Society is taking strange turns in its view of women's progress. Now is the time to lift women's voices, in all forms. Led by a team of women and nonbinary filmmakers, Queen of Magic seeks to show the world just how passionate, determined, and worthy women are. Specifically, in the world of MAGIC.

First, and most importantly, let us reiterate that there ARE women in magic and they are amazing! We encourage you to seek them out, show your support and enjoy their brilliance!

But this is not their story...

This is the fictional tale of Addison Ellery, a young British woman of affluence who turned her back on her family’s wealth to pursue a life of magic. Leaving everything she’s ever known, Addison now finds herself living in poverty in New York City’s Gilded Age. In the 1890s, it was not easy to be a woman (though as we know, things aren’t quite peachy at the moment either).

Show business is a tough business to crack, but all the more so when you have to prove that you are worth more than the gender on your birth certificate. As Addison has heard time and time again, “there ain’t no lady magicians.”

Think of the style and tone of "The Illusionist" and "The Prestige" with additional visual inspiration from "The Greatest Showman." Each of our comparable films feature male protagonists. We are turning the genre on its head and focusing on the more complex female characters.

We’d like your help to educate the masses that there are indeed – “Lady Magicians.”

Our fabulous director, Stacey Maltin brings about six years of experience as a Magician's Assistant! Here is a sneak peak at her look book which will give you an idea of her visual approach to the film.

Without spoiling the film for you, we want you to know that while Addison will face hardship, she will be triumphant. Perhaps not in the way you'd expect, but our intention is to tell stories in which women not only persevere, but succeed. We deserve to see women succeed in media. Women do not exist simply to be the damsel in distress or a plot device. We ARE the story. Representation matters.

Women’s voices are once again being silenced, something that has happened over and over throughout history. We feel it our duty to create stories where women’s passions are not only highlighted but celebrated. We are not here to gloss over the struggles, rather to celebrate the joy of overcoming adversity because we know that women are nothing if not strong!

Here is a note from our writer, Kathy DiStefano, who says it best:

Feature films are expensive! The short film will serve as our “proof of concept,” a way to demonstrate this story’s viability on the big screen. This is our message to Hollywood: Audiences are ready for a female led film about the magician’s journey! We’ve had enough male magicians to last a lifetime. This film will show audiences and Hollywood executives alike that the time is NOW!

Plenty of other famous feature films got their start as a short film. We plan to join their ranks:

'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' - Lao Tzu

If we didn't believe in the potential of this project, we wouldn't be asking you to join us. We KNOW that "Queen of Magic" belongs on the big screen. We hope that you will join us on our journey!

Introducing Holly Curran as our ADDISON ELLERY and Kathy DiStefano as her faithful assistant (and perhaps a bit more than that), OLIVIA ALBINI!

Our leading ladies are the heart of this film but the full cast of leading and supporting characters totals six actors, the rest of which are yet to be cast. (Keep an eye out for casting notices)!

Holly Curran - 

A graduate of Tisch School of the Arts, Holly Curran is an LA based actor.  Her impressive credits include the Emmy-winning  "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Fear the Walking Dead," "Z: The Beginning of Everything,"and "Bull" among others.  A native of New Jersey, Holly is a dedicated artist with credits on both stage and screen. She also loves songwriting and singing, and just released her first EP. She is excited to return home to film Addison's story!

Kathy DiStefano - 

Another NJ-native who transplanted to LA, Kathy is a an actress/writer/producer most known for her starring role in the hit supernatural web series, "Last Life" which has accumulated over 40 million views and a dedicated fanbase. You may have also seen Kathy on Nickelodeon's "iCarly." She has written several original TV/Film scripts and produced the full 3 seasons of "Last Life" and her short film, "The Women's Room." In 2016, she co-hosted a panel, entitled “How to Create a Successful WebSeries,” at ITVFEST and has acquired multiple accolades for her scripts at major film festivals and script competitions. 

We believe in full transparency and the truth is, our ideal budget, which would allow us to make this film in the way it deserves to be made is $58,600. If you are so inclined as to help us get to our overall budget, we will be ETERNALLY GRATEFUL!

But we know that times are tough for everyone, and that is a lofty goal. We are fully dedicated to making this film, and so, we have set the "Cutting Corners" budget of $25,000. This budget means we will be doing just what it's called: cutting corners. We will need way more favors from people (crew, locations, craft services, etc), will have to make some hard equipment choices, have longer days, and possibly be making our own costumes! Sacrifices will need to be made. (This is the ROUGH indie budget.)

For our full budget of $58,600, we can pay everyone's full rate (livable wage), get the best equipment (camera, lighting, sound, etc), best locations, and make sure we have high-end period-accurate costumes, props and set pieces! (This film deserves this kind of attentive treatment!)

Whether you are able to contribute $10 or $10,000 or simply spread the word about "Queen of Magic," we are truly grateful for your support. Filmmaking is a team effort and you are very much a part of this team!

If you'd like to take a look at our FULL Pitch Deck, Director's Lookbook, or listen to our Podcast Reading of the script - please visit our website at WWW.QUEENOFMAGICFILM.COM. And feel free to reach out to us with any questions!