On the Subject of Mortality
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama
In "On the Subject of Mortality", a young interviewer reckons with her life's transience by interviewing a mortician, a Rabbi, and an elderly woman. It's about unpacking the rationalizations we construct to deal with dying and a struggle to make the meaning of death, and life, one's own.
Green Light
This campaign raised $1,300 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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In "On the Subject of Mortality", a young interviewer reckons with her life's transience by interviewing a mortician, a Rabbi, and an elderly woman. It's about unpacking the rationalizations we construct to deal with dying and a struggle to make the meaning of death, and life, one's own.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
On The Subject of Mortality is a pseudo-documentary that follows an impatient, young interviewer as she reckons with the concept of mortality by interviewing an infuriatingly rational mortician, a dedicated Rabbi, and an uneasy but kind elderly woman, searching for her life's meaning through their unique perspectives about the nature of death.
This short film challenges the rationalizations society creates to deal with the reality of mortality, deconstructing them through the lens of the disabled and those anxious about death as an unsatisfied interviewer, lost in memory, pushes back against the answers she's receiving. The story moves fluidly between the past and present, crossing the bounds between the interviewer and her interviewees, to assert that, when it comes to the meaning of death, sometimes there is no overarching answer. Sometimes, it's just bad.
This Story's Importance
It's so easy for us to think of disabilities and chronic illnesses as rarities, something that only occurs to the "other". Never mind that 16% of the world's population experiences a significant physical disability or that approximately 150 million Americans suffer from at least one chronic disease, these realities are often too scary for our society to confront or address (WHO, 2023). However, there is an increasing demand for answers, insights, and overall conversation about these topics as they become more and more prevalent.
After one year of the COVID-19 pandemic, America's civilian population aged 16 years and over had a 1.2 million increase in people who identified as having a disability (Roberts et al., 2022). Chronic illnesses have been increasing in prevalence every year since 2004, and not only among older adults (Hayes, 2020). Young adults, teens, and children have also been experiencing higher rates of chronic diseases, and this trajectory is expected to continue.
When diagnosed with a disability or chronic illness, how are people supposed to feel? How are they supposed to think about their lives, especially if their life expectancies are now shorter than they previously thought? We deserve answers, we deserve community, and we deserve reassurance as we re-evaluate our lives and our deaths.
On The Subject of Mortality champions the seemingly simple yet unbelievably freeing message that the meaning of our deaths, and our lives, is something we can only determine for ourselves. We don't have to accept answers that don't feel right or buy into reasoning that works for the healthy and able-bodied. We need this story because it brings the worries of the disabled and chronically ill to the forefront of the conversation around mortality, a perspective that's consistently overlooked but incredibly necessary.
Our Plan
We plan to film On The Subject of Mortality in late October of this year, complete it by mid-2025, and submit it to film festivals. The money raised from this campaign will cover transportation, food for our incredible cast and crew, production design, and extra equipment. $1,000 is the minimum amount we need to create this film, but raising more than that will help make this project the best it can be! Our stretch goal is $1,500, which would allow us to rent additional equipment such as monitors and more lenses, as well as submit to even more film festivals. Please, share the link to this campaign and follow us @onthesubjectofmortality on Instagram for more information and updates!
Disclaimer: Images used are not the property of On The Subject of Mortality or its associated creators. Inspiration and comparison images are from:
- Lingua Franca (Dir. Isabel Sandoval, 2020), Atlanta (Dir. Donald Glover, 2022), L'une chante, l'autre pas (Dir. Agnès Varda, 1976), After Life (Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda, 1998), and Michael Collins (Dir. Neil Jordan, 1996)
Citations:
- Hayes, T. O. (2020, November 24). Chronic disease in the United States: A worsening health and economic crisis. AAF.
- Roberts, L., Ives-Rublee, M., & Khattar, R. (2022, April 11). Covid-19 likely resulted in 1.2 million more disabled people by the end of 2021-workplaces and Policy will need to adapt. Center for American Progress.
