Sugar
Santa Ana, California | Film Short
Drama
Sugar tells the story of the inner child we all carry within, but have suppressed as we've become more aware of ourselves. Tania, a six-year-old Latina, reminds us to live life in a carefree way. She represents that which we've lost with the chaos and anxiety of this world.
Sugar
Santa Ana, California | Film Short
Drama
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $5,209 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
25 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Sugar tells the story of the inner child we all carry within, but have suppressed as we've become more aware of ourselves. Tania, a six-year-old Latina, reminds us to live life in a carefree way. She represents that which we've lost with the chaos and anxiety of this world.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Tania is a 6-year-old hispanic, sugar-addict and eccentric girl that has been raised with her single mother in Santa Ana, California. When she is publicly body shamed by a group of teenagers, her perspective of her body and what femininity means is challenged.
Tania loves sugar and sees nothing wrong with indulging in life's sweet pleasures, but when her mother’s weight-gain concerns and society’s beauty start sinking into Tania’s subconscious, her perspective of her own body slowly begins to change and Tania is forced to see the world in a more realistic manner, realizing that which has never been obvious to her.
The inspiration for the story comes from the director's personal experiences and relationship with food, her body, and with her mother. Though loosely based on true events when growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, she experienced first hand what it means to be body shamed constantly in a country where the beauty standards are impossible to meet.
Sugar is a film that asks the questions we so often avoid. Why do we care so much about how we look? Where does body-shaming come from and how does our perception of ourselves change the way we carry ourselves? What is confidence? We hope to raise awareness and empower women to be comfortable and happy with themselves and with their own body in order to create a positive environment within the female community.
Sugar is an important and relevant story for our times. We need your help to make this film and to spread this message for girls out there who feel like they're not enough, who have grown up believing that being thin is the key to success, girls who are unaware of their immense potential. By supporting our project, you are helping us spread a message of positivity and self-empowerment that will allow for women to see themselves represented on screen in a positive way that they've never seen before.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Hair and Makeup
Costs $400
To be able to make our cast look the best on film, we need to fund our hair and makeup team.
Art Department
Costs $1,000
To create an enriching and fully immersive film we need to backing of a great art department.
Transportation
Costs $1,000
To get our cast and crew on location without spending their own money on gas and trucks
Post production
Costs $400
To be able to edit and create amazing visuals in post production.
Grips and Electric
Costs $1,000
To be able to pay for cameras, crew, sound equipment and more.
Share this update!
About This Team
Director
EMILIANA AMMIRATA
Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Emiliana is currently a Film Production student at Chapman University with an emphasis in Directing narrative and documentary filmmaking. She is a recipient of the Sundance Ignite Fellowship for 2017 and has been working closely under Sundance's Insitute and Adobe's wing. Her interests were first sparked with cinematography, a cinematic aspect that she deeply values and has pursued for most of her studies. Inspired by her country and Latin America, Emiliana hopes to tell stories that involve forward thinking issues, challenge societal stigmas, and represent minorities in society.
Producer
SANTIAGO CERVANTES
Santiago Cervantes is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. Santiago was born in Monterrey, Mexico where he grew up and began his filmmaking career. He is currently enrolled as a Creative Producing major in Chapman University. He focuses on producing content for a variety of industries including fashion, film, music and art. He runs a production company called Trikon, it operates internationally and it's mission is to produce and provide the entertainment of the future.
Unit Production Manager
GIA RIGOLI
Born and raised on the United States/Mexico border, Gia Rigoli grew up with a love of storytelling from a young age. She is currently in post-production on two feature films and developing a feature length documentary while pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts. Salton Sea is an independent feature film set in the deserts of Southern California while Rock Steady Row is a feature length action film produced in conjunction with Supergravity Pictures and Gunpowder & Sky, premiering at Slamdance this year. She has also produced over 10+ short films while in school. She hopes to make films inspired by her background and social justice issues currently surrounding the Latinx community.
