“Then the eyes of both were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig’s leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” Genesis 3:7

17 year old Gertie is looking to escape her life, and she'll do whatever it takes. On one fateful day, she brings her hand sewn lingerie to a Tupperware party headed by devout Catholic Mary-Kate. Gertie tells the attendees that she is engaged, believing that she is equipped to handle the gaggle of housewives. When Mary-Kate goes into labor, Gertie is unexpectedly pushed to confront the cruel realities of womanhood, while Mary-Kate must confront her own sexual and maternal repression.

Why This Story?

Mother and daughter relationships are complicated; that's one thing that stands the test of time. After my mother met my father and had me in 2002, she made the decision to be a housewife. Growing up, I was told that the correct path was to be career oriented and independent, and so I always questioned her choices. I didn't understand the pressures and difficulties that may have gone into her decision, or lack thereof. All I knew is that I was meant to do something, and it was something bigger, better, and bolder than simply being a woman: I would be different than my mother. My mother must have felt the same, because one day, she joined a multilevel-marketing-scheme and began holding selling parties in our living room- who were all these strangers, I wondered, and why did they feel the need to do this?

I looked into the history of these selling parties, and eventually traced them back to Tupperware. These questions about my mother aren't ones I think I can answer now, but they are ones I can explore. There are undeniable pressures that influenced her decisions, and my own aversion to her path comes with its own set of implications. Looking at my mother now, I know that as a child, I was afraid, because I saw my future in her. To a young me, growing up to be like her, the first woman I knew, would be to grow into a failure. Avoiding her fate is no longer the goal; now I must reconcile her existence with my own.

To reconcile necessary ambition with femininity is not an easy process. Being a woman feels like being pulled in a million directions at once. Be a virgin, and a mother. Be desirable, but don't feel desire. Women are expected to produce children; it is their duty, and to do so, they must be sexually desirable. Yet, this desirability is not just overt sexuality; often, women who are valued for their ability to produce children are expected to be asexual. Mothers are expected to be chaste, despite the fact that they must have sex in order to bear children. When Gertie sells lingerie, she is also selling the myth of the nuclear family to women who are already expected to use their bodies to produce children. She is aligning herself with the patriarchy, for the ends of escaping it, creating an unnerving double bind. She will leave the house, but she cannot leave the expectations placed upon her. All she can do is attempt to rearrange them from within.

A Look into the World

Set just before Christmas of 1956, this is in essence a satirical feminist retelling of the nativity. Warm and sunny in December, Florida is the land of dreams and Tupperware, the topaz Jewel of the United States, dotted with plastic Santas and rotting oranges. Set in the 1950s, the Florida-Americana aesthetic will be stylized and satirized, and shooting will be convenient and realistic in our sunny LA single-house set. 

Where Your Donations Go

This project is a tad ambitious, or so I've been told. Attention to detail is key for this piece, both to remain authentic to the time period, and to bring the intricate visual comedy of the script to life. This attention to detail is, unfortunately, very expensive. This project is a massive undertaking, each department head and their teams are working diligently to track down vintage Tupperware, maternity dresses, and the best talent to breathe life into our many characters. The money donated will be put towards each of the categories in the following cost breakdown:

The Timeline

PRE PRODUCTION (DECEMBER 2023-MARCH 2024)

First came brainstorming, scriptwriting and revisions. Then we built our wonderful team, honing in on all of our meetings, scouting location, prop sourcing, shot listing, budgeting, scheduling, and completing our post-production plan. We're almost ready for-

PRODUCTION (LATE MARCH 2024)

Over the course of three days, my team and I will bring this film to life. I have worked with many of them repeatedly over the years at LMU and could not trust my team more. I feel so lucky to have them work on this project with me. In one house this beautiful, chaotic and fun story will unfold.

POST PRODUCTION (APRIL 2024-MAY 2024)

Once we wrap, we will wait in anticipation for the film to be scanned and processed, before moving on to editing, sound design, coloring and the creation of our original score. This is where the magic happens, and things really start to come together- I'm getting excited just writing about it!

FILM FESTIVAL DISTRIBUTION (JULY 2024 - FEBRUARY 2025)

Finally, all of this hard work, passion, and collaboration can be shown to the world! This short film is standalone, but it would be a dream come true to turn into my first feature. I am so excited about the opportunity to tell this story, and hopefully many more in the future. I hope to create a film that I can proudly celebrate as a credit to me, and to all of the department heads who worked on it, for their own endeavors.

I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to read about this story and my team. This is the biggest film I have yet to direct. Any amount of money donated towards this production means so much to me. We need to raise up to 80% of our goal to be able to keep the funds gifted to this project. Please share this page with anyone you think might be interested in this story and follow us on Instagram for lots of updates @sewedfigsfilm. The more individuals this story is able to touch, the more purposeful it makes me feel to tell it.