Steely
Atlanta, Georgia | Film Short
Comedy, LGBTQ
After a recent suicide attempt Dot is forced to attend therapy to avoid getting admitted to a psychiatric ward. But she’s fine. She’s totally fine. She has her self help books and medication (weed). Her coasting is interrupted by a knock at the door. It’s a love letter. But who sent it? And why?
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This campaign raised $4,500 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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After a recent suicide attempt Dot is forced to attend therapy to avoid getting admitted to a psychiatric ward. But she’s fine. She’s totally fine. She has her self help books and medication (weed). Her coasting is interrupted by a knock at the door. It’s a love letter. But who sent it? And why?
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
While avoiding the real reasons for her
court-ordered therapy, a mysterious love letter is hand-delivered to Dot
leading her on a journey of friendship, unlikely romance, and
the true meaning of “self-help"...
After a recent suicide attempt Dot is forced to attend therapy to
avoid getting admitted to a psychiatric ward. But she’s fine. She’s totally fine. She has her self help books and medication (weed). Her coasting is interrupted by a knock at the door.
It’s a love letter.
Except she doesn’t know who sent it, or if it was even meant for her.
She sets out to find the answers with her new team (a wannabe hacker and his aloof sister who run the business from their home office (drop shippers?)). As they put the pieces together, the picture
that begins to form is romantic, creepy, hysterical, and healing.
In our opening scene we see Dot in a therapy session,
describing how her dad broke his knuckle trying to save
his steely marble from a drain, and how her mother
chipped her tooth falling off a bicycle.
“Nothing good came out of their marriage”she says.
But later, these two symbols collide in a breathtaking and chaotic
moment of self actualization.
Without revealing too much... this story follows Dot as she attempts to figure out who sent her a love letter. She has nothing to lose, she's at rock bottom and somehow bad at therapy. But in that space is where magic can sometimes manifest. It's only up from here! Except, on her almost romantic adventure she is forced to come to terms with her fantasies and flaws. Each misdirection, each poor delivery, every fuck up eventually leads her and the friends she's made along the way to gratitude for the collective love they've built together. Also, there's a creepy sugar daddy eating wet wings in a robe. And he's gotta go.
Our team has privately raised the majority of the funding, but we need this final push to finalize Steely. How do we plan to use the money raised? We will be using the money to pay our crew their appropriate day rates, stunt coordination, meals, lodging, and help with post production. This includes sound, color grading, and film festival submissions. When do we plan on using the money raised? We plan on using the money immediately to get Steely finished on time. We plan to shoot early February, and then it will immediately go into editing, sound design, color grading, and finally festival submissions!
Follow us on our journey every step of the way through our instagram page: @steelythefilm https://www.instagram.com/steelythefilm?igsh=NHA4NmZ5cXhpdHRw&utm_source=qr
Why are we making this film? Our Director Statement and Impact Statement sum it up Steely style.
Director Statement: "In writing we draw from personal experience: my mom really did chip her tooth falling off a bike, and my dad really did hurt his hand saving his steely marble. My mom is really a therapist and I've had my fair share of mental health struggles. But directing is where I have the unique opportunity to transcend words into visual cues, weaving symbols together to create a family of images and feelings. Steely is personal, which makes it universal. And humor is the music that allows for the heavy themes to lift us to a space of healing. I'm making Steely from the place I live, one foot wobbling on sentiment and nostalgia, the other foot tip toe-ing on the absurd. Somewhere in between these spaces Steely was born. And I am honored to be in the unique position to tell a story filled with weird yet familiar characters, desperate and determined choices, and create a world where Steely is no longer a noun, but an adjective."
Impact statement: Steely is a story of resilience, and the help that can arrive in mysterious ways when you open yourself up to it. It's no secret that our protagonist Dot has made an attempt on her ife and has a difficult relationship with therapy and self help. Steely has the opportunity to humanize mental health stigmas in a lighthearted, whimsical way. My hope is to open the door for important conversations, acknowledge the power of community, and leave the audience with the message that we are never truly alone.
Let's meet our characters!!
Okay that's cool and all but what is Steely gonna look like???
i'm glad u asked buddy
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Festival Submissions!