Production Designer
NOAH DAINS
Noah Dains is a production designer from Los Angeles currently studying film production in his junior year at Chapman University. His interest in visual storytelling began in high school when he joined the school’s student-run TV station and led the post-production team for two years, while pursuing freelance work as a videographer and editor. Starting sophomore year of high school, he also volunteered at a local arts theatre, beginning his training for on-set work with independent productions. Though he has worked in a multitude of different positions on film sets and has experience in a variety of different levels of production, ranging from youtube web series to feature films, Noah has narrowed his focus to the artistic design aspects of film. He currently works as a production designer, costume designer, and VFX artist as he continues to pursue a B.F.A. in Film Production with a Minor in Visual Effects at Chapman.
Location Manager
LUIS SANTOS
Luis Felipe Santos is a Creative Producing major at Chapman University with a minor in Latin American studies. He was Born and raised in Brazil, and immigrated to Florida, Miami. He got into filmmaking and TV through acting. He hopes to find himself managing a media company in the future, hopefully one with ties to Latin America.
Cinematographer
NICOLE DOIRON
Nicole Doiron is a photographer and cinematographer from Laguna Beach, CA. From an early age, Nicole has always had a passion for storytelling. She started working with stage lighting at her local theatre and has gone on to shoot film productions on a larger scale. She is currently a senior at Chapman University in the Television Writing and Production program with an Advertising minor. Part of a multicultural Filipino-American household, Nicole enjoys traveling and cultural studies. She is currently working as a marketing intern at Focus Features. Over the past three years, she has worked at an agency and as a production assistant and post-production intern at America's Funniest Home Videos while working as an event videographer and photographer for her own company.
Editor
TAYLOR CURRIE
Taylor Currie is an editor completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production at Chapman University. Enamored with cinema from an early age, Taylor's passion lies in editing, where she can focus on the nuances of emotion captured on film. In the future, Taylor hopes to use her skills as an editor and filmmaker to explore both narrative and experimental productions.
Sound Designer
PATRICK FREY
After making his first short film at 14 years old, storytelling has been a constant factor in many of Patrick’s creative endeavors. He was responsible for producing and directing his high school news show as well as filming and editing pep rally videos and various sports reels. In addition to his school involvement, he also made films with his close friends, both as school projects and as a hobby. His musical background also extends across various genres including hip-hop, rock, pop, electronic, and singer-songwriter music with a breadth of experience on piano, guitar, and voice. He has released multiple EPs under various monikers and genres. Beyond his personal film and music projects, he is currently attending Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts studying Film Production with emphasis in Sound Design.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Tania is a 6-year-old hispanic, sugar-addict and eccentric girl that has been raised with her single mother in Santa Ana, California. When she is publicly body shamed by a group of teenagers, her perspective of her body and what femininity means is challenged.
Tania loves sugar and sees nothing wrong with indulging in life's sweet pleasures, but when her mother’s weight-gain concerns and society’s beauty start sinking into Tania’s subconscious, her perspective of her own body slowly begins to change and Tania is forced to see the world in a more realistic manner, realizing that which has never been obvious to her.
The inspiration for the story comes from the director's personal experiences and relationship with food, her body, and with her mother. Though loosely based on true events when growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, she experienced first hand what it means to be body shamed constantly in a country where the beauty standards are impossible to meet.
Sugar is a film that asks the questions we so often avoid. Why do we care so much about how we look? Where does body-shaming come from and how does our perception of ourselves change the way we carry ourselves? What is confidence? We hope to raise awareness and empower women to be comfortable and happy with themselves and with their own body in order to create a positive environment within the female community.
Sugar is an important and relevant story for our times. We need your help to make this film and to spread this message for girls out there who feel like they're not enough, who have grown up believing that being thin is the key to success, girls who are unaware of their immense potential. By supporting our project, you are helping us spread a message of positivity and self-empowerment that will allow for women to see themselves represented on screen in a positive way that they've never seen before.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Hair and Makeup
Costs $400
To be able to make our cast look the best on film, we need to fund our hair and makeup team.
Art Department
Costs $1,000
To create an enriching and fully immersive film we need to backing of a great art department.
Transportation
Costs $1,000
To get our cast and crew on location without spending their own money on gas and trucks
Post production
Costs $400
To be able to edit and create amazing visuals in post production.
