One to Grow On
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
One to Grow On is a story about growing up, growing apart, and finding creative ways to grow together again in the face of grief. This film is for anyone who feels shame about long-postponed texts or phone calls — it's never too late to reach out, even if your methods are a bit...beyond the pale.
One to Grow On
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $3,985 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
35 supporters | followers
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One to Grow On is a story about growing up, growing apart, and finding creative ways to grow together again in the face of grief. This film is for anyone who feels shame about long-postponed texts or phone calls — it's never too late to reach out, even if your methods are a bit...beyond the pale.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Beginnings
As I mentioned in my pitch video, this story is grounded in personal experience. I spent a month this summer digitizing super 8 home videos from my mother's childhood, collecting birthday footage for a project of hers, and became captivated by these images of my American grandmother carrying these candle-lit cakes to the table, year after year. I knew I wanted to make a film that grew out of that image and the concept of the candle "to grow on," or extra candle for good luck. Then my Italian grandmother passed away in September, and I knew that had to be part of the story as well. It's been strange to be so far away from family at this time, and I've been thinking a lot about what it means to honor people in your own way and how the grieving process can provide an opportunity for reevaluating and rekindling relationships.
Sylvan's ritualistic birthday dinner comes out of these questions.
Story
This film tells the story of Sylvan (they/them), a self-absorbed young artist (*cough* *cough* I promise it's not me, though I'm also a somewhat self-absorbed young artist), who realizes after the death of their grandmother that they want to rekindle a relationship with their parents (Petra and Diana). The only problem is that Sylvan has subtly and not-so-subtly pushed their parents away for years, needing space to build their own identity, so Sylvan's parents aren't exactly ready to take Sylvan's behavior at face value and welcome them back with open arms. Over the course of this multi-step dinner party to honor the deceased grandmother, Sylvan must prove their true intentions, and the ritual which begins as a performance leads to a moment of real vulnerability. Will Sylvan's parents let go of the past? Will the grandmother altar intervene? What flavor was the cake? Please support this film, and help us bring these answers to life.
Characters
SYLVAN (28, they/them)
Sylvan is a very independent person. They always try to solve their own problems and don’t like asking for support. Sylvan is generally a good listener and a good friend, but they don’t like being vulnerable about their feelings and are more likely to communicate through misdirection. Lately, Sylvan has been grieving the loss of their grandmother and has struggled to process it with others. The loss has also rekindled their desire to be close with their parents.
PETRA (61, she/her)
Petra's sense of humor is sharp. She tends to subtly push people's buttons to get them to say what she wants, rather than communicating directly. Petra is grieving the loss of her mother and feels hurt that Sylvan (her child) has not been very present throughout the process. She feels like Sylvan has been drifting further and further away from her, and she misses the relationship that she and Sylvan had when Sylvan was a kid. She has trouble being transparent about her grief because she intellectualizes her emotions and, like Sylvan, she likes “solving her own problems.”
DIANA (60, she/her)
Diana is a talker (and a peacemaker). She dislikes conflict and tries to smooth things over before they can blow up. She likes to assume the best, which sometimes skews her perception of what’s actually at play. While she’s been present for Petra’s grieving process, she has been determined to see Petra (her spouse) as “okay,” so she hasn’t encouraged Petra to dig deeper and share the emotional nuances of what she’s going through. Diana craves a closeness with Sylvan as well and believes it will be achieved through gentleness and affirmation rather than direct communication.
Some excerpts from our look book visual references
Some "Tonal Cousins"
I love the sense of humor in Skeleton Twins. What I find particularly compelling in this clip is the tenuousness of the line between being sincere and insincere, and the strange experience of feeling unfamiliar with someone you used to be very close to.
Harold and Maude is one of my favorite movies. I love how it deals with ritual and grief and how much it teaches us about accepting and loving the cycle of it all. It is an important inspiration for this film (and probably all my films if I'm being honest). So little separates humor and sadness.
This clip from The Midnight Gospel, Ep. 8, has stuck with me since the first time I saw it. I love things that are at the crux of the earnest and the bizarre, and this show uses animation to access so much more than anything the words could effectively convey on their own. While One to Grow On will not be animated, I'm hoping that the ritual that Sylvan creates for their parents allows their vulnerability and true feelings to shine without seeming too sappy.
