Slip
New Orleans, Louisiana | Film Short
Drama, LGBTQ
SLIP is a romantic drama short from writer & director Lara Hill (she/her) that uses a familiar, scandalous narrative hook to explore a marriage in transition. A married couple's celebratory date night is derailed when the wife lets the wrong name slip out during sex - her husband's dead name.
Slip
New Orleans, Louisiana | Film Short
Drama, LGBTQ
Green Light
This campaign raised $14,945 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
215 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
SLIP is a romantic drama short from writer & director Lara Hill (she/her) that uses a familiar, scandalous narrative hook to explore a marriage in transition. A married couple's celebratory date night is derailed when the wife lets the wrong name slip out during sex - her husband's dead name.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Disclaimer: all images are examples included to demonstrate intended tone and atmosphere. They do not represent the actual film, nor are they the property of the film or filmmaker.
"Why did you say that name?"
Owen and his wife Jamie, married three years, are marking a special occasion with an intimate night out. After making it up to their hotel room, they begin having sex, and in a moment of passion, Jamie lets a name escape her lips - a woman's name.
Still image from Let the Sunshine In (2017), dir. Claire Denis
As we see more of this special night and the nature of this relationship, we learn that this name is Owen's dead name - the one he used before his gender transition. Hearing this name in such a charged moment stirs memories and difficult emotions about the couple's past and the choices they made along the way to stay together.
Still images from left to right: Lost in Translation (2003), dir. Sofia Coppola; Lingua Franca (2019), dir. Isabel Sandoval; Her (2013), dir. Spike Jonze
Slip uses a familiar narrative trope in stories about marriage and romance to share a personal transgender experience. When a spouse or partner comes out as trans, many assume the end of that relationship or a death to sexual intimacy to be inevitable. As a trans woman who was in a committed "straight" relationship when I came out, that was my story. But while separation remains common for relationships in which one of the partners begins gender transition, many couples make their relationship work and change as part of a transition journey. It is these stories and experiences that I wish to illuminate.
Sill image: On the Rocks (2020), dir. Sofia Coppola
This is an important project for me as a writer and filmmaker. Though the gender of the lead and the direction of their transition is inverted, my experience as a trans person is directly reflected in it. It is the first script I've written explicitly about my identity, and should the film be produced, it will be the first I will have made since I began my transition.
Now more than ever, during a period in global politics in which trans peoples' place in society falls under increasingly greater threat, it's important for our stories to be shared to the world to create greater understanding, foster empathy, and affirm the experiences and truth of our community. It is of even greater importance for us to be the ones sharing those stories.
Still image: How Do I Tell You This (2024), dir. Lara Hill
Both in real life and fiction, people outside of my community who hear and tell our stories draw their sympathies to how the partners and loved ones of trans people react - often negatively - to transition at the trans person's expense. For us, it's essential that Owen's experience be centered and prioritized. We aim to demonstrate how even a seemingly small mistake can wound deeply - and how love and support can overcome those difficulties.
For trans people, a name can mean the world. Something as simple as using a new name can be the first step towards acceptance, rebuilding or reinforcing relationships, and shoring up the confidence of a newly out trans person. And yet, the flip side to that fact is that a name - the wrong name - can just as easily be destructive.
"We were supposed to be celebrating you tonight."
"I was celebrating us."
What starts as a sexy, elegant night for Owen and Jamie, full of warmth and erotic possibility, develops into an emotionally charged reflection on where the couple has been and where they're going. After the opening scene and titular slip of the tongue, we flash back to the beginning of the night, full of excitement, energy, and playfulness as we learn more about Owen and his relationship with his wife. This is an important night for him, and we feel his brightness and romantic streak through the extravagant trappings of the hotel where the film is set.
Still image: Up in the Air (2009), dir. Jason Reitman
However, we also see the seeds of marital strife, recently buried but willfully glossed over. And many things are laid bare in the bedroom, a place of safety that can quickly become emotionally treacherous.
Once we return to the present to witness the fallout of Jamie's mistake, we learn of a betrayal far more personal and deep than infidelity. As the couple discusses Owen's transition, the film becomes more grounded in melancholy and looming tragedy. While we understand his wife's difficulty embracing a relationship that's unexpectedly shifted, we feel Owen's sense of rejection and guilt.
