"The Girl in the Garden" - A Queer Fantasy Short Film
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Romance, Fantasy
In a queer fantasy romance, withdrawn botanist Giselle accidentally grows – and falls in love with – a sunflower fairy. Shooting in October 2024!
"The Girl in the Garden" - A Queer Fantasy Short Film
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Romance, Fantasy
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $5,500 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
46 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
In a queer fantasy romance, withdrawn botanist Giselle accidentally grows – and falls in love with – a sunflower fairy. Shooting in October 2024!
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The Girl in the Garden is a story for the queer community and myself, that tells us that our love is magical, that we are worthy of it, and that there are no science or math problems to our feelings. It begins with Giselle, a botanist living in an isolated mountain range, struggling to maintain her garden amidst a terrible drought. However, her life changes forever when she discovers a strange, new flower growing in her garden - and inadvertently turns it into a fairy named Solare. Completely enamored, Giselle's feelings for Solare take her on a journey of self-discovery as she learns what loving something - or someone - truly means.
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As a bisexual woman, I have felt pressured sometimes to prove my queerness to others. But just like magic, you don't need to prove it or figure out how it works to believe in who you are or how to love... for that part of you to be real. Part of love is accepting it as it is. I hope this film will be comforting and inspiring to members of the queer community, making them feel seen, understood, and accepted.
.jpg)
This is a concept I came up with after spending hours and hours searching for a lesbian cottage-core film, but what I didn't realize is that there is a huge gap in the market for a film in this style. So I decided it was up to me to make one!
I've always been drawn to surrealism in my filmmaking, and now it's time for me to dive completely into fantasy. Especially after growing up on the Disney Princess films, such as Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid, and Studio Ghibli films such as Ponyo and Kiki's Delivery Service, I've been enamored with romance and magical transformations. Other major influences come from the intimate and quiet storytelling of queer films such as Elisa & Marcela, and God's Own Country. I hope to combine the whimsy and romance of fairytale films, or TV series like Bridgerton with the beautiful exploration of human love and relationships as seen in Portrait of a Lady on Fire for a slow-moving, whimsical romance about discovering one another’s true self.
We are fortunate to be shooting this film off-campus in the stunning, mountainous region of Santa Ysabel, California, where our brilliant production design team is working hard to bring Giselle's little garden to life. As we are shooting in Autumn, the vegetation will be much drier and water levels will be lower - which we hope will give the drought Giselle and Solare face greater authenticity.
Though the film's major theme is the freedom and expression of love, I also want to highlight the importance of respecting nature in a time of increased climate change and loss of natural habitats. Shooting in these mountains will be amazing to fully incorporate these themes, but it will be difficult to finance the transportation of twenty cast and crew so far from campus. We would be grateful for your support to help us film in this wonderful location!
This is our plan for how every dollar raised through the funding of this project will be used in the film’s production. To capture this period piece, fantasy aesthetic, we will need to shoot on film, utilize whimsical production design, and construct an elaborate fairy costume. Additionally, being a multi-day shoot with upwards of twenty crew members, it is my priority to ensure that everyone is transported, fed three meals a day, has access to an on-site medic, and is given the proper resources to have a fun and successful set. Finally, we are reserving the remainder of our budget as a contingency if the set runs into any unforeseen issues.
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2024 marks my final year at Loyola Marymount, and The Girl in the Garden will be the last student thesis film I make. This project is the culmination of everything I have worked towards over these last 4 years, pulling especially from the experience of making my junior thesis The Skeleton Ballet. However, with this film moving out of pre-production and shooting soon in October, there isn’t much time to acquire the resources we need to make this film truly authentic - which will include everything from unique fabrics that will be hand-sewn by our costume designer, to period-accurate props and set dressing to help sell the vintage aesthetic. And since all LMU sets are self-funded (meaning each student is responsible for paying for the total film cost), and as a student worker, it is extremely difficult to finance this project as almost all of what I earn must go towards tuition.
(stills from Gigi La Rita's junior thesis film, The Skeleton Ballet)
Additionally, I am dedicated to supporting this project far beyond its completion - specifically in as many film festivals as possible. As a result, if this campaign exceeds our $5,500 goal the remaining funds will be used for our festival budget. Because we plan to debut at one of these events, we will be unable to publicly release the film until its festival run has been completed (which could take up to 2 years). However, if you are so kind as to donate to one of our tiers in the $75 range and beyond, you will receive an exclusive streaming link to the film in early 2025!
Finally, though I’m ecstatic to bring The Girl in the Garden to life as a short film: this is just the beginning! While it originally began as a stand-alone short, I plan to develop this story into a feature-length script as my screenwriting senior thesis project. I hope to expand this world and its characters, with this short serving as a proof of concept, and your support could help to take this project far beyond what I originally envisioned!
To help us make this dream a reality, please consider donating, spreading the word, following this campaign, or sharing our Instagram page @girl.in.the.garden.shortfilm!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Set Medic
Costs $720
We need a medic on site since we are shooting off-campus, especially in the mountains where hospitals are not in close proximity.
Shooting on Film
Costs $720
To give the film it's intended, vintage look, we are hoping to shoot on film directly as a core part of its visual identity.
Transportation
Costs $680
This is what we need to pay for average gas prices of four vehicles, plus renting and driving a U-Haul to transport equipment.
Costuming
Costs $600
We need to create a full-body, realistically-detailed flower fairy costume, as well as authentic Edwardian-inspired attire for Giselle.
Food & Craft Services
Costs $1,200
We need to provide three meals for twenty cast and crew, as well as having a stocked craft services station.
Hair & Makeup
Costs $300
We need to create detailed, whimsical fairy makeup for Solare's fairy appearance.