Timeline:
September 2023-January 2024: Pre-Production
Pre-production has been going strong! We have confirmed our location, the script is in excellent shape, and we have just finished casting the three principal roles. The team has been almost completely assembled, and now that we're getting closer to the shoot, collaborations can really start to blossom. Our next big step is securing the rest of the funding we will need to complete the project.
January 18-21: Production
The project will be shot over four days on a UCLA soundstage. The goal is to work hard, have fun, be kind to one another, and learn a lot along the way. Unexpected challenges always arise, but with the team we've built we are well positioned to meet them with open arms.
February-June: Post-Production
This is when it all comes together! I am currently slated to edit the film and will be working with a sound mixer, composer, and colorist to bring it to completion.
After June: Festivals
The final goal! Showing the film! We will be submitting the film to a number of film festivals and will keep you updated about any upcoming screenings. After the festival run is complete, we will make the film available online for public viewing.
Costs:
We have received 5.5K from UCLA's production incentive funding and are hoping to raise about 4.5K more to complete the budget, which is slated to be about 10K.
Our primary pre-production and production costs are actor wages, food for the cast and crew for four days, production design, costume design, wages for hair and make-up artist, transportation fees, and rental fees for additional camera equipment not provided by UCLA; post-production related costs are wages for the colorist, sound mixer, composer, and musicians.
The film is covered under the SAG-AFTRA Micro-Budget Agreement.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast
Costs $1,750
Paying actors is important! They put faces to the names in the script and bring characters to life.
Food for the Cast & Crew
Costs $2,200
Many crew members are students and trade labor, but giving people good food on set is an essential way of thanking them for their time.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Emilia Figliomeni (they/them) - Writer/Director
Emilia Figliomeni (they/them) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Born and raised in Bologna, Italy, at age 14 Emilia left home to attend a boarding school in Massachusetts and completed a B.A. in Visual Art and Literary Arts at Brown University (2018). Emilia is currently pursuing an MFA in film production and narrative directing at the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television thanks to the support of the John H. and Patricia W. Mitchell Fellowship. Their previous projects have screened at several film festivals across the United States.
As a multicultural and non-binary person, Emilia uses film to explore the complexities of blended identities, tackling the grief of misunderstanding with humor and joy. Whether in documentary, fiction, or animation, Emilia strives to incorporate the earnest, the weird, and the darkly comedic. They are currently being tormented by the following questions: Do we have to explain ourselves to be seen? Is it possible to be seen without being known? How do we show up for each other in difficult moments? Why did I choose such a complicated profession?
Marion Adou (she/her) - Producer
Marion Adou is a second-year UCLA MFA Producers Program student from France. She has an unyielding passion for cinema that spans a rich spectrum, embracing ensemble comedies, romcoms, gripping who-dun-it mysteries, and compelling prestige dramas. Her focus lies in American and European coproductions, aiming to craft films and shows within these captivating genres.
The collaboration with Emilia began with producing their recent short film, 'THE PEN,' where Marion's admiration for Emilia's directorial prowess and talent to create captivating LGBTQA+ dramedies was sparked. She’s thrilled to continue their collaboration to make engaging and impactful cinematic experiences together.
Yongjie Zeng (he/him) - Associate Producer/Associate Casting Director
Yongjie is pursuing his MFA in the film/tv Producers Program at UCLA. He has been in Los Angeles for four years, and prior completed a B.S. in Economics-Statistics and a B.A. in Theatre Arts at the University of Pittsburgh. His favorite film and TV show of 2023 is Past Lives and Succession, respectively. He aspires to be a multi-hyphenate filmmaker in the realms of producing, showrunning, acting, and writing.
Jasiah Potter (he/him) - Director of Photography
Jasiah Potter (he/him) is a second year MFA student at UCLA. Born and raised Newport News Virginia, Jasiah got his start in filmmaking during covid when he began covering Youth basketball. Shortly after he began his journey, Jasiah became interested in narrative filmmaking after a class with an amazing teacher he had in undergrad, Professor Tyree. From there, Jasiah’s interest in cinematography grew, as did his thirst to create many pieces of work, and Jasiah began teaching himself through articles, books, and online materials. Understanding that he had much more to learn, he set his sights on UCLA’s MFA program where he has grown so much as a cinematographer and filmmaker. Presently he is in his second year of the program while taking on a year long internship position with the Los Angeles Lakers in video production. Jasiah’s drive to continue to learn and create meaningful videos will always be something he carries along with him.
