Soma
Long Beach, California | Film Short
Drama, Fantasy
A woman’s brush with death pulls her into a dreamscape where time bends and choices fracture, revealing that the hardest battle is with the unlived lives inside her.
Soma
Long Beach, California | Film Short
Drama, Fantasy
Green Light
This campaign raised $3,610 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
22 supporters | followers
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A woman’s brush with death pulls her into a dreamscape where time bends and choices fracture, revealing that the hardest battle is with the unlived lives inside her.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
After a sudden accident, Amara, a young mother, finds herself suspended between life and death. Pulled into a surreal dreamscape, she moves through fragments of her childhood, her first love, and the artist she could have been. As time slips away, Amara must reconcile motherhood with selfhood and decide whether returning to her life means losing herself or finally reclaiming it.
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AMARA WINSLOW: Mid-20s. A sensitive, creative soul torn between the artist she once dreamed of becoming and the mother she has become. She’s overburdened yet passionate, fragmented and yearning for wholeness.
SOLEIL: Ageless. A manifestation of Amara’s higher self and her voice of reason. She pushes Amara through thresholds of memory and fantasy, forcing her to face truths she avoids.
Director's Statement
SOMA was born from a place of frustration and love. Every character represents a certain part of myself that I’ve once abandoned due to the innate obligation I felt to sacrifice myself in order to help my non-English speaking immigrant family. I watched them struggle through poverty at a young age, forcing me to grow up earlier than most of the kids my age. My only objective was to find a practical job that made enough money to put them out of debt.
I took the STEM route all throughout high school hoping to land a job in the medical field. They never pressured me to be anything, too occupied by their own chaos and burdens to raise me, so I took it upon myself to raise myself. Learn money, study hard, pay them back for their sacrifices. But in the process — I lost myself. I pushed my passions and creativity to the side, just keeping them as hobbies to relieve the stress of my rigorous school work. Writing and reading was my outlet, it allowed me to escape my current reality and slip into another world, even if it was for a brief moment. It took me years of unlearning who I forced myself to become in order to come back to who I never allowed myself to be. My mother had made similar sacrifices, not specifically like the ones I made, but it made me realize just how sacrifice is just written into the existence of motherhood and womanhood. At its core, it was inspired by my journey of breaking generational curses.
This is a film about what it feels like to fracture under expectation, and what it takes to pull those pieces back together. Amara’s journey is surreal, mythic, and dreamlike, but at its core it’s deeply human. She isn’t just fighting to survive — she’s fighting to be whole.
Who is telling this story. . .
SOMA is being produced under the Cal State University of Long Beach Cinematic Arts program with the generous donation from the Golden Globes Foundation. We're grateful and excited to have received the opportunity to bring our story to life, considering not every project was picked, but we still need your support for our film as we spread our message!
As student filmmakers, we don’t have the big budgets, but we do have urgency. This story matters to us because it reflects the lives of the women we know, and maybe even ourselves. By supporting SOMA, you’re not just helping us make a short film — you’re helping us start a conversation about sacrifice, identity, and the courage to reclaim yourself.
.png)
Every film is built step by step. For Soma, pre-production is underway as we finalize our locations, costumes, and props. Production begins this fall. Afterwards, we move into post-production, where we piece the film together using editing, sound design, and VFX, leading up to a completed film ready to display at the CSULB Cinematic Arts Senior Showcase in May 2026. Supporting us means helping this story move forward through each stage of the journey.
It takes more than one person to bring Amara’s story to life—this is where we need YOUR help.
Locations: Because so much of Amara's story unfolds within her visiting multiple memories from her past, present, and future, making it so that we’ll be shooting on location to capture the authenticity of her story. Securing the right locations, along with permits and location fees, makes this one of the most important parts of our budget.
Food for our Cast & Crew: The heart of Soma lies in its people. Our passionate cast and hardworking crew are committed to telling this story with authenticity and care. Supporting them means ensuring quality meals and the resources they need to do their best work.
Ways You Can Support Soma
- Pledge to our Seed&Spark campaign and check out the fun incentives we’ve created for contributors.