Grips and Electric
Costs $1,000
To be able to pay for cameras, crew, sound equipment and more.
Share this update!
About This Team
Director
EMILIANA AMMIRATA
Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Emiliana is currently a Film Production student at Chapman University with an emphasis in Directing narrative and documentary filmmaking. She is a recipient of the Sundance Ignite Fellowship for 2017 and has been working closely under Sundance's Insitute and Adobe's wing. Her interests were first sparked with cinematography, a cinematic aspect that she deeply values and has pursued for most of her studies. Inspired by her country and Latin America, Emiliana hopes to tell stories that involve forward thinking issues, challenge societal stigmas, and represent minorities in society.
Producer
SANTIAGO CERVANTES
Santiago Cervantes is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. Santiago was born in Monterrey, Mexico where he grew up and began his filmmaking career. He is currently enrolled as a Creative Producing major in Chapman University. He focuses on producing content for a variety of industries including fashion, film, music and art. He runs a production company called Trikon, it operates internationally and it's mission is to produce and provide the entertainment of the future.
Unit Production Manager
GIA RIGOLI
Born and raised on the United States/Mexico border, Gia Rigoli grew up with a love of storytelling from a young age. She is currently in post-production on two feature films and developing a feature length documentary while pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts. Salton Sea is an independent feature film set in the deserts of Southern California while Rock Steady Row is a feature length action film produced in conjunction with Supergravity Pictures and Gunpowder & Sky, premiering at Slamdance this year. She has also produced over 10+ short films while in school. She hopes to make films inspired by her background and social justice issues currently surrounding the Latinx community.
Production Designer
NOAH DAINS
Noah Dains is a production designer from Los Angeles currently studying film production in his junior year at Chapman University. His interest in visual storytelling began in high school when he joined the school’s student-run TV station and led the post-production team for two years, while pursuing freelance work as a videographer and editor. Starting sophomore year of high school, he also volunteered at a local arts theatre, beginning his training for on-set work with independent productions. Though he has worked in a multitude of different positions on film sets and has experience in a variety of different levels of production, ranging from youtube web series to feature films, Noah has narrowed his focus to the artistic design aspects of film. He currently works as a production designer, costume designer, and VFX artist as he continues to pursue a B.F.A. in Film Production with a Minor in Visual Effects at Chapman.
Location Manager
LUIS SANTOS
Luis Felipe Santos is a Creative Producing major at Chapman University with a minor in Latin American studies. He was Born and raised in Brazil, and immigrated to Florida, Miami. He got into filmmaking and TV through acting. He hopes to find himself managing a media company in the future, hopefully one with ties to Latin America.
Cinematographer
NICOLE DOIRON
Nicole Doiron is a photographer and cinematographer from Laguna Beach, CA. From an early age, Nicole has always had a passion for storytelling. She started working with stage lighting at her local theatre and has gone on to shoot film productions on a larger scale. She is currently a senior at Chapman University in the Television Writing and Production program with an Advertising minor. Part of a multicultural Filipino-American household, Nicole enjoys traveling and cultural studies. She is currently working as a marketing intern at Focus Features. Over the past three years, she has worked at an agency and as a production assistant and post-production intern at America's Funniest Home Videos while working as an event videographer and photographer for her own company.
Editor
TAYLOR CURRIE
Taylor Currie is an editor completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production at Chapman University. Enamored with cinema from an early age, Taylor's passion lies in editing, where she can focus on the nuances of emotion captured on film. In the future, Taylor hopes to use her skills as an editor and filmmaker to explore both narrative and experimental productions.
Sound Designer
PATRICK FREY
After making his first short film at 14 years old, storytelling has been a constant factor in many of Patrick’s creative endeavors. He was responsible for producing and directing his high school news show as well as filming and editing pep rally videos and various sports reels. In addition to his school involvement, he also made films with his close friends, both as school projects and as a hobby. His musical background also extends across various genres including hip-hop, rock, pop, electronic, and singer-songwriter music with a breadth of experience on piano, guitar, and voice. He has released multiple EPs under various monikers and genres. Beyond his personal film and music projects, he is currently attending Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts studying Film Production with emphasis in Sound Design.