Nyelah Sawyer (she/they) - Assistant Director
Nyelah Sawyer (she/they) is a second year Narrative Directing MFA student at UCLA by way of Queens, NY. As an undergraduate, she studied at the NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a concentration titled Memory, Archive, and the Black Lesbian Continuum. She is interested in dissecting the processes by which behavior becomes “natural”—through repetition, through exposure, through nation building.
Nyelah is passionate about science fiction novels, tactile media, and lesbianism.
Shizue Roche Adachi (she/her) - Sound Mixer
Shizue Roche Adachi (she/her) is a film and audio maker and narrative strategist. Born in the Bay Area and buttered in the Midwest, Shizue’s place-based stories often center explorations of queer love, mixed race identity, rural community, and the domestic worlds of women. Shizue holds a BA from Yale University and is a current MFA student in film directing at UCLA. Her audio pieces have been featured on the Heritage Radio Network and NHPR, among others.
Molly Cornell (she/her) - Production Designer
Molly Cornell (she/her) is a production designer originally from Minnesota and Chicago before leaving the Midwest for LA. She is a second year Scenic & Production Design MFA at UCLA. Prior to her time at TFT and discovering film, Molly worked professionally as a charge artist and scenic designer in Chicago. As a designer, she is very interested in horror, queer stories, and social commentary, especially when they overlap. When not hunched over her computer, she can be found at book club, wrangling her two idiot cats, or baking too many baked goods for her friends and cohort.
Alexis Sarabia (she/her) - Costume Designer
Alexis Sarabia (she/her) is a third year undergraduate student at UCLA. She is majoring in theater with an emphasis in design and production. Alexis focuses on costume and scenic design, but loves trying new things and learning about all the roles in theater and film. Recently, she was the assistant costume designer for UCLA TFT’s double bill opera in collaboration with Herb Alpert School of Music. Besides designing, she enjoys sewing and painting and building and creating. Alexis is eternally grateful and excited to be a part of this team!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Beginnings
As I mentioned in my pitch video, this story is grounded in personal experience. I spent a month this summer digitizing super 8 home videos from my mother's childhood, collecting birthday footage for a project of hers, and became captivated by these images of my American grandmother carrying these candle-lit cakes to the table, year after year. I knew I wanted to make a film that grew out of that image and the concept of the candle "to grow on," or extra candle for good luck. Then my Italian grandmother passed away in September, and I knew that had to be part of the story as well. It's been strange to be so far away from family at this time, and I've been thinking a lot about what it means to honor people in your own way and how the grieving process can provide an opportunity for reevaluating and rekindling relationships.
Sylvan's ritualistic birthday dinner comes out of these questions.
Story
This film tells the story of Sylvan (they/them), a self-absorbed young artist (*cough* *cough* I promise it's not me, though I'm also a somewhat self-absorbed young artist), who realizes after the death of their grandmother that they want to rekindle a relationship with their parents (Petra and Diana). The only problem is that Sylvan has subtly and not-so-subtly pushed their parents away for years, needing space to build their own identity, so Sylvan's parents aren't exactly ready to take Sylvan's behavior at face value and welcome them back with open arms. Over the course of this multi-step dinner party to honor the deceased grandmother, Sylvan must prove their true intentions, and the ritual which begins as a performance leads to a moment of real vulnerability. Will Sylvan's parents let go of the past? Will the grandmother altar intervene? What flavor was the cake? Please support this film, and help us bring these answers to life.
Characters
SYLVAN (28, they/them)
Sylvan is a very independent person. They always try to solve their own problems and don’t like asking for support. Sylvan is generally a good listener and a good friend, but they don’t like being vulnerable about their feelings and are more likely to communicate through misdirection. Lately, Sylvan has been grieving the loss of their grandmother and has struggled to process it with others. The loss has also rekindled their desire to be close with their parents.
