Our team represents a collective of powerful women, queer, and PoC artists and filmmakers. It's been an empowering process to be surrounded by these diverse creatives as we tell an important story of the unconditional bond between mother and daughter.

The Story.

Our film begins as our main character, a young woman named Annie, returns to her home town of Aberdeen, Washington, as she does every year. Annie is earnest, naive, and passionate about Christmas. Just outside her hometown, Annie performs an unconventional Christmas ritual in the woods, bringing forth our own iteration of Sasquatch... The Beast. The Beast is a creature burdened by a great sadness that only Annie can penetrate. And there, in the cold, damp clearing, we learn the story of Annie, The Beast, and holidays past. 

 

 

 

Why support this project? 

• The Story: Mental illness impacts relationships in many ways. And visibility is important. This is a whimsical depiction of one family's experience and how love and loyalty endures despite the pain. We hope this can remind someone that they are not alone. 
• The Representation: We have a beautiful collective of talented women, LGBTQ+, and PoC creatives in key roles on this team. As well as, a film with nuanced female characters with complicated depth and relationships. Support us so that this can become the norm.
• The Art: We are creating something vastly unique and exceptional. Independent art and diverse voices are vital in making this world a better place. Support this film so that more independent art can be enjoyed!

 

 

 

Themes.

The Beast of Aberdeen is a tale of unconditional love and the loyalty of family. Even when coming home for the holidays hurts and relationships are burdened with the weight of mental illness, Christmas gives us all the strength to continue to say "I love you" from the deep, sleepy caves of adulthood. Our film is inspired by the dark whimsy of films like Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, Jim Henson films (like Dark Crystal and Labyrinth), Rankin-Bass stop motion specials, and the lore-riddled backdrop of the Pacific Northwest.

 

 

What makes this film unique?

What better way to tell a Christmas story than with song, puppets, and a giant monster?

 

 

 

 

Funding and support.

Consider contributing to our campaign and supporting independent, female-lead, inclusive cinema with a powerful message of hope, love, and Christmas.  

 

We have privately raised $3,000 to cover the cost of our pre-production needs, like our recording studio time, music mastering, location booking fees, insurance, and some of the cost of our paper puppet stages. We've been able to build a lot of momentum with this small amount of funds, but now we need to cover the cost of production. These are the things we need in order to get our vision onto the screen. 

 

Thank you!

If you've read this far, you can already tell that this is a really big project. But, what has assured me this is possible is my team. Everything beautiful we've made so far has been touched by multiple hands and developed by many minds, and I'm so grateful. I'm so fortunate to have these women around me that make me feel like I can do anything. Even a Christmas-time monster musical with puppets feels possible. If you have any questions about this project, reach out! I want to hear from you and help you get excited about this film with us!