Still image from Mutt (2023), dir. Vuk Lungulov-Klotz
The film will utilize a largely static camera and slow, poetic movements to gently capture and accentuate the longing and heartbreak these characters feel for each other - and instill a hope that their love can persevere.
Still images from left to right: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu; In the Mood for Love (2000), dir. Wong Kar-Wai; Before Midnight (2013), dir. Richard Linklater
We are seeking to raise $17,000 for production and post-production for this already award-winning project. The bulk of the funds will go towards covering the costs of shooting the film, with a focus on fair pay and compensation for our cast and crew. We have assembled a passionate and dedicated team of professionals with a vast breadth of experience in both independent and studio film productions to bring this film to life.
Principal photography will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana and is scheduled for August-September of 2024. In addition to winning Best Short Screenplay at the 2024 Omaha Film Festival - and being named a Quarterfinalist for Atlanta Film Festival's Screenplay Competition and an Official Selection for Waco Independent Film Festival - our project has already been awarded a production microgrant from PANO Network and was named a Hot Film in the Making for the Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant.
PLEASE FOLLOW, SHARE & CONTRIBUTE!
You are invited to join the organizations above in supporting a heartfelt trans story, made by women and trans people! In order to achieve Green Light status and receive any of our funds, we must raise at least 80% of our fundraising goal ($13,000). Choose from one of our incentives for your donation, or give whatever amount fits your budget. Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a difference in making our fundraising goal!
Follow our campaign on Seed&Spark for free to stay up to date on our progress! Even if you are unable to donate, this is something you can still do that helps us immensely. The more followers we receive, the closer we come to being eligible for larger rewards and incentives from Seed&Spark, including festival fee waivers, professional services, and products to support our filmmaking.
You can also follow the film on Instagram and Facebook @slipthemovie and our director @laraonset for updates and posts about the campaign.
Finally, we depend on people like YOU to spread the word about our film beyond our circles and networks! Share the campaign on your social media, forward that email, tell your friends about us. However you want - tell your world about Slip! It all makes a huge impact and gets more eyes on our project. Here are some examples of messages you can copy, paste, and share!
Support SLIP (@slipthemovie), a queer romantic drama short film from @laraonset, by following and joining their campaign on Seed&Spark today! - [link]
Help writer/director @laraonset fund her new short film SLIP (@slipthemovie) by contributing to her Seed&Spark campaign today. Support independent filmmaking and trans stories! - [link]
Still image: Her (2013), dir. Spike Jonze
Thank you! Your support means the world to us.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Lunches for the Crew
Costs $900
Making movie is a lot of hard work, and we need to keep our crew well fed with daily lunches during our shoot.
Craft Services
Costs $500
A day of shooting is a marathon, and you can help keep our crew's energy up throughout the day by helping provide snacks & drinks!
Payroll for Cast & Crew
Costs $6,000
We are committed to pay our cast and crew for their hard work and dedication on our film.
Costume Budget
Costs $500
We need our couple to look their best for their big night, and this will help us get them outfits fit for the occasion.
Set Dressing & Production Design
Costs $1,000
Setting the art budget for our production designer to create the look of the film through props, set decoration, and other needs.
Production Rentals
Costs $1,500
Gear & equipment rentals for our shoot, including an Arri Alexa Mini.
Post-Production
Costs $2,000
Editing, Coloring, Sound Design, Score - we need funds to pay the folks who will be putting our film together after production is complete.
Contingency Funds
Costs $700
Stuff happens, and surprise expenses come up where you least expect them. Help us cover those unexpected needs.
Travel & Accommodation
Costs $1,200
We'll need funds to fly in and put up any cast or crew who are traveling in for our shoot
Filming Insurance
Costs $1,000
Insuring the gear and equipment we'll be using for our shoot from mishaps and, *ahem* Mayhem.
Our Shooting Location(s) - The Hotel & Bar
Costs $2,000
Owen and Jamie are celebrating a special night of romance, and we are in need of an elegant hotel fitting of the occasion for filming.
Share this update!