PETRA (61, she/her)
Petra's sense of humor is sharp. She tends to subtly push people's buttons to get them to say what she wants, rather than communicating directly. Petra is grieving the loss of her mother and feels hurt that Sylvan (her child) has not been very present throughout the process. She feels like Sylvan has been drifting further and further away from her, and she misses the relationship that she and Sylvan had when Sylvan was a kid. She has trouble being transparent about her grief because she intellectualizes her emotions and, like Sylvan, she likes “solving her own problems.”
DIANA (60, she/her)
Diana is a talker (and a peacemaker). She dislikes conflict and tries to smooth things over before they can blow up. She likes to assume the best, which sometimes skews her perception of what’s actually at play. While she’s been present for Petra’s grieving process, she has been determined to see Petra (her spouse) as “okay,” so she hasn’t encouraged Petra to dig deeper and share the emotional nuances of what she’s going through. Diana craves a closeness with Sylvan as well and believes it will be achieved through gentleness and affirmation rather than direct communication.
Some excerpts from our look book visual references
Some "Tonal Cousins"
I love the sense of humor in Skeleton Twins. What I find particularly compelling in this clip is the tenuousness of the line between being sincere and insincere, and the strange experience of feeling unfamiliar with someone you used to be very close to.
Harold and Maude is one of my favorite movies. I love how it deals with ritual and grief and how much it teaches us about accepting and loving the cycle of it all. It is an important inspiration for this film (and probably all my films if I'm being honest). So little separates humor and sadness.
This clip from The Midnight Gospel, Ep. 8, has stuck with me since the first time I saw it. I love things that are at the crux of the earnest and the bizarre, and this show uses animation to access so much more than anything the words could effectively convey on their own. While One to Grow On will not be animated, I'm hoping that the ritual that Sylvan creates for their parents allows their vulnerability and true feelings to shine without seeming too sappy.
Timeline:
September 2023-January 2024: Pre-Production
Pre-production has been going strong! We have confirmed our location, the script is in excellent shape, and we have just finished casting the three principal roles. The team has been almost completely assembled, and now that we're getting closer to the shoot, collaborations can really start to blossom. Our next big step is securing the rest of the funding we will need to complete the project.
January 18-21: Production
The project will be shot over four days on a UCLA soundstage. The goal is to work hard, have fun, be kind to one another, and learn a lot along the way. Unexpected challenges always arise, but with the team we've built we are well positioned to meet them with open arms.
February-June: Post-Production
This is when it all comes together! I am currently slated to edit the film and will be working with a sound mixer, composer, and colorist to bring it to completion.
After June: Festivals
The final goal! Showing the film! We will be submitting the film to a number of film festivals and will keep you updated about any upcoming screenings. After the festival run is complete, we will make the film available online for public viewing.
Costs:
We have received 5.5K from UCLA's production incentive funding and are hoping to raise about 4.5K more to complete the budget, which is slated to be about 10K.
Our primary pre-production and production costs are actor wages, food for the cast and crew for four days, production design, costume design, wages for hair and make-up artist, transportation fees, and rental fees for additional camera equipment not provided by UCLA; post-production related costs are wages for the colorist, sound mixer, composer, and musicians.
The film is covered under the SAG-AFTRA Micro-Budget Agreement.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast
Costs $1,750
Paying actors is important! They put faces to the names in the script and bring characters to life.
Food for the Cast & Crew
Costs $2,200
Many crew members are students and trade labor, but giving people good food on set is an essential way of thanking them for their time.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Emilia Figliomeni (they/them) - Writer/Director
Emilia Figliomeni (they/them) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Born and raised in Bologna, Italy, at age 14 Emilia left home to attend a boarding school in Massachusetts and completed a B.A. in Visual Art and Literary Arts at Brown University (2018). Emilia is currently pursuing an MFA in film production and narrative directing at the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television thanks to the support of the John H. and Patricia W. Mitchell Fellowship. Their previous projects have screened at several film festivals across the United States.
