This film was conceived to address the challenges of accepting and dealing with trauma, and as it evolved it grew to also address much more difficult questions about consent, sexual abuse, and how we move forward, not just for the characters, but as a society. It is really a film about empathy.
This film was conceived to address the challenges of accepting and dealing with trauma, and as it evolved it grew to also address much more difficult questions about consent, sexual abuse, and how we move forward, not just for the characters, but as a society. It is really a film about empathy.
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Story
Mission Statement
In all of my films I try to make representation and inclusion a priority throughout all phases of the project. This film was co-created and co-produced by my regular collaborator Melanie, a queer Asian American woman. It is also very much a story about women supporting women.About The Project
WHAT IS IT?
Sublimate is a short film about a young woman who is doing everything to try and be normal in the aftermath of a traumatic experience, but she cannot stop the memories and feelings from continuing to break through the facade of normalcy she so desperately wants to keep up. At a moment of complete breakdown in her car after a failed date, she receives a strange card on her windshield asking her, "are you in pain?", which she flips over to reveal the following curious image and tag:
The receipt of this card starts her on a journey towards healing that will lead her to a mysterious woman who uses a unique form of light therapy and an open-hearted presence to bring her relief. That is only the beginning to the film's exploration of empathy and understanding for trauma and its lasting effect on those who experience it.
WHY NOW?
For the past year, there has been a national conversation about sexual assault happening in America for the first time. When it began last year with the #metoo movement, I wanted to contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way, so I decided to make a short film called Sublimate, which is now complete.
This film is not so much about the act of sexual assault, but about healing and empathy. It is about the effort it takes to overcome the trauma of an assault and the power of being truly seen, believed, and understood by another person. Often times when sexual assault is discussed in a public forum, the victim's voice is not present, and even when it is present, they are often discredited and disbelieved. We have very few forums which allow victims to be properly heard, believed, and empathized with by the majority of the population.
Because of that, I wanted to make a film that focuses not only on the impact that sexual assault can have on the victim, but to explore what genuine empathy could look like which makes them more than just a victim, and how that feeling of empathy can be amplified. These are lofty goals to reach for with a 15 minute short film I know, but more than anything I wanted the film to be something that can add to or start conversations about sexual assault and how we move away from the combative he said, she said dynamic we have mostly engaged in to one which brings us together onto the same side focused on healing and empathy.
WHY CONTRIBUTE?
We need your support to make sure this film has every opportunity to be seen by as wide and diverse an audience as possible. I feel the topic and message of this film is not only relevant at the current moment, but necessary to provide a different perspective than that which we normally see. We have put together a strategic list of film festivals which we want to submit the film to in order to reach the widest audience possible. This includes a few high levels targets such as San Francisco International Film Festival, our home festival, and Toronto International Film Festival, as well as many medium to small festivals that we have targeted either for their location or the relevancy of our film's themes to their stated goals as a festival. Please help us to get this film out there in the world starting discussions and hopefully changing some perspectives.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
1. CLICK the blue FOLLOW button above, CREATE an account, CONFIRM your account through email, and then <3 our film's campaign. It's fast and easy, and doing so helps us out a lot!
2. SHARE our campaign link on your social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc..), or via email to people you think would be interested in our film. SPREADING THE WORD is one of the best ways to help our campaign succeed. Here is the campaign link: www.seedandspark.com/fund/sublimate
3. CONTRIBUTE whatever size pledge you can to the campagin. Following and sharing are amazing, but the biggest way you can help us get the film out there is to make a contribution of any size yourself and enjoy the incentives we are offering to those who pledge. EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS!
THANK YOU!
On behalf of the whole team, I would like to thank you for taking the time to check out our campaign and we all hope you will contribute and spread the word to help make our campaign a success!
Sincerely,
Eric Roache
Writer & Director
Incentives
$10
Social Media Shout Out!