Costs $1,000
This is our best way of getting Steely into the world - our goal is to submit to a range of festivals, which is pivotal for further reach.
Feed the Fam
Costs $500
This will fully cover food and water for our entire cast and crew! You would be keeping us literally alive.
Co-Director and Rehearsals
Costs $1,400
Millie can't act and direct at the same time. It hurts tiny brain. This will allow us rehearsal days and an on set co-director!
PAID CREW??
Costs $900
We have already privately raised the majority of our funds to pay cast and crew. We just need a little help to secure necessary crew!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Meet the fam!
Millie Rose Evans: Millie Rose Evans is a dynamic actor, musician, writer, and improv teacher from Athens, GA. On-screen, Millie recently starred in the highly anticipated film Uglies and co-starred in the Paramount plus film The In Between. She also led the cast of Withdrawal, which premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival in April and has won two Best Actress Awards from proceeding festivals. Beyond acting, she is a. passionate filmmaker—her debut production, 9 Lives, premiered last year at the Oscar Qualifying festival Out on Film. Her newest film Shaken is set to make its festival debut in the next year. Her heart and motivation lie in independent filmmaking, with a focus on telling diverse, authentic stories, including women-led films. Millie double majored in Film and Women's Gender and Sexuality at Georgia State University in Atlanta, graduating in 2019.
Aaron Strand: A degenerate cinephile, Aaron Strand has been making films for longer than he can remember. His award-winning feature film ‘Withdrawal’ premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival in 2025, he’s directed shorts which have played in festivals across the world. When he's not making movies, he can be found hosting his live film history podcast Behind the Slate, or making his kids a snack. His work focuses on modern stories about love, addiction, artistry, and political extremism.
Preston Taylor: Preston Taylor is an Atlanta-based director and executive producer known for crafting cinematic, story-forward films with lasting impact. Originally from Southern Utah, his work blends strong narrative with polished visuals to create content that resonates beyond the screen.
Preston has collaborated with brands and talent such as Shaquille O’Neal, MrBeast, Target, Beats by Dre, Coca-Cola, and Ford, delivering high-quality work in a competitive, fast-moving industry.
Nadir Baaset: Nadir Baaset is a Cinematographer- a born and raised Atlanta boy. A working filmmaker for the better part of a decade, he’s channeled the legacy of his mother’s paintings and his fathers photography into telling visual stories: intimate and grand for friends, for brands, and for himself.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
While avoiding the real reasons for her
court-ordered therapy, a mysterious love letter is hand-delivered to Dot
leading her on a journey of friendship, unlikely romance, and
the true meaning of “self-help"...
After a recent suicide attempt Dot is forced to attend therapy to
avoid getting admitted to a psychiatric ward. But she’s fine. She’s totally fine. She has her self help books and medication (weed). Her coasting is interrupted by a knock at the door.
It’s a love letter.
Except she doesn’t know who sent it, or if it was even meant for her.
She sets out to find the answers with her new team (a wannabe hacker and his aloof sister who run the business from their home office (drop shippers?)). As they put the pieces together, the picture
that begins to form is romantic, creepy, hysterical, and healing.
In our opening scene we see Dot in a therapy session,
describing how her dad broke his knuckle trying to save
his steely marble from a drain, and how her mother
chipped her tooth falling off a bicycle.
“Nothing good came out of their marriage”she says.
But later, these two symbols collide in a breathtaking and chaotic
moment of self actualization.
Without revealing too much... this story follows Dot as she attempts to figure out who sent her a love letter. She has nothing to lose, she's at rock bottom and somehow bad at therapy. But in that space is where magic can sometimes manifest. It's only up from here! Except, on her almost romantic adventure she is forced to come to terms with her fantasies and flaws. Each misdirection, each poor delivery, every fuck up eventually leads her and the friends she's made along the way to gratitude for the collective love they've built together. Also, there's a creepy sugar daddy eating wet wings in a robe. And he's gotta go.
Our team has privately raised the majority of the funding, but we need this final push to finalize Steely. How do we plan to use the money raised? We will be using the money to pay our crew their appropriate day rates, stunt coordination, meals, lodging, and help with post production. This includes sound, color grading, and film festival submissions. When do we plan on using the money raised? We plan on using the money immediately to get Steely finished on time. We plan to shoot early February, and then it will immediately go into editing, sound design, color grading, and finally festival submissions!
