Update: When we originally made our budget, inflation wasn't as rampant and things simply costed less. We are fully cast & crewed up but we need a little more ($4,000 - $5,500 to be exact) to make production and get a start on post! 

Feel free to contribute to reach our new goal through Cashapp: $sweetieshort or Venmo: @sweetieshortfilm.

Sweetie is a magical realism/coming-of-age short film about unlikely warriors who protect children’s innocence as they are forced to grow up.

The film follows MISTY, a wingless tooth fairy who picks up an extra shift on Christmas Eve and KAREN, a shy 10 year old, who still believes in Santa Claus.

On Christmas Eve, Misty collects Karen’s baby tooth and finds Karen awake and horrified after getting her first period. Too flustered to tell her mother and determined to stay quiet so Santa doesn’t know she’s awake, Karen asks Misty to help her.

Misty obliges, after learning that Karen’s mother is unavailable since she is pretending to be Santa Claus. While guarding the last embers of Karen’s innocence, Misty teaches Karen how to use a menstrual pad, takes her downstairs to wash the blood out of her pajamas and bed sheets, and answers some of her awkward questions.

I came up with the concept for Sweetie, while reflecting on my own, bewildering first period experience. As I have gotten older, I realized that a lot of people are unaware of how young kids can be when they first get their periods. If people were aware of the innocence of kids at menstruation age, their politics would shift and they would be illuminated with a new found understanding of reproductive health.

Sweetie is also a film about vulnerable, dark-skinned black girls and women. Statistically, black girls are seen as more mature and "fast" compared to their female peers. I want to capture a Black girl clinging to her innocence and relying on the tooth fairy, an imaginary friend and confidante, as the world tries to pickpocket her childhood.

Ultimately, I want Sweetie to be a conversation starter and give people the opportunity to tell their own first period stories.

Only 24 states and Washington D.C. require sex education to be taught in schools. Even the quality of the education in those 24 states plus D.C. varies and students can leave school unprepared to deal with reproductive health throughout their life. 

Sweetie takes the opportunity to use a familiar setting, Christmas, as a universal coming of age story. In a world where students are educated in different environments (in-school, online, home), this film can be a tool for parents and peers to start conversations about what happens and how it feels when you start menstruating. 

This film is not only for kids. All ages can get something out of the film!

How many men are clueless to when their kids start menstruating?

How many partners are overwhelmed when going to pick up tampons and pads for their partners?

How many people have been menstruating for more than a decade and still feel like there's so much more to learn about the process?

This unlikely Christmas tale featuring the tooth fairy hopes to demystify the genesis of menstruation and encourage people to find community to learn more about their bodies.  

Sweetie was originally scheduled to be filmed in Spring 2020. The pandemic made that impossible but now that we are entering year three of the pandemic, this film seems more timely than ever. The past three years have amplified infrastructure issues in America that we are now forced to grapple with because it's a matter of life or death, literally. One system that has been failing Americans is our healthcare system. Our team is not made up of health care professionals but artists. An artist's main job is to communicate through expression and respond to the times they live in. 

These past few years have shown us how health communications have failed the American people. People get information in a variety of ways: social media, online publications, word of mouth, and tv/film. It takes a lot of effort to get people's attention and Sweetie is a creative endeavor to get people talking about reproductive health.

In order for Sweetie to happen, every cast and crew member needs to get paid a living wage. Our crew is made of freelancers who were hit hard by the pandemic and are just now getting back on their feet. Even though this is a passion project, passion doesn't pay the bills and we want to make sure our cast and crew feels valued by feeding them nutritious, individualized meals to reduce the spread of COVID-19, provide N95 masks for safety, and offer viable transportation when necessary.

In the case that our cast and/or crew comes down with COVID-19, we will need to reschedule our shoot by at least 1 month due to quarantine guidelines. Part of the funds we raise will go towards an emergency fund in case there is a rise in cases on set and/or in the town/state we film in.

1. Contribute to Our Film

When we originally made our budget, inflation wasn't as rampant and things simply costed less. We are fully cast & crewed up but we need a little more ($4,000 - $5,500 to be exact) to make production and get a start on post!

Cashapp: $sweetieshort  |  Venmo: @sweetieshortfilm

2. Follow Our Film

You can support our film by following our Seed and Spark page! When we have over 250 followers, we get access to rewards and resources that can help us make this film the best it can be.

3. Follow Our Social Media

We have an Instagram and Facebook page where you can stay up to date on the film!

4. Share Our Campaign on Social Media

Posting and tweeting about what excites you about the project helps us get eyes on the campaign! Thank you for sharing in advance.

5. Share Your Story With Us

We are alway looking for first period, advice for your ten year old self, and when you stopped believing the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus stories to post on our social media. Your story can be shared anonymously or we can tag you. Here is the form, if you would like to share!

Thank you and have a safe winter!