About This Team
LARA HILL: Director / Writer / Producer
Lara (she/her) is a transgender writer, director, and assistant director based in New Orleans, Louisiana. A native to northern Louisiana, she graduated cum laude from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in chemical engineering. While working as an engineer in southern Arkansas, she began producing, directing, and writing short films for the Louisiana Film Prize in Shreveport, Louisiana, including Invitation, which premiered as a top 20 official selection at the festival. She has since begun working in production in the Louisiana entertainment industry, with assistant directing credits on feature films The Dirty South, #ChadGetsTheAxe, and The Magician's Raincoat, and work on TV shows Queer Eye, Big Freedia Means Business, and The Money Game. Her work has been showcased and awarded at festivals across the United States, including Omaha Film Festival, Deep in the Heart Film Festival, and Arkansas Cinema Society's FILMLAND. Her newest short film, How Do I Tell You This, is featured on Crafty's YouTube channel.
RASHADA FORTIER: Producer
Rashada (she/her) is a queer, New Orleans based producer. Her aim is to support work that focuses on narratives centered around marginalized women protagonists, particularly women of color. She seeks to combat the idea that projects centering women of color are in any way niche, and instead works to highlight the importance and relatability of their experiences. She especially wishes to explore these narratives in genres that have traditionally relegated people of color to small or bit roles, such as horror and sci-fi. Rashada holds a B.A. in Communications specializing in film and television from Seton Hall University, and a MFA in film from the University of New Orleans. Rashada currently works as an assistant production coordinator in the film industry. She also serves as a narrative shorts programmer for both the New Orleans and Atlanta Film Festivals. Her most recently produced short, Mama Love, premiered at the New Orleans Film Festival in 2023 and won an Audience Award for Best Louisiana Narrative Short.
LAURA CASSIDY: Consulting Producer
Laura (she/her) is the best movie producer you've never heard of. A native of Louisiana, she attended Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, where she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in theatre and music. Shortly thereafter Laura moved to Los Angeles to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an actress. After several frustrating years she was given the advice “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build your own door” (Milton Berle), and started her first production company. She now resides in New Orleans, is Producer and Creative Director for her company, Indie Darling Films, and has produced several shorts (including Unicorn Poop, which premiered as a top 5 film at the Louisiana Film Prize) and feature films (including Phony, which played at 21 festivals world-wide and is distributed through Indie Rights). However, Laura is still perhaps best-known for a bit role in the cult classic, awesomely-bad movie Birdemic, a career move that will haunt her dreams and her IMDB rankings forever.
MARY MCDADE: Director of Photography
Mary (she/her) feels most at home when she is collecting stories from her memories: the veins in her Mother’s hands, the glow of her grandmother’s eyes as she told a story in the midst of dementia, the synchronicity of her heart and limbs during a dance, and the shift in the air as a squall line moves across the sky in the spring. She was raised in the Arkansas Delta but calls New Orleans home. As a collaborator, she seeks to bring a director’s story to life with a femme lens that focuses on moments of intimacy, memory, and instinct. She has worked in the camera department for nearly a decade on various tv shows and films. She holds an MFA in Film Production from the University of New Orleans and is a member of IATSE Local 600. Her short film Ms. Blue was a top 20 official selection for the 2020 Louisiana Film Prize, and her newest film as writer and director, Mama Love, premiered at the New Orleans Film Festival.
LIANA COCKFIELD: Assistant Director / Co-Producer
Liana (she/her) is a New Orleans-based Producer and Assistant Director. She has a wide breadth of experience in both the narrative and unscripted realms with budget levels ranging from 50k to 1 million. She received her B.A in Film & Theatre Production from the University of New Orleans where she attended writing and producing workshops by the American Film Institute. Continuing her film studies at Hamburg University in Germany, Liana focused on episodic writing and production. She is currently the lead development producer at independent production companies Worklight Pictures and Monkey Dream Entertainment, her most notable narrative works include the feature films Easy Does It starring Linda Hamilton and The Dirty South starring Shane West and Dermot Mulroney.
JACLYN BETHANY: Casting Director / Co-Producer
Jaclyn (she/her) is a writer, Emmy award winning filmmaker and actor based in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is a graduate of the American Film Institute with a MFA in Directing and the London Film School holding an MA in Screenwriting. Her most recent feature film Tell that to the Winter Sea will be released in U.K. cinemas this summer. She is very excited to support Lara and SLIP.
