Perfect Times
Mesa, Arizona | Film Short
Drama, Teen
At a surprise birthday party, a gift meant to heal instead exposes the painful truth of two best friends growing apart. As memories blur with the present, Zoey and Shayla confront the quiet heartbreak of letting go of someone who once felt like home.
Perfect Times
Mesa, Arizona | Film Short
Drama, Teen
1 Campaigns | Arizona, United States
20 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$835
Goal: $3,000 for festivals
At a surprise birthday party, a gift meant to heal instead exposes the painful truth of two best friends growing apart. As memories blur with the present, Zoey and Shayla confront the quiet heartbreak of letting go of someone who once felt like home.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
SYNOPSIS
At a surprise birthday party, Zoey finds herself surrounded by strangers, decorations, and memories that don’t feel like her own. Shayla, her best friend, has orchestrated the night to make amends, but the celebration only widens the distance between them. A gift meant to repair their friendship instead exposes the fractures that have been quietly growing, forcing them both to confront the painful truth of what they’ve lost. Told over the course of a single night, where flashbacks bleed into the present, Perfect Times captures the raw, unsteady rhythm of a friendship at its breaking point. As Zoey and Shayla stumble through nostalgia, longing, and unspoken resentment, the film explores how memory shapes us, and what it means to let go of someone who once felt like home.
DIRECTORS STATEMENT
There is a strange intimacy in never speaking to someone again. Whether it comes through death or the loss of a friendship, the silence that follows feels louder than anything that came before. I’ve been struck by how rare it is to recognize that this is the last time I will ever see or speak to this person. And yet, the yearning doesn’t stop there. We often spend more of our lives longing for the people we’ve lost than we did in the years we actually had with them.
That longing, nostalgia, memory, the haunting pull of what once was, has been weighing heavily on me. In writing Perfect Times, I wanted to wrestle with that feeling, and I would approach it with this in mind. I wanted to explore what it means to reminisce, to revisit memories with tenderness, and still learn how to move forward. How do we allow ourselves to be shaped by the past without being trapped by it? How do we find strength in memory instead of letting it hold us back?
Through Zoey and Shayla, I see two characters who are deeply conflicted, but also reaching. They’re stumbling, failing, trying again, and that’s the most human thing of all. That effort, that reaching for connection even when it’s messy or imperfect, is what I want this film to honor. I hope audiences leave not only reflecting on their own memories and lost connections, but also feeling it’s okay to carry them forward while still becoming someone new.
Our wonderful team from the Fall 2025 Capstone class at Scottsdale Community College was the folks who pulled this amazing film together. As well as all of our outside crew, like Theo Weierstall, our amazing editor and colorist, and Julian Hicks, our film's talented sound composer. Their efforts drove this piece to reach its fullest potential.
WHY RAISE MONEY?
With our film fully finished in its post-production stage, we plan to raise $3,000 for our film's festival run so we can enter as many film festivals as possible, cover the marketing and promotional materials, as well as festival deliverables, cover the costs of travel, network with other filmmakers, and really show off why the film is an important story that deserves the spotlight. Since we are students freshly graduated from community college, we are lacking financial support in achieving what we set out to do in film school: make movies and show them to the world. The first film festival we plan on submitting Perfect Times to is Phoenix Film Festival. It's by far the largest film festival in the state of Arizona, and will be a great debut point. It will also be the place we can have our crew, family, friends, and supporters attend in person! After submitting there (and hopefully debuting), we plan to submit locally and regionally.
BTS IMAGES BY JAIR MEJIA
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Festival Submission Fees
Costs $1,000
Submit Perfect Times to film festivals throughout Arizona, the Southwest, and across the U.S.
Travel & Lodging
Costs $1,000
Help our core team attend festival screenings, represent Perfect Times, and connect with audiences nationwide.
Marketing & Promotional Materials
Costs $600
Create posters, postcards, stickers, wristbands, & more to help Perfect Times connect with audiences and the industry.
Festival Deliverables & Exhibition Materials
Costs $400
Help cover DCP creation, captions, & festival-ready deliverables so Perfect Times is ready to screen.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
This film was brought to life by a woman-led team!
WRITER AND DIRECTOR
Emily Ramirez is a writer and director born and raised in Mesa, Arizona. A recent graduate of Scottsdale Community College's Motion Picture Production program, she is passionate about telling intimate, character-driven stories that explore memory, friendship, and growing up. Perfect Times, her Fall 2025 Capstone film, reflects her love for honest, emotionally grounded storytelling. Emily hopes to continue creating films that connect with audiences strongly.
PRODUCER
Alexia Neal is a producer studying at Arizona State University and a recent graduate of Scottsdale Community College's Motion Picture Production program. She is passionate about the human experience on set, protecting the director's creative vision, and balancing the many logistical elements that bring a film to life. Above all, Alexia is a loyal friend whose support and dedication have been invaluable throughout the making of Perfect Times.
FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Christiana DePiazza served as the first assistant director on Perfect Times. She earned her Certificate in Motion Picture Production from Scottsdale Community College and is continuing her education at Arizona State University, pursuing an interdisciplinary arts degree. Christiana is passionate about telling underdog stories that inspire hope and resilience, while creating meaningful films that leave a lasting impact on audiences. She believes storytelling has the power to connect people, foster empathy, and create art that endures long after the credits roll.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
SYNOPSIS
At a surprise birthday party, Zoey finds herself surrounded by strangers, decorations, and memories that don’t feel like her own. Shayla, her best friend, has orchestrated the night to make amends, but the celebration only widens the distance between them. A gift meant to repair their friendship instead exposes the fractures that have been quietly growing, forcing them both to confront the painful truth of what they’ve lost. Told over the course of a single night, where flashbacks bleed into the present, Perfect Times captures the raw, unsteady rhythm of a friendship at its breaking point. As Zoey and Shayla stumble through nostalgia, longing, and unspoken resentment, the film explores how memory shapes us, and what it means to let go of someone who once felt like home.
DIRECTORS STATEMENT
There is a strange intimacy in never speaking to someone again. Whether it comes through death or the loss of a friendship, the silence that follows feels louder than anything that came before. I’ve been struck by how rare it is to recognize that this is the last time I will ever see or speak to this person. And yet, the yearning doesn’t stop there. We often spend more of our lives longing for the people we’ve lost than we did in the years we actually had with them.
That longing, nostalgia, memory, the haunting pull of what once was, has been weighing heavily on me. In writing Perfect Times, I wanted to wrestle with that feeling, and I would approach it with this in mind. I wanted to explore what it means to reminisce, to revisit memories with tenderness, and still learn how to move forward. How do we allow ourselves to be shaped by the past without being trapped by it? How do we find strength in memory instead of letting it hold us back?
Through Zoey and Shayla, I see two characters who are deeply conflicted, but also reaching. They’re stumbling, failing, trying again, and that’s the most human thing of all. That effort, that reaching for connection even when it’s messy or imperfect, is what I want this film to honor. I hope audiences leave not only reflecting on their own memories and lost connections, but also feeling it’s okay to carry them forward while still becoming someone new.
Our wonderful team from the Fall 2025 Capstone class at Scottsdale Community College was the folks who pulled this amazing film together. As well as all of our outside crew, like Theo Weierstall, our amazing editor and colorist, and Julian Hicks, our film's talented sound composer. Their efforts drove this piece to reach its fullest potential.
WHY RAISE MONEY?
With our film fully finished in its post-production stage, we plan to raise $3,000 for our film's festival run so we can enter as many film festivals as possible, cover the marketing and promotional materials, as well as festival deliverables, cover the costs of travel, network with other filmmakers, and really show off why the film is an important story that deserves the spotlight. Since we are students freshly graduated from community college, we are lacking financial support in achieving what we set out to do in film school: make movies and show them to the world. The first film festival we plan on submitting Perfect Times to is Phoenix Film Festival. It's by far the largest film festival in the state of Arizona, and will be a great debut point. It will also be the place we can have our crew, family, friends, and supporters attend in person! After submitting there (and hopefully debuting), we plan to submit locally and regionally.
BTS IMAGES BY JAIR MEJIA
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Festival Submission Fees
Costs $1,000
Submit Perfect Times to film festivals throughout Arizona, the Southwest, and across the U.S.
Travel & Lodging
Costs $1,000
Help our core team attend festival screenings, represent Perfect Times, and connect with audiences nationwide.
Marketing & Promotional Materials
Costs $600
Create posters, postcards, stickers, wristbands, & more to help Perfect Times connect with audiences and the industry.
Festival Deliverables & Exhibition Materials
Costs $400
Help cover DCP creation, captions, & festival-ready deliverables so Perfect Times is ready to screen.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
This film was brought to life by a woman-led team!
WRITER AND DIRECTOR
Emily Ramirez is a writer and director born and raised in Mesa, Arizona. A recent graduate of Scottsdale Community College's Motion Picture Production program, she is passionate about telling intimate, character-driven stories that explore memory, friendship, and growing up. Perfect Times, her Fall 2025 Capstone film, reflects her love for honest, emotionally grounded storytelling. Emily hopes to continue creating films that connect with audiences strongly.
PRODUCER
Alexia Neal is a producer studying at Arizona State University and a recent graduate of Scottsdale Community College's Motion Picture Production program. She is passionate about the human experience on set, protecting the director's creative vision, and balancing the many logistical elements that bring a film to life. Above all, Alexia is a loyal friend whose support and dedication have been invaluable throughout the making of Perfect Times.
FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Christiana DePiazza served as the first assistant director on Perfect Times. She earned her Certificate in Motion Picture Production from Scottsdale Community College and is continuing her education at Arizona State University, pursuing an interdisciplinary arts degree. Christiana is passionate about telling underdog stories that inspire hope and resilience, while creating meaningful films that leave a lasting impact on audiences. She believes storytelling has the power to connect people, foster empathy, and create art that endures long after the credits roll.