Stealing Sunsets is a short film about Geoff, a middle aged man struggling with the daily challenges of life. Meanwhile, his friend Ben's phone calls, initially unanswered, have become a recurring oversight. Each time Ben tries to call, something more important prevents Geoff from answering. The voicemails eventually come to a halt, prompting Geoff to check in on his friend. This is where our audience comes to find Ben is in a hospice facility.

Our film is a reminder to pause and make time for your friends and loved ones. We explore the themes of friendship, loss, grief and the necessity of being present, pulling from our own personal experiences.

We aren't starting from scratch, our core team has already committed themselves to this project at no cost. We are passionate about this film and truly believe it will touch audiences across all walks of life.

Mike Woodall, Director

Mike Woodall is a director whose work bridges the gap between commercial precision and human storytelling. After starting his career at BBDO New York, Mike spent years producing and directing high-end commercial campaigns before transitioning into independent film. His narrative debut, Dreaming of You(th) (2023), was followed by the 2025 documentary Building A Champion, which explored the pursuit of excellence behind the world-class Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps. Now living in Los Angeles, Mike balances his career with a deep connection to the outdoors, often found surfing the pacific coast, skiing up at Mammoth Mountain, or exploring hiking trails with his dog, Rusty.

Mike Peters, Writer

Meet Mike: A comedy writer, ad producer, comic book lover, and hip-hop enthusiast who started as a dollar-deprived college student creating content for production companies as he looked to traverse the path of becoming a professional writer. He’s still dollar-deprived, but a much better writer now, as demonstrated by his finalist placements in Screencraft’s Comedy Screenplay Contest and Story Pros International Screenplay Contest. Mike typically spends his nights writing farce, screwball, and often dark comedies until the bags under his eyes are so big Delta would charge for extra luggage.

Arielle Zakowski, Editorial Consultant

Arielle Zakowski is a film and commercial editor whose most recent movie, Sean Wang’s DÌDI (弟弟), won the Audience Award at its Sundance Film Festival premiere and was released theatrically to much critical acclaim. The film was nominated for 4 Independent Spirit Awards including Best Editing. She previously edited Sony Pictures’ thriller MISSING, a massive editorial undertaking that was a global box office hit and set the standard for storytelling through screen-life. Arielle also has extensive experience in documentary editing - she cut Dan Chen’s Emmy-nominated feature doc ACCEPTED, as well as David Gelb’s WOLFGANG for Disney - both of which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. She has edited episodes of the Netflix shows CHEF’S TABLE, MAKING A MURDERER, and TRIAL BY MEDIA. Arielle has spent over a decade in the ad world and was named a Rising Star by shots. Her short form work has been recognized by the Cannes Lions, the Emmys, and film festivals around the world. Arielle was named the 2025 Sally Menke Editing Fellow by the Sundance Institute.

Ben Marias, Cinematographer

Born and raised in Santa Monica, CA, Ben Marias grew up on TV and commercial film sets. Marias began his career as a child actor at the age of 4. He traded in the casting room for athletics and picked up his first camera as a teenager. Learning everything he could about photography, shooting pictures of the surf/skate scene in Venice in the 90’s, Ben turned his passion for photography and his love of film into a career as a Director/ DoP. Life on set has always been an integral part of Marias’s life and the basis of his professional knowledge. Marias has worked in almost every field on a film set before becoming an AC, then a camera operator, and finally a Director/ DoP. The art of cinematography continues to excite Marias as he continues to explore new and exciting territory.

Other Key Cast + Crew Include:

-Andrew Tucci, Actor

-Chris Santaiti, Actor

-Niko Whelan, Line Producer

-Pipe Delgado, 1st Assistant Director

-Sandra Monty, Production Designer

-Nate Seymour, Colorist

We need to raise money to cover the hard costs required to turn our dream project into a reality. Funds will go towards the following.

• Location Fees: Booking fees and permits needed for the apartment, assisted living facility and sunset lookout.
• Art Department: Dressing multiple apartment rooms and the hospice facility. Props include the wheelchair, oxygen tanks, and medical supplies. In order to legitimately dress our locations, we'll need these props and set dressing rentals.
• Equipment: Rental costs for our camera, lighting and audio equipment kits.
• Production Crew: 1st AC, DIT, Chief Lighting Technician, Key Grip, Makeup Artist, Script Supervisor, Sound Mixer, Production Supervisor and PAs.

By supporting us, you aren't just funding a production, you’re championing a story that will stick with audiences long after the sun goes down. Below is our tentative calendar for the project.

• Fall 2026: Principal Photography in Los Angeles.
• Winter 2026: Editorial, VFX, Sound Design, Audio Mix, Color Grade and Final Conform.
• Spring 2027: Film Festival Submissions
• Summer 2027: Digital Rewards (Screening links, Director’s Commentary) delivered to YOU, our backers.

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