WILLA ROSS: Editor
Willa (she/they) has been working in film and video since co-founding Sad Hill Media in 2009. Whether for her own projects or someone else’s, her work behind the camera and the keyboard is always focused on finding fresh, gripping new approaches to filmmaking. As well as on-set direction, Willa participates in the screenwriting, shotlisting, editing, and sound design stages of the process. Her collaborations are marked by responsive communication and craftsmanship that are tailored to the sensibilities of her clients and teams. In addition, she maintains a practice of written work, and her articles and video essays have been published by outlets such as VIFF Blog and MUBI Notebook.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Disclaimer: all images are examples included to demonstrate intended tone and atmosphere. They do not represent the actual film, nor are they the property of the film or filmmaker.
"Why did you say that name?"
Owen and his wife Jamie, married three years, are marking a special occasion with an intimate night out. After making it up to their hotel room, they begin having sex, and in a moment of passion, Jamie lets a name escape her lips - a woman's name.
Still image from Let the Sunshine In (2017), dir. Claire Denis
As we see more of this special night and the nature of this relationship, we learn that this name is Owen's dead name - the one he used before his gender transition. Hearing this name in such a charged moment stirs memories and difficult emotions about the couple's past and the choices they made along the way to stay together.
Still images from left to right: Lost in Translation (2003), dir. Sofia Coppola; Lingua Franca (2019), dir. Isabel Sandoval; Her (2013), dir. Spike Jonze
Slip uses a familiar narrative trope in stories about marriage and romance to share a personal transgender experience. When a spouse or partner comes out as trans, many assume the end of that relationship or a death to sexual intimacy to be inevitable. As a trans woman who was in a committed "straight" relationship when I came out, that was my story. But while separation remains common for relationships in which one of the partners begins gender transition, many couples make their relationship work and change as part of a transition journey. It is these stories and experiences that I wish to illuminate.
Sill image: On the Rocks (2020), dir. Sofia Coppola
This is an important project for me as a writer and filmmaker. Though the gender of the lead and the direction of their transition is inverted, my experience as a trans person is directly reflected in it. It is the first script I've written explicitly about my identity, and should the film be produced, it will be the first I will have made since I began my transition.
Now more than ever, during a period in global politics in which trans peoples' place in society falls under increasingly greater threat, it's important for our stories to be shared to the world to create greater understanding, foster empathy, and affirm the experiences and truth of our community. It is of even greater importance for us to be the ones sharing those stories.
Still image: How Do I Tell You This (2024), dir. Lara Hill
Both in real life and fiction, people outside of my community who hear and tell our stories draw their sympathies to how the partners and loved ones of trans people react - often negatively - to transition at the trans person's expense. For us, it's essential that Owen's experience be centered and prioritized. We aim to demonstrate how even a seemingly small mistake can wound deeply - and how love and support can overcome those difficulties.
For trans people, a name can mean the world. Something as simple as using a new name can be the first step towards acceptance, rebuilding or reinforcing relationships, and shoring up the confidence of a newly out trans person. And yet, the flip side to that fact is that a name - the wrong name - can just as easily be destructive.
"We were supposed to be celebrating you tonight."
"I was celebrating us."
What starts as a sexy, elegant night for Owen and Jamie, full of warmth and erotic possibility, develops into an emotionally charged reflection on where the couple has been and where they're going. After the opening scene and titular slip of the tongue, we flash back to the beginning of the night, full of excitement, energy, and playfulness as we learn more about Owen and his relationship with his wife. This is an important night for him, and we feel his brightness and romantic streak through the extravagant trappings of the hotel where the film is set.
Still image: Up in the Air (2009), dir. Jason Reitman
However, we also see the seeds of marital strife, recently buried but willfully glossed over. And many things are laid bare in the bedroom, a place of safety that can quickly become emotionally treacherous.
Once we return to the present to witness the fallout of Jamie's mistake, we learn of a betrayal far more personal and deep than infidelity. As the couple discusses Owen's transition, the film becomes more grounded in melancholy and looming tragedy. While we understand his wife's difficulty embracing a relationship that's unexpectedly shifted, we feel Owen's sense of rejection and guilt.
Still image from Mutt (2023), dir. Vuk Lungulov-Klotz
The film will utilize a largely static camera and slow, poetic movements to gently capture and accentuate the longing and heartbreak these characters feel for each other - and instill a hope that their love can persevere.
