences like YOU to see!
Beyond crowdfunding, we're actively seeking additional grants and welcoming in-kind donations for locations, food, art, props, and costumes. For non-monetary contributions, please contact [email protected].
Exciting news! MISSING RHYTHMS is making history as the first project to be fiscally sponsored by the 501(c)3 Black Film Space, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a community of Black filmmakers through skill enhancing and community building events.This groundbreaking collaboration means that your contribution to our Seed & Spark campaign can be tax-deductible!
We are so grateful to everyone who has joined the journey thus far and look forward to welcoming new supporters! Here are some ways to keep with us and the project:
- Sign up for our newsletter: SIGN UP
- Follow REGINA, our Director on Instagram: @reginahoyles
- Follow AJA, our Writer on Instagram: @ajaoneandonly
- Follow RLH PRODUCTIONS on Instagram: @rlhproductions
- Visit our website: https://rlhprod.com/missingrhythms
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Locations
Costs $6,000
The insane asylum location is a major part of this film and we are going to need help securing the eeriest asylum that ever lived!
Catering
Costs $1,000
Our talented cast and crew will definitely be working up an appetite so we will need hearty lunches to feed everyone for 3 days!
Insurance
Costs $2,700
Production insurance ensures the safety of all involved and is a requirement for any professional film set!
Crafty (Snacks)
Costs $350
In between meals, it helps to have something to snack on to keep the energy up! For this reason, crafty is a MUST.
Cast Wages
Costs $6,900
Our project is being done under the SAG-AFTRA Short Project Agreement and we'll be paying all of our main cast union scale wages!
Equipment
Costs $5,000
We want this film to look and sound it's best. Quality equipment rentals are key to making a film we all can be proud of!
Production Design
Costs $2,000
Details matter and great Production Design has the power to elevate any story and can be the one thing to put a film over the top!
Production Expenses
Costs $1,050
General production expenses include things like production supplies, PPE, and hard drives!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Our team is spearheaded by Black women and comprised of an incredible team of women and POC filmmakers.
REGINA HOYLES, DIRECTOR / PRODUCER
Regina Hoyles is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and performer based in LA and originally from the south suburbs of Chicago. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Regina is the founder of RLH Productions. Her works have garnered numerous festival selections and several awards such as the Black Girls Rock! Film Fest award for "Best Screenplay," the Blackstar Film Festival Lionsgate/STARZ Producer Award, the LA Diversity Film Festival Diversity in the Arts Award among others. Her directorial debut, ADULLAM, received distribution on REVOLT TV’s anthology series, “Short and Fresh. She produced two multi-award winning shorts directed by Felicia Pride, tender and Look Back At It starring Angel Laketa Moore and also produced and starred in the proof of concept short film WELCOME HOME written and directed by Jo Rochelle which was recently completed. As a writer, Regina was recently staffed on a new animated Disney series. As an actor, she can be seen guest starring on shows like THE MARVELOUS MS. MAISEL (Amazon), THE CHI (Showtime), ALL RISE (OWN) and 9-1-1: LONE STAR (FOX).
AJA HOUSTON, WRITER
Aja Houston is a nomadic playwright from Everywhere, USA due to an army brat adjacent childhood. Aja creates with passion, politics, and magic to boldly build off-kilter, uncanny worlds to tell monolith-breaking Black stories led by multi-faceted Black women. Starting her career as an actress in London, NYC, and San Francisco she moved to LA shifting to writing, earning her MFA in Dramatic Writing from the University of Southern California. Currently, Aja is developing “Ladyville” a socio-political horror TV series and her play, HERe, will be produced by the LA based Ammunition Theatre Company in the winter of 2024. To learn more about Aja’s work visit ajahouston.com
TONI ADEYEMI, PRODUCER
Toni Adeyemi is a Nigerian multi-hyphenate who is passionate about creating authentic stories for marginalized communities. She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Communications. Since then, she has worked in the entertainment industry as a consultant and coordinator, where she developed a keen understanding of what makes a compelling narrative. As an award-winning writer, producer, actor and editor, Toni brings a range of talent and experience to their projects. She created DOWN BAD, a dramedy TV pilot which won Best Web Series at the International Black & Diversity Film Festival. As a producer, she has worked on short films like CHAKRAS FOR SALE and VIOLET BLUE, both currently on the festival circuit. As an actor, Toni was recently featured in a national ad campaign for Apple's Vision Pro.
JULIE BERSANI, PRODUCER
A graduate of NYU Tisch and founder of Black Poppy Productions, which specializes in developing and producing uniquely told stories that value imagination and representation. Julie has produced critically acclaimed content across the mediums of theatre, film, and music videos for artists and clients including John Legend and The Grammys. Feature films include LAND OF GOLD (MAX); DYLAN & ZOEY (STARZ); and BACK TO LYLA (VOD). She is also a founding member of Los Angeles based Ammunition Theatre Company. BPP also offers an online crash course in line producing, which is available through the company website www.blackpoppyproductions.com.