As a multicultural and non-binary person, Emilia uses film to explore the complexities of blended identities, tackling the grief of misunderstanding with humor and joy. Whether in documentary, fiction, or animation, Emilia strives to incorporate the earnest, the weird, and the darkly comedic. They are currently being tormented by the following questions: Do we have to explain ourselves to be seen? Is it possible to be seen without being known? How do we show up for each other in difficult moments? Why did I choose such a complicated profession?
Marion Adou (she/her) - Producer
Marion Adou is a second-year UCLA MFA Producers Program student from France. She has an unyielding passion for cinema that spans a rich spectrum, embracing ensemble comedies, romcoms, gripping who-dun-it mysteries, and compelling prestige dramas. Her focus lies in American and European coproductions, aiming to craft films and shows within these captivating genres.
The collaboration with Emilia began with producing their recent short film, 'THE PEN,' where Marion's admiration for Emilia's directorial prowess and talent to create captivating LGBTQA+ dramedies was sparked. She’s thrilled to continue their collaboration to make engaging and impactful cinematic experiences together.
Yongjie Zeng (he/him) - Associate Producer/Associate Casting Director
Yongjie is pursuing his MFA in the film/tv Producers Program at UCLA. He has been in Los Angeles for four years, and prior completed a B.S. in Economics-Statistics and a B.A. in Theatre Arts at the University of Pittsburgh. His favorite film and TV show of 2023 is Past Lives and Succession, respectively. He aspires to be a multi-hyphenate filmmaker in the realms of producing, showrunning, acting, and writing.
Jasiah Potter (he/him) - Director of Photography
Jasiah Potter (he/him) is a second year MFA student at UCLA. Born and raised Newport News Virginia, Jasiah got his start in filmmaking during covid when he began covering Youth basketball. Shortly after he began his journey, Jasiah became interested in narrative filmmaking after a class with an amazing teacher he had in undergrad, Professor Tyree. From there, Jasiah’s interest in cinematography grew, as did his thirst to create many pieces of work, and Jasiah began teaching himself through articles, books, and online materials. Understanding that he had much more to learn, he set his sights on UCLA’s MFA program where he has grown so much as a cinematographer and filmmaker. Presently he is in his second year of the program while taking on a year long internship position with the Los Angeles Lakers in video production. Jasiah’s drive to continue to learn and create meaningful videos will always be something he carries along with him.
Nyelah Sawyer (she/they) - Assistant Director
Nyelah Sawyer (she/they) is a second year Narrative Directing MFA student at UCLA by way of Queens, NY. As an undergraduate, she studied at the NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a concentration titled Memory, Archive, and the Black Lesbian Continuum. She is interested in dissecting the processes by which behavior becomes “natural”—through repetition, through exposure, through nation building.
Nyelah is passionate about science fiction novels, tactile media, and lesbianism.
Shizue Roche Adachi (she/her) - Sound Mixer
Shizue Roche Adachi (she/her) is a film and audio maker and narrative strategist. Born in the Bay Area and buttered in the Midwest, Shizue’s place-based stories often center explorations of queer love, mixed race identity, rural community, and the domestic worlds of women. Shizue holds a BA from Yale University and is a current MFA student in film directing at UCLA. Her audio pieces have been featured on the Heritage Radio Network and NHPR, among others.
Molly Cornell (she/her) - Production Designer
Molly Cornell (she/her) is a production designer originally from Minnesota and Chicago before leaving the Midwest for LA. She is a second year Scenic & Production Design MFA at UCLA. Prior to her time at TFT and discovering film, Molly worked professionally as a charge artist and scenic designer in Chicago. As a designer, she is very interested in horror, queer stories, and social commentary, especially when they overlap. When not hunched over her computer, she can be found at book club, wrangling her two idiot cats, or baking too many baked goods for her friends and cohort.
Alexis Sarabia (she/her) - Costume Designer
Alexis Sarabia (she/her) is a third year undergraduate student at UCLA. She is majoring in theater with an emphasis in design and production. Alexis focuses on costume and scenic design, but loves trying new things and learning about all the roles in theater and film. Recently, she was the assistant costume designer for UCLA TFT’s double bill opera in collaboration with Herb Alpert School of Music. Besides designing, she enjoys sewing and painting and building and creating. Alexis is eternally grateful and excited to be a part of this team!