- Share our campaign and social media with friends and family to help spread the word.
- Follow us on Instagram @somafilm to stay updated on our journey.
On behalf of the Soma team,
THANK YOU!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Transportation
Costs $300
We are filming across multiple locations in OC & Long Beach, and we need your help to ensure our equipment is transported safely!
Locations
Costs $600
Through out this story we see many different fantastical location that come with permits and fees in order to bring these places to life.
Catering and Craft Services
Costs $1,100
This is especially important to us– keeping our cast and crew well fed, nourished, and taken care of! Any contributions would be amazing.
Production Expenses
Costs $500
The costs that come with delivering the quality of production design, HMU, and wardrobe that create the world of Soma!
Camera Expenses
Costs $700
To truly capture the visual quality this story deserves, we need the proper lenses to bring Amara’s journey to life.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Sandra Tran
Writer & Director
Sandra Tran is a Vietnamese-American filmmaker based in Southern California, currently pursuing a degree in Cinematic Arts with a directing focus at California State University Long Beach. Her creative journey began with writing, where she honed her voice through novels and developed a strong interest in adapting literature for the screen. From there, she expanded into editing and post-production, sharpening her eye for story structure and rhythm, before deepening her craft through sound design and audio production at Mt. San Jacinto College, producing soundscapes and recording live studio performances.
Now, Sandra brings together her experience across writing, post-production, and sound into her work as a director. At CSULB, she has collaborated on a range of student short films, guiding projects from concept through final cut. Her storytelling is shaped by her perspective as a Vietnamese-American artist and often explores themes of identity, spirituality, and transformation. SOMA marks her most ambitious project to date, a film that unites her technical foundation with her vision as a director to tell a story about womanhood, sacrifice, and reclamation of self.
Catherine Del Castillo
Cinematographer
When I first read Soma, I was struck by how much I related to Amara’s journey. Her struggle with identity and her longing to reignite her passion for art mirrors obstacles I’ve faced in my own career. As a queer woman in cinematography, I’ve faced challenges that led me to question my own path and my passion for filmmaking. Like Amara, I learned to push through the self-doubt and reignite my passion for art. Soma speaks to that universal search for self and purpose, and I feel privileged to help tell this story through images that reflect the artistic spirit and the resilience of women.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
After a sudden accident, Amara, a young mother, finds herself suspended between life and death. Pulled into a surreal dreamscape, she moves through fragments of her childhood, her first love, and the artist she could have been. As time slips away, Amara must reconcile motherhood with selfhood and decide whether returning to her life means losing herself or finally reclaiming it.
AMARA WINSLOW: Mid-20s. A sensitive, creative soul torn between the artist she once dreamed of becoming and the mother she has become. She’s overburdened yet passionate, fragmented and yearning for wholeness.
SOLEIL: Ageless. A manifestation of Amara’s higher self and her voice of reason. She pushes Amara through thresholds of memory and fantasy, forcing her to face truths she avoids.
Director's Statement
SOMA was born from a place of frustration and love. Every character represents a certain part of myself that I’ve once abandoned due to the innate obligation I felt to sacrifice myself in order to help my non-English speaking immigrant family. I watched them struggle through poverty at a young age, forcing me to grow up earlier than most of the kids my age. My only objective was to find a practical job that made enough money to put them out of debt.
I took the STEM route all throughout high school hoping to land a job in the medical field. They never pressured me to be anything, too occupied by their own chaos and burdens to raise me, so I took it upon myself to raise myself. Learn money, study hard, pay them back for their sacrifices. But in the process — I lost myself. I pushed my passions and creativity to the side, just keeping them as hobbies to relieve the stress of my rigorous school work. Writing and reading was my outlet, it allowed me to escape my current reality and slip into another world, even if it was for a brief moment. It took me years of unlearning who I forced myself to become in order to come back to who I never allowed myself to be. My mother had made similar sacrifices, not specifically like the ones I made, but it made me realize just how sacrifice is just written into the existence of motherhood and womanhood. At its core, it was inspired by my journey of breaking generational curses.