Still images from left to right: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu; In the Mood for Love (2000), dir. Wong Kar-Wai; Before Midnight (2013), dir. Richard Linklater
We are seeking to raise $17,000 for production and post-production for this already award-winning project. The bulk of the funds will go towards covering the costs of shooting the film, with a focus on fair pay and compensation for our cast and crew. We have assembled a passionate and dedicated team of professionals with a vast breadth of experience in both independent and studio film productions to bring this film to life.
Principal photography will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana and is scheduled for August-September of 2024. In addition to winning Best Short Screenplay at the 2024 Omaha Film Festival - and being named a Quarterfinalist for Atlanta Film Festival's Screenplay Competition and an Official Selection for Waco Independent Film Festival - our project has already been awarded a production microgrant from PANO Network and was named a Hot Film in the Making for the Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant.
PLEASE FOLLOW, SHARE & CONTRIBUTE!
You are invited to join the organizations above in supporting a heartfelt trans story, made by women and trans people! In order to achieve Green Light status and receive any of our funds, we must raise at least 80% of our fundraising goal ($13,000). Choose from one of our incentives for your donation, or give whatever amount fits your budget. Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a difference in making our fundraising goal!
Follow our campaign on Seed&Spark for free to stay up to date on our progress! Even if you are unable to donate, this is something you can still do that helps us immensely. The more followers we receive, the closer we come to being eligible for larger rewards and incentives from Seed&Spark, including festival fee waivers, professional services, and products to support our filmmaking.
You can also follow the film on Instagram and Facebook @slipthemovie and our director @laraonset for updates and posts about the campaign.
Finally, we depend on people like YOU to spread the word about our film beyond our circles and networks! Share the campaign on your social media, forward that email, tell your friends about us. However you want - tell your world about Slip! It all makes a huge impact and gets more eyes on our project. Here are some examples of messages you can copy, paste, and share!
Support SLIP (@slipthemovie), a queer romantic drama short film from @laraonset, by following and joining their campaign on Seed&Spark today! - [link]
Help writer/director @laraonset fund her new short film SLIP (@slipthemovie) by contributing to her Seed&Spark campaign today. Support independent filmmaking and trans stories! - [link]
Still image: Her (2013), dir. Spike Jonze
Thank you! Your support means the world to us.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Lunches for the Crew
Costs $900
Making movie is a lot of hard work, and we need to keep our crew well fed with daily lunches during our shoot.
Craft Services
Costs $500
A day of shooting is a marathon, and you can help keep our crew's energy up throughout the day by helping provide snacks & drinks!
Payroll for Cast & Crew
Costs $6,000
We are committed to pay our cast and crew for their hard work and dedication on our film.
Costume Budget
Costs $500
We need our couple to look their best for their big night, and this will help us get them outfits fit for the occasion.
Set Dressing & Production Design
Costs $1,000
Setting the art budget for our production designer to create the look of the film through props, set decoration, and other needs.
Production Rentals
Costs $1,500
Gear & equipment rentals for our shoot, including an Arri Alexa Mini.
Post-Production
Costs $2,000
Editing, Coloring, Sound Design, Score - we need funds to pay the folks who will be putting our film together after production is complete.
Contingency Funds
Costs $700
Stuff happens, and surprise expenses come up where you least expect them. Help us cover those unexpected needs.
Travel & Accommodation
Costs $1,200
We'll need funds to fly in and put up any cast or crew who are traveling in for our shoot
Filming Insurance
Costs $1,000
Insuring the gear and equipment we'll be using for our shoot from mishaps and, *ahem* Mayhem.
Our Shooting Location(s) - The Hotel & Bar
Costs $2,000
Owen and Jamie are celebrating a special night of romance, and we are in need of an elegant hotel fitting of the occasion for filming.
Share this update!
About This Team
LARA HILL: Director / Writer / Producer
Lara (she/her) is a transgender writer, director, and assistant director based in New Orleans, Louisiana. A native to northern Louisiana, she graduated cum laude from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in chemical engineering. While working as an engineer in southern Arkansas, she began producing, directing, and writing short films for the Louisiana Film Prize in Shreveport, Louisiana, including Invitation, which premiered as a top 20 official selection at the festival. She has since begun working in production in the Louisiana entertainment industry, with assistant directing credits on feature films The Dirty South, #ChadGetsTheAxe, and The Magician's Raincoat, and work on TV shows Queer Eye, Big Freedia Means Business, and The Money Game. Her work has been showcased and awarded at festivals across the United States, including Omaha Film Festival, Deep in the Heart Film Festival, and Arkansas Cinema Society's FILMLAND. Her newest short film, How Do I Tell You This, is featured on Crafty's YouTube channel.