Follow us on our journey every step of the way through our instagram page: @steelythefilm https://www.instagram.com/steelythefilm?igsh=NHA4NmZ5cXhpdHRw&utm_source=qr
Why are we making this film? Our Director Statement and Impact Statement sum it up Steely style.
Director Statement: "In writing we draw from personal experience: my mom really did chip her tooth falling off a bike, and my dad really did hurt his hand saving his steely marble. My mom is really a therapist and I've had my fair share of mental health struggles. But directing is where I have the unique opportunity to transcend words into visual cues, weaving symbols together to create a family of images and feelings. Steely is personal, which makes it universal. And humor is the music that allows for the heavy themes to lift us to a space of healing. I'm making Steely from the place I live, one foot wobbling on sentiment and nostalgia, the other foot tip toe-ing on the absurd. Somewhere in between these spaces Steely was born. And I am honored to be in the unique position to tell a story filled with weird yet familiar characters, desperate and determined choices, and create a world where Steely is no longer a noun, but an adjective."
Impact statement: Steely is a story of resilience, and the help that can arrive in mysterious ways when you open yourself up to it. It's no secret that our protagonist Dot has made an attempt on her ife and has a difficult relationship with therapy and self help. Steely has the opportunity to humanize mental health stigmas in a lighthearted, whimsical way. My hope is to open the door for important conversations, acknowledge the power of community, and leave the audience with the message that we are never truly alone.
Let's meet our characters!!
Okay that's cool and all but what is Steely gonna look like???
i'm glad u asked buddy
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Festival Submissions!
Costs $1,000
This is our best way of getting Steely into the world - our goal is to submit to a range of festivals, which is pivotal for further reach.
Feed the Fam
Costs $500
This will fully cover food and water for our entire cast and crew! You would be keeping us literally alive.
Co-Director and Rehearsals
Costs $1,400
Millie can't act and direct at the same time. It hurts tiny brain. This will allow us rehearsal days and an on set co-director!
PAID CREW??
Costs $900
We have already privately raised the majority of our funds to pay cast and crew. We just need a little help to secure necessary crew!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Meet the fam!
Millie Rose Evans: Millie Rose Evans is a dynamic actor, musician, writer, and improv teacher from Athens, GA. On-screen, Millie recently starred in the highly anticipated film Uglies and co-starred in the Paramount plus film The In Between. She also led the cast of Withdrawal, which premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival in April and has won two Best Actress Awards from proceeding festivals. Beyond acting, she is a. passionate filmmaker—her debut production, 9 Lives, premiered last year at the Oscar Qualifying festival Out on Film. Her newest film Shaken is set to make its festival debut in the next year. Her heart and motivation lie in independent filmmaking, with a focus on telling diverse, authentic stories, including women-led films. Millie double majored in Film and Women's Gender and Sexuality at Georgia State University in Atlanta, graduating in 2019.
Aaron Strand: A degenerate cinephile, Aaron Strand has been making films for longer than he can remember. His award-winning feature film ‘Withdrawal’ premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival in 2025, he’s directed shorts which have played in festivals across the world. When he's not making movies, he can be found hosting his live film history podcast Behind the Slate, or making his kids a snack. His work focuses on modern stories about love, addiction, artistry, and political extremism.
Preston Taylor: Preston Taylor is an Atlanta-based director and executive producer known for crafting cinematic, story-forward films with lasting impact. Originally from Southern Utah, his work blends strong narrative with polished visuals to create content that resonates beyond the screen.
Preston has collaborated with brands and talent such as Shaquille O’Neal, MrBeast, Target, Beats by Dre, Coca-Cola, and Ford, delivering high-quality work in a competitive, fast-moving industry.
Nadir Baaset: Nadir Baaset is a Cinematographer- a born and raised Atlanta boy. A working filmmaker for the better part of a decade, he’s channeled the legacy of his mother’s paintings and his fathers photography into telling visual stories: intimate and grand for friends, for brands, and for himself.