What happens when the politicians who inspired you to fight for what's right stop doing it themselves?

Spoils of Office is a political drama about a mother, a daughter, and the cost of compromise in a system that rewards power over principle.

In the wake of a local police officer's death, Ayesha Strickland, a freshman mayor in a tight re-election race faces pressure to from her party to support a controversial policing bill.

As the Party pressures her to compromise in the name of political survival (their endorsement), Ayesha is forced to choose between staying in power and casting aside her values and the trust of her idealistic teenage daughter.

Why this story?

Spoils of Office captures the disillusionment so many young people feel around politics today. It speaks to the frustration of watching the system fail, and the idealism of youth clashing with institutional power.

This story is deeply personal. I have always been politically active - my quality time with my mom growing up was spent watching the news, and presidential debates were my Super Bowl. I co-founded a High School Democrats Club and spent weekends canvassing and phone banking. I was heartbroken when Bernie lost the democratic primary in 2016, and crushed when Trump won his first term in office and I wasn't even old enough to vote yet. While I have always known on some level, I remember vividly realizing in real time that this country and many people in it don't care what happens to minorities, to people who look like me. In recent years, some of the most progressive politicians I once admired have taken stances that seem to directly contradict the platforms they originally ran on. As disappointed as I’ve felt by those choices, I can also hold space for the reality that they are operating within a system stacked against them as well. I have felt both deeply invested in and betrayed by a political machine that too often values optics over meaningful change. This short was born as a way of exploring these contradictions.

Over time, I have pivoted more towards grassroots organizing and finding hope in the small but tangible victories happening in my own community that often go unseen. I firmly believe that yet we persist. I believe that when we stop paying attention or give up entirely, we surrender the only power we really have. Rather than leave viewers in despair, the film ends on a defiant note - when traditional power structures fail us, as they inevitably will, we can lean into non-traditional forms of action to hold the people meant to represent us accountable. 

Why We Need You

Independent filmmaking is a community effort, and Spoils of Office simply would not be possible without the support of people who believe in this story.

While the project has already received support through the WAVE Grant for first-time women-of-color directors, we still need to raise the remaining funds to bring the film to life. Your contributions will go directly toward production costs including locations, equipment, insurance, meals, transportation, production and costume design, and fairly compensating the talented artists who are helping make this film possible.

In supporting this film, it will stretch beyond this single short film.

Spoils of Office is being created by a team of emerging filmmakers who are committed to telling thoughtful, impactful stories that center communities and perspectives too often left out of the conversation. Our goal is not only to make a great film, but to use it as a calling card that allows us to continue building sustainable careers as artists.

We plan to submit the completed film to major festivals, where we hope it can connect with audiences, open doors for future projects, and help establish the careers of the incredible people working on it. Every contribution is an investment not only in this story, but in the future stories our team will tell.

Visual Style

Stylistically, the film is grounded and in constant motion, capturing the organized chaos of a campaign office. In the vein of The West Wing, I envision walk and talk sequences where the movement of the characters constantly transform shots and changes the framing.

The overall visual feel is fluorescent lighting from the office with a filmic grain and green tint. Cooler tones and muted red, white, and blue naturally occurring in the production design and wardrobe.

I’m also especially drawn to the use of reflective surfaces and glass as a visual motif to create literal and metaphoric separation between the characters. Shooting through glass helps further the thematic idea that while things seem transparent, there is a disconnect between ideals and actions, between parent and child.

Budget Breakdown

We are excited to have been selected for the WAVE grant from Wavelength productions that gave us a foundation to begin this process.

In addition, we are aiming to raise $26K to cover the minimum shooting costs of our 3-day shoot in July. These funds will go towards covering the cost of renting our campaign office location, equipment rentals, compensating and feeding cast & crew over our long days, production design to bring the world to life, insurance, and the post production costs that will get the film to the finish line, like editing and sound design.

What's Next?

We plan to submit the short to a strategic mix of festivals that are accessible and filmmaker-focused, with a strong emphasis on platforms that celebrate BIPOC and female artists. These include festivals like Reel Sisters of the Diaspora, BronzeLens, American Black Film Festival, BlackStar, Slamdance, and SXSW.

The goal is ultimately to land the completed short on an online streaming platform, like Short of the Week, or Director’s Notes.

Ways to Help

We are currently in pre-production, laying the groundwork to bring this story to life. Right now, we’re in the process of locking in key collaborators, casting roles, and scouting potential locations that will help shape the world of the film.

After our campaign concludes, we plan to shoot in mid-July and complete post-production by the end of the year. Supporters will be the first to know when the film is ready to premiere - with an anticipated early 2027 festival run before wider release.

If we’re fortunate enough to surpass our funding goal, additional funds will go toward post-production polish (color grading, sound mix, original score), festival submissions, and community screenings - helping the film reach the widest possible audience.

Stretch Goals

$35,000

This will allow us to compensate our crew more fairly and ensure that less people are being asked to volunteer their time and talents.

$40,000

This funding will allow us to afford traveling an actor we are very excited about into NYC for the shoot and providing accommodations. Additionally, we could afford another production assistant to support our producers and alleviate some of their workload.

Your support means the world to us! To support, you can: 

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Follow our campaign to stay up to date!

Contribute and pledge -

You can contribute to our film by making a pledge. We must raise 80% of our crowdfunding goal to keep our funds. You can choose an incentive or make a pledge to a specific wishlist item that fits your budget. Every contribution makes a real difference!

Spread the word! We can't do it without you, thank you! :)