RASHADA FORTIER: Producer
Rashada (she/her) is a queer, New Orleans based producer. Her aim is to support work that focuses on narratives centered around marginalized women protagonists, particularly women of color. She seeks to combat the idea that projects centering women of color are in any way niche, and instead works to highlight the importance and relatability of their experiences. She especially wishes to explore these narratives in genres that have traditionally relegated people of color to small or bit roles, such as horror and sci-fi. Rashada holds a B.A. in Communications specializing in film and television from Seton Hall University, and a MFA in film from the University of New Orleans. Rashada currently works as an assistant production coordinator in the film industry. She also serves as a narrative shorts programmer for both the New Orleans and Atlanta Film Festivals. Her most recently produced short, Mama Love, premiered at the New Orleans Film Festival in 2023 and won an Audience Award for Best Louisiana Narrative Short.
LAURA CASSIDY: Consulting Producer
Laura (she/her) is the best movie producer you've never heard of. A native of Louisiana, she attended Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, where she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in theatre and music. Shortly thereafter Laura moved to Los Angeles to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an actress. After several frustrating years she was given the advice “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build your own door” (Milton Berle), and started her first production company. She now resides in New Orleans, is Producer and Creative Director for her company, Indie Darling Films, and has produced several shorts (including Unicorn Poop, which premiered as a top 5 film at the Louisiana Film Prize) and feature films (including Phony, which played at 21 festivals world-wide and is distributed through Indie Rights). However, Laura is still perhaps best-known for a bit role in the cult classic, awesomely-bad movie Birdemic, a career move that will haunt her dreams and her IMDB rankings forever.
MARY MCDADE: Director of Photography
Mary (she/her) feels most at home when she is collecting stories from her memories: the veins in her Mother’s hands, the glow of her grandmother’s eyes as she told a story in the midst of dementia, the synchronicity of her heart and limbs during a dance, and the shift in the air as a squall line moves across the sky in the spring. She was raised in the Arkansas Delta but calls New Orleans home. As a collaborator, she seeks to bring a director’s story to life with a femme lens that focuses on moments of intimacy, memory, and instinct. She has worked in the camera department for nearly a decade on various tv shows and films. She holds an MFA in Film Production from the University of New Orleans and is a member of IATSE Local 600. Her short film Ms. Blue was a top 20 official selection for the 2020 Louisiana Film Prize, and her newest film as writer and director, Mama Love, premiered at the New Orleans Film Festival.
LIANA COCKFIELD: Assistant Director / Co-Producer
Liana (she/her) is a New Orleans-based Producer and Assistant Director. She has a wide breadth of experience in both the narrative and unscripted realms with budget levels ranging from 50k to 1 million. She received her B.A in Film & Theatre Production from the University of New Orleans where she attended writing and producing workshops by the American Film Institute. Continuing her film studies at Hamburg University in Germany, Liana focused on episodic writing and production. She is currently the lead development producer at independent production companies Worklight Pictures and Monkey Dream Entertainment, her most notable narrative works include the feature films Easy Does It starring Linda Hamilton and The Dirty South starring Shane West and Dermot Mulroney.
JACLYN BETHANY: Casting Director / Co-Producer
Jaclyn (she/her) is a writer, Emmy award winning filmmaker and actor based in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is a graduate of the American Film Institute with a MFA in Directing and the London Film School holding an MA in Screenwriting. Her most recent feature film Tell that to the Winter Sea will be released in U.K. cinemas this summer. She is very excited to support Lara and SLIP.
WILLA ROSS: Editor
Willa (she/they) has been working in film and video since co-founding Sad Hill Media in 2009. Whether for her own projects or someone else’s, her work behind the camera and the keyboard is always focused on finding fresh, gripping new approaches to filmmaking. As well as on-set direction, Willa participates in the screenwriting, shotlisting, editing, and sound design stages of the process. Her collaborations are marked by responsive communication and craftsmanship that are tailored to the sensibilities of her clients and teams. In addition, she maintains a practice of written work, and her articles and video essays have been published by outlets such as VIFF Blog and MUBI Notebook.