- World Health Organization. (2023, March 7). Disability. World Health Organization.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Craft Services
Costs $435
We need to keep our incredible cast and crew fed and hydrated!
Transportation
Costs $250
This will cover the costs of transporting equipment, cast, and crew to and from set.
Production Design
Costs $150
Costumes, props, and set pieces to help accurately and lovingly depict unique perspectives on death.
Extra Equipment
Costs $165
Hard drives, batteries, gaff tape, and everything else needed to help our set run smoothly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Director
Maya Koenig
Maya, is a junior at NYU majoring in Film & TV with a passion for sound design. Her work has been featured in various festivals including All American High School Film Festival, FROSTBITE International Indie Fest, and the Arlington Student Film Festival. Maya was a 2022 YoungArts Foundation winner in the film category, as well as a 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts. She is always endeavoring to make art accessible and highlight disabled, queer, and female-focused stories that foster empathy and ask the hard questions. She is so excited to make this film a reality!
Executive Producer
Kate Fugitt
Kate Fugitt is an award-winning producer and editor, currently a junior at NYU majoring in Film & Television with minors in Producing and Psychology. Her work has been showcased at various festivals including The Museum of the Moving Image Teen Festival, All American High School Film Festival, and The White Rabbit Film Festival. Kate is a member of DKA, NYU’s Cinematic society; she has served on the executive board for the past year. This fall she is interning with ScreenCrush as an Editor. She’s beyond excited to be a part of the producing team!
Producer
Mira Khera
Mira Khera is a junior at NYU, majoring in Film and Television at Tisch and minoring in Business Entertainment Media and Technology. She has a deep passion for sound design, editing, producing, and animation, and is dedicated to telling diverse stories that resonate with audiences. This summer, she had the incredible opportunity to create medical animations for VR/AR applications, aimed at enhancing medical education. She is thrilled to contribute to this exciting project!
Cinematographer
Ella Brinckerhoff
Ella is a Director of Photography in her Junior year at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, majoring in Film and Television. She is a queer, female filmmaker focused on making art that reflects her personal experience and values. She has a focus in Cinematography, determined to portray a variety of visually compelling narratives for all types of storytelling, with an emphasis in natural and soft tones and elements. She has had her past work featured in many local and national film festivals, and currently is an On-Set Production Intern at Manhattan Place Entertainment in NYC.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
On The Subject of Mortality is a pseudo-documentary that follows an impatient, young interviewer as she reckons with the concept of mortality by interviewing an infuriatingly rational mortician, a dedicated Rabbi, and an uneasy but kind elderly woman, searching for her life's meaning through their unique perspectives about the nature of death.
This short film challenges the rationalizations society creates to deal with the reality of mortality, deconstructing them through the lens of the disabled and those anxious about death as an unsatisfied interviewer, lost in memory, pushes back against the answers she's receiving. The story moves fluidly between the past and present, crossing the bounds between the interviewer and her interviewees, to assert that, when it comes to the meaning of death, sometimes there is no overarching answer. Sometimes, it's just bad.
This Story's Importance
It's so easy for us to think of disabilities and chronic illnesses as rarities, something that only occurs to the "other". Never mind that 16% of the world's population experiences a significant physical disability or that approximately 150 million Americans suffer from at least one chronic disease, these realities are often too scary for our society to confront or address (WHO, 2023). However, there is an increasing demand for answers, insights, and overall conversation about these topics as they become more and more prevalent.
After one year of the COVID-19 pandemic, America's civilian population aged 16 years and over had a 1.2 million increase in people who identified as having a disability (Roberts et al., 2022). Chronic illnesses have been increasing in prevalence every year since 2004, and not only among older adults (Hayes, 2020). Young adults, teens, and children have also been experiencing higher rates of chronic diseases, and this trajectory is expected to continue.
When diagnosed with a disability or chronic illness, how are people supposed to feel? How are they supposed to think about their lives, especially if their life expectancies are now shorter than they previously thought? We deserve answers, we deserve community, and we deserve reassurance as we re-evaluate our lives and our deaths.
