All stills are taken from a proof of concept for the film that we shot in June 2025.

Mark is a photographer who sees the world differently. Living with undiagnosed agnosia, a rare neurological condition that prevents him from recognizing faces, he has built his life around abstract photography, capturing fragments and textures instead of the portraits everyone expects. His camera becomes both shield and translator, a way to navigate a world of faces that blur together like watercolors in the rain.

His wife Emma is supportive but increasingly concerned about his condition. She watches him navigate life and art with a mixture of love and growing worry: always there when he needs help, yet understanding that ultimately, something more needs to be done.

When Evelynn arrives at Mark's studio requesting a portrait session, she claims they knew each other in college. Mark, accustomed to nodding along when people reference shared memories he cannot access, agrees to photograph her in his signature surreal style. What should be a simple portrait session becomes something far more unsettling.

Evelynn, played by Leah Sloan

As Evelynn poses questions that probe deeper than casual conversation, Mark's carefully constructed reality begins to shift. Why does she seem so interested in his condition? Why can't he place her among his college memories? And why does her presence make him question not just what he sees, but what he knows to be true?

The film's visual language mirrors Mark's internal experience, starting in what appears normal but gradually descending into an abstract, disorienting perspective where faces become impossible puzzles and familiar spaces feel foreign. As the session progresses, the line between photographer and subject blurs, leaving both Mark and the audience questioning who is really being examined.

Why This Story, Why Now

Evelynn and Mark, during the photoshoot.

I've used images to communicate since I was a kid, from drawing in Amman to taking photos after moving alone to Wales, then filmmaking in the U.S. It became my therapy, my way of regulating, of seeing when words failed. Mark's story echoes that journey. He takes abstract photos not just to make art, but to survive in a world of faces he cannot recognize.

In our current moment, when everyone is a photographer and images flood our daily experience, we rarely stop to consider what happens when that visual language breaks down. For people living with agnosia and other neurological conditions impairing their visual processing, the world doesn't work that way.

Sming brings a background in psychology and a deep fascination with people who see the world differently, and the systems that forget them. Together, we've collaborated on over fifteen projects, always drawn to characters who exist in the spaces between what we assume is normal and what actually is.

Abdullah Kokash (Writer/Director) and Sming Frauenhofer (Producer)

After shooting so many films in cramped Brooklyn apartments with microbudgets and tight timelines, we're ready to scale up. This story demands a custom set that can capture Mark's fractured perception of reality - a space that feels just slightly off from our own, where walls might shift and familiar objects become unrecognizable.

Why Us

BTS photo from the proof of concept shoot.

As a Brooklyn-based filmmaker from Jordan and founder of Short Cuts NYC, I've directed 25 short films and shot 20 more, across genres like drama, horror, comedy, and mixed media. My work has always leaned into bold visual style and emotional precision, looking for meaning in the strange, the quiet, and the overlooked.

Sming's perspective as a Chinese adoptee and her psychology background brings essential insight to Mark's story. We understand that identity isn't just about how others see us, but about how our brains process the world around us. This isn't just a film about a medical condition - it's about the fundamental human need to be recognized and understood, as well as the need to recognize and understand others.

Our fifteen-project collaboration has taught us how to work with limited resources while maintaining creative ambition. But The Devil's Veil requires something different: the time and space to build a world that reflects Mark's internal reality. We need to construct environments that can shift and change, mirrors that might reflect the wrong face, spaces where the familiar becomes foreign.

Budget & Production

Base Goal: $10,000 - BRING THE VISION TO LIFE

This gets us through production with the passion and dedication of our volunteer cast and crew. Every dollar goes directly toward creating Mark's fractured reality on screen:

• Custom Set Design & Construction ($3,500) - Building the photography studio and transformative spaces that can shift and change to reflect Mark's perception. This is where the magic happens.
• Food & Craft Services ($1,800) - Keeping our volunteer crew of 12 well-fed and energized throughout 4 intensive shooting days
• Transportation ($1,000) - Getting cast, crew, and equipment to locations across the shoot
• Festival Submissions ($1,000) - Getting the finished film seen by audiences and industry professionals at film festivals
• Post-Production ($1,000) - Professional color grading and sound design that builds tension and brings the psychological thriller to life
• Equipment Rental ($850) - Mostly lights to capture the psychological nuance and create the right mood
• Insurance ($700) - Essential protection for cast, crew, and equipment during production
• Wardrobe ($150) - Character-specific costumes and props that reinforce the story's themes of identity and perception

STRETCH GOALS

$15,000 - COMPENSATE OUR ARTISTS At this level, we can start providing meaningful compensation to our dedicated cast and crew who are currently volunteering their time and talent. Everyone deserves to be paid for their artistry.

$20,000 - EXPAND THE VISION Now we can pay our team fairly while also enhancing our custom set design, bringing in specialized equipment for the film's abstract sequences, and creating a more ambitious visual experience.

$25,000 - ELEVATE THE CRAFT This level transforms the entire visual experience. We can significantly expand our custom set design, invest in detailed costume design that reflects each character's psychology, bring in professional makeup artists to enhance the film's surreal elements, and add VFX work in post-production to fully realize Mark's fractured perception of reality. At this level, we're taking the storytelling to the next level by creating an experience that immerses the audiences in Mark's unique way of seeing the world.

Timeline: Pre-production continues through July, with principal photography scheduled for August. Post-production wraps in September, festival submissions begin in October. Backers will see the completed film before it goes to festivals.

The success of this campaign determines whether The Devil's Veil gets made. We don't have external financing, just this community and the generous hearts of artists willing to work for the love of storytelling. Every dollar, every share, every note of encouragement matters.

Support Independent Storytelling

The Devil's Veil tackles a neurological condition rarely seen in film. Your support helps us create a psychological thriller that's both entertaining and meaningful, showing audiences a perspective they've likely never considered.

Every contribution helps us:

• Build the custom sets that will bring Mark's fractured reality to life
• Take the time this complex story deserves, rather than rushing through production
• Create a film that speaks to anyone who's ever felt like they see the world differently

$25 covers a day's meals for a crew member

$100 helps rent critical equipment

$250 supports our post-production process

$500 brings us closer to fair crew compensation

$1000+ helps make the impossible possible

Final Image

In a world obsessed with visibility, The Devil's Veil asks what happens when sight fails - and whether seeing someone clearly has anything to do with the eyes at all. This is a film for artists, for anyone who's tried to make sense of the world through an image. But it's also for everyone who's ever taken a photo just to feel something. To hold on. To be seen. To perform a version of reality.

We're ready to bring this vision to life with intention, care, and creative honesty. But filmmaking is a deeply collaborative art and it takes a community to make a film possible. Join us in creating something beautiful, weird, and real.

The Devil's Veil won't come to life without a dedicated crew and community support. Your backing helps us create opportunities for emerging filmmakers while telling a story that challenges how we think about perception and identity.