This is a film about what it feels like to fracture under expectation, and what it takes to pull those pieces back together. Amara’s journey is surreal, mythic, and dreamlike, but at its core it’s deeply human. She isn’t just fighting to survive — she’s fighting to be whole.
Who is telling this story. . .
SOMA is being produced under the Cal State University of Long Beach Cinematic Arts program with the generous donation from the Golden Globes Foundation. We're grateful and excited to have received the opportunity to bring our story to life, considering not every project was picked, but we still need your support for our film as we spread our message!
As student filmmakers, we don’t have the big budgets, but we do have urgency. This story matters to us because it reflects the lives of the women we know, and maybe even ourselves. By supporting SOMA, you’re not just helping us make a short film — you’re helping us start a conversation about sacrifice, identity, and the courage to reclaim yourself.
Every film is built step by step. For Soma, pre-production is underway as we finalize our locations, costumes, and props. Production begins this fall. Afterwards, we move into post-production, where we piece the film together using editing, sound design, and VFX, leading up to a completed film ready to display at the CSULB Cinematic Arts Senior Showcase in May 2026. Supporting us means helping this story move forward through each stage of the journey.
It takes more than one person to bring Amara’s story to life—this is where we need YOUR help.
Locations: Because so much of Amara's story unfolds within her visiting multiple memories from her past, present, and future, making it so that we’ll be shooting on location to capture the authenticity of her story. Securing the right locations, along with permits and location fees, makes this one of the most important parts of our budget.
Food for our Cast & Crew: The heart of Soma lies in its people. Our passionate cast and hardworking crew are committed to telling this story with authenticity and care. Supporting them means ensuring quality meals and the resources they need to do their best work.
Ways You Can Support Soma
- Pledge to our Seed&Spark campaign and check out the fun incentives we’ve created for contributors.
- Share our campaign and social media with friends and family to help spread the word.
- Follow us on Instagram @somafilm to stay updated on our journey.
On behalf of the Soma team,
THANK YOU!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Transportation
Costs $300
We are filming across multiple locations in OC & Long Beach, and we need your help to ensure our equipment is transported safely!
Locations
Costs $600
Through out this story we see many different fantastical location that come with permits and fees in order to bring these places to life.
Catering and Craft Services
Costs $1,100
This is especially important to us– keeping our cast and crew well fed, nourished, and taken care of! Any contributions would be amazing.
Production Expenses
Costs $500
The costs that come with delivering the quality of production design, HMU, and wardrobe that create the world of Soma!
Camera Expenses
Costs $700
To truly capture the visual quality this story deserves, we need the proper lenses to bring Amara’s journey to life.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Sandra Tran
Writer & Director
Sandra Tran is a Vietnamese-American filmmaker based in Southern California, currently pursuing a degree in Cinematic Arts with a directing focus at California State University Long Beach. Her creative journey began with writing, where she honed her voice through novels and developed a strong interest in adapting literature for the screen. From there, she expanded into editing and post-production, sharpening her eye for story structure and rhythm, before deepening her craft through sound design and audio production at Mt. San Jacinto College, producing soundscapes and recording live studio performances.
Now, Sandra brings together her experience across writing, post-production, and sound into her work as a director. At CSULB, she has collaborated on a range of student short films, guiding projects from concept through final cut. Her storytelling is shaped by her perspective as a Vietnamese-American artist and often explores themes of identity, spirituality, and transformation. SOMA marks her most ambitious project to date, a film that unites her technical foundation with her vision as a director to tell a story about womanhood, sacrifice, and reclamation of self.
Catherine Del Castillo
Cinematographer
When I first read Soma, I was struck by how much I related to Amara’s journey. Her struggle with identity and her longing to reignite her passion for art mirrors obstacles I’ve faced in my own career. As a queer woman in cinematography, I’ve faced challenges that led me to question my own path and my passion for filmmaking. Like Amara, I learned to push through the self-doubt and reignite my passion for art. Soma speaks to that universal search for self and purpose, and I feel privileged to help tell this story through images that reflect the artistic spirit and the resilience of women.