On The Subject of Mortality champions the seemingly simple yet unbelievably freeing message that the meaning of our deaths, and our lives, is something we can only determine for ourselves. We don't have to accept answers that don't feel right or buy into reasoning that works for the healthy and able-bodied. We need this story because it brings the worries of the disabled and chronically ill to the forefront of the conversation around mortality, a perspective that's consistently overlooked but incredibly necessary.
Our Plan
We plan to film On The Subject of Mortality in late October of this year, complete it by mid-2025, and submit it to film festivals. The money raised from this campaign will cover transportation, food for our incredible cast and crew, production design, and extra equipment. $1,000 is the minimum amount we need to create this film, but raising more than that will help make this project the best it can be! Our stretch goal is $1,500, which would allow us to rent additional equipment such as monitors and more lenses, as well as submit to even more film festivals. Please, share the link to this campaign and follow us @onthesubjectofmortality on Instagram for more information and updates!
Disclaimer: Images used are not the property of On The Subject of Mortality or its associated creators. Inspiration and comparison images are from:
- Lingua Franca (Dir. Isabel Sandoval, 2020), Atlanta (Dir. Donald Glover, 2022), L'une chante, l'autre pas (Dir. Agnès Varda, 1976), After Life (Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda, 1998), and Michael Collins (Dir. Neil Jordan, 1996)
Citations:
- Hayes, T. O. (2020, November 24). Chronic disease in the United States: A worsening health and economic crisis. AAF.
- Roberts, L., Ives-Rublee, M., & Khattar, R. (2022, April 11). Covid-19 likely resulted in 1.2 million more disabled people by the end of 2021-workplaces and Policy will need to adapt. Center for American Progress.
- World Health Organization. (2023, March 7). Disability. World Health Organization.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Craft Services
Costs $435
We need to keep our incredible cast and crew fed and hydrated!
Transportation
Costs $250
This will cover the costs of transporting equipment, cast, and crew to and from set.
Production Design
Costs $150
Costumes, props, and set pieces to help accurately and lovingly depict unique perspectives on death.
Extra Equipment
Costs $165
Hard drives, batteries, gaff tape, and everything else needed to help our set run smoothly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Director
Maya Koenig
Maya, is a junior at NYU majoring in Film & TV with a passion for sound design. Her work has been featured in various festivals including All American High School Film Festival, FROSTBITE International Indie Fest, and the Arlington Student Film Festival. Maya was a 2022 YoungArts Foundation winner in the film category, as well as a 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts. She is always endeavoring to make art accessible and highlight disabled, queer, and female-focused stories that foster empathy and ask the hard questions. She is so excited to make this film a reality!
Executive Producer
Kate Fugitt
Kate Fugitt is an award-winning producer and editor, currently a junior at NYU majoring in Film & Television with minors in Producing and Psychology. Her work has been showcased at various festivals including The Museum of the Moving Image Teen Festival, All American High School Film Festival, and The White Rabbit Film Festival. Kate is a member of DKA, NYU’s Cinematic society; she has served on the executive board for the past year. This fall she is interning with ScreenCrush as an Editor. She’s beyond excited to be a part of the producing team!
Producer
Mira Khera
Mira Khera is a junior at NYU, majoring in Film and Television at Tisch and minoring in Business Entertainment Media and Technology. She has a deep passion for sound design, editing, producing, and animation, and is dedicated to telling diverse stories that resonate with audiences. This summer, she had the incredible opportunity to create medical animations for VR/AR applications, aimed at enhancing medical education. She is thrilled to contribute to this exciting project!
Cinematographer
Ella Brinckerhoff
Ella is a Director of Photography in her Junior year at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, majoring in Film and Television. She is a queer, female filmmaker focused on making art that reflects her personal experience and values. She has a focus in Cinematography, determined to portray a variety of visually compelling narratives for all types of storytelling, with an emphasis in natural and soft tones and elements. She has had her past work featured in many local and national film festivals, and currently is an On-Set Production Intern at Manhattan Place Entertainment in NYC.