We will give you a personal shout out on our social media to say thank you for your contribution. Thank You!
$15
Sublimate Digital Card
We will send you a print quality digital copy of the Sublimate business card, as seen in the film, with a unique handwritten address so each one is one of a kind. (includes all previous incentives)
$20
HD Digital Download of Film
You will receive a link to a downloadable HD copy of the completed film after it has been publicly released, which will be yours to keep. In addition, you will receive a private link to an online screener of the film in advance of the public release. (includes all previous incentives)
$40
Haiku 4 You!
You will receive a personalized photo haiku written & designed by me, either about you or a subject of your choice, and posted to my poetry IG account @haikunomad along with a shout out. (includes all previous incentives)
$50
Director's Commentary!
You will receive a special link to a copy of the film which includes commentary from the director about the film. (includes all previous incentives)
$50
One-Of-A-Kind Poster Art! (Digital)
(above image is concept art, not final poster design)
This Limited Edition incentive is a personalized hand drawn digital Poster. Each poster will have your name and a minor variation of the original design worked into the art by the artist so that each one is one-of-a-kind. (includes all previous incentives)
Claimed: 1 of 5
$100
Video Call with the Director
You will recieve a 30 minute long one-on-one video call with the director of Sublimate to dsicuss the film, its themes, filmmaking in general, or whatever other topics interest you. (includes all previous incentives)
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$10
Social Media Shout Out!
We will give you a personal shout out on our social media to say thank you for your contribution. Thank You!
$15
Sublimate Digital Card
We will send you a print quality digital copy of the Sublimate business card, as seen in the film, with a unique handwritten address so each one is one of a kind. (includes all previous incentives)
$20
HD Digital Download of Film
You will receive a link to a downloadable HD copy of the completed film after it has been publicly released, which will be yours to keep. In addition, you will receive a private link to an online screener of the film in advance of the public release. (includes all previous incentives)
$40
Haiku 4 You!
You will receive a personalized photo haiku written & designed by me, either about you or a subject of your choice, and posted to my poetry IG account @haikunomad along with a shout out. (includes all previous incentives)
$50
Director's Commentary!
You will receive a special link to a copy of the film which includes commentary from the director about the film. (includes all previous incentives)
$50
One-Of-A-Kind Poster Art! (Digital)
(above image is concept art, not final poster design)
This Limited Edition incentive is a personalized hand drawn digital Poster. Each poster will have your name and a minor variation of the original design worked into the art by the artist so that each one is one-of-a-kind. (includes all previous incentives)
Claimed: 1 of 5
$100
Video Call with the Director
You will recieve a 30 minute long one-on-one video call with the director of Sublimate to dsicuss the film, its themes, filmmaking in general, or whatever other topics interest you. (includes all previous incentives)
- Updates
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Current Team
About This Team
We are a very small, passionate team who worked on this film with very little budget or time, but we invested with our whole hearts and our sincerest efforts to tell a story that is meaningful and hopefully impactful.
The film started with a collaboration between the writer/director Eric Roache (myself), and the producer/featured actress Melanie Lake. The two of us had previously made the short film Beneath The Lake together, where we formed such a strong creative connection that we decided to work together on this film as well. The idea for the film started when I received a personal gloving show from Melanie and I was struck by how emotional the experience felt, and how it connected in my mind to my own trauma recovery and receiving EMDR treatment. So we took that experience and looked for the right story and context into which we could place it for a film
Then, during casting we found our two leads, Timothy Huls and Morgan Pavey, who were both wonderful and were drawn to the story we wanted to tell and specifically the way we wanted to tell it. Finally, Adam Long came on board as our final actor, and our small team was complete. Despite the difficult nature of the subject matter we were exploring, we had a lot of fun while making the film because we were all invested in the project and making it as great as possible with limited time and resources. All of the actors helped out in ways big and small with production to make sure we had everything we needed to make the film, and I couldn't be more grateful to each of them.
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