Production Design
Costs $557
We need talented production design to create Giselle's whimsical garden and cottage, complete with era-accurate set dressings and props
Contingency
Costs $723
This contingency allows us to prepare for any unforeseen issues we may run into. If unused, it will go into our festival budget!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Gigi La Rita - Director/Writer
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved storytelling, fairytales, and magic. The first “book” I ever wrote, was in kindergarten, and it was called “The Very Lonely Fairy”. Ultimately, my passion for imagination and creation drove me into directing and filmmaking because you can be anyone, anything, anywhere in film. The possibilities are endless and so exciting! As my education at Loyola Marymount comes to a close, I've been reflecting on the changes and growth I've experienced in the last few years. I'm ready to celebrate the blossoming of my life and love, and I really want my senior thesis film to reflect that.
In addition to my education at LMU, I work at the university's Student Production Office where I help other students produce their films by offering help and advice with budgeting, scheduling, and submitting film permits. I also work on campus as a member of the Student Worker Program. After I graduate I look forward to working in the industry!
Steven Jarrell - Producer
Steven Jarrell is an undergraduate screenwriting student at Loyola Marymount University, originally from San Diego, CA. He has acted as the producer of numerous student films, including Gigi La Rita's junior thesis, The Skeleton Ballet, and greatly enjoys working with passionate creators to bring their ideas to life. As a close collaborator throughout several elements of the production process, Steven can't wait to help share the wondrous, intimate fantasy Gigi has devised with the world.
Alejandra Torres - Director of Photography
Alejandra N. Torres Santiago is a cinematographer from Puerto Rico. Currently, she is pursuing an MFA degree in Film Production, with an emphasis in Cinematography at Loyola Marymount University. She graduated in May 2020 from Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she studied Digital Production - Film track at the School of Communications.
Collaboration is integral to her process, working closely with directors, production designers, and fellow creatives to seamlessly weave the visual elements into the large cinematic tapestry. She has previously worked as the Director of Photography on Gigi La Rita's junior thesis, The Skeleton Ballet, and this is their next project together as a highly effective team.
Josephine Spanier - Production Designer
Josephine Spanier is a senior Film & Television Production major at Loyola Marymount University, originally hailing from Minneapolis. She specializes in art department roles and has worked on dozens of student and independent projects. She especially enjoys designing stylized, magical worlds, and she's excited for the creative opportunities in The Girl in the Garden!
Bailey Wertzberger - Art Director
Bailey is a senior Theatre Arts major and Film Studies minor from Las Vegas, NV. She directed In the Next Room at Del Rey Players in December 2023, and co-wrote I’ll Be Seeing You, produced at the 2023 New Works Festival. Bailey has been a scenic designer, sound designer, and asst. prop master in the LMU Theatre Department. At LMU, you may have seen her acting in plays such as Everybody, Haunting of Hannon X, and the 2024 New Works Festival, or starring in student films such as My Monster and Me. She is beyond excited to be the Art Director of this wonderful film!
Noura Smith - Costume Designer
Hello! I am an actor and costume designer in my senior year at Loyola Marymount University. I learned how to sew at my grandmother’s machine, and since then have used it as a means to connect my creativity between different passions, such as fashion, performance art, and writing. During my time here, I designed the Cabbie Award winning costumes for In The Next Room at the Del Rey Players – which featured entirely historically accurate pieces! I am constantly looking for ways to creatively challenge myself and am very excited for the opportunity to collaborate with the wonderful team of The Girl in the Garden. Currently, I work as a seamstress in the LMU Theatre Department’s Costume Shop where I help create costumes for LMU’s mainstage theatre season, and am a member of Espérer Service on campus where I focus on my passions for protecting natural spaces and human rights! You can also listen to my music anywhere you like to stream under the name Noura Rahali!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The Girl in the Garden is a story for the queer community and myself, that tells us that our love is magical, that we are worthy of it, and that there are no science or math problems to our feelings. It begins with Giselle, a botanist living in an isolated mountain range, struggling to maintain her garden amidst a terrible drought. However, her life changes forever when she discovers a strange, new flower growing in her garden - and inadvertently turns it into a fairy named Solare. Completely enamored, Giselle's feelings for Solare take her on a journey of self-discovery as she learns what loving something - or someone - truly means.
As a bisexual woman, I have felt pressured sometimes to prove my queerness to others. But just like magic, you don't need to prove it or figure out how it works to believe in who you are or how to love... for that part of you to be real. Part of love is accepting it as it is. I hope this film will be comforting and inspiring to members of the queer community, making them feel seen, understood, and accepted.
This is a concept I came up with after spending hours and hours searching for a lesbian cottage-core film, but what I didn't realize is that there is a huge gap in the market for a film in this style. So I decided it was up to me to make one!
I've always been drawn to surrealism in my filmmaking, and now it's time for me to dive completely into fantasy. Especially after growing up on the Disney Princess films, such as Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid, and Studio Ghibli films such as Ponyo and Kiki's Delivery Service, I've been enamored with romance and magical transformations. Other major influences come from the intimate and quiet storytelling of queer films such as Elisa & Marcela, and God's Own Country. I hope to combine the whimsy and romance of fairytale films, or TV series like Bridgerton with the beautiful exploration of human love and relationships as seen in Portrait of a Lady on Fire for a slow-moving, whimsical romance about discovering one another’s true self.
We are fortunate to be shooting this film off-campus in the stunning, mountainous region of Santa Ysabel, California, where our brilliant production design team is working hard to bring Giselle's little garden to life. As we are shooting in Autumn, the vegetation will be much drier and water levels will be lower - which we hope will give the drought Giselle and Solare face greater authenticity.
Though the film's major theme is the freedom and expression of love, I also want to highlight the importance of respecting nature in a time of increased climate change and loss of natural habitats. Shooting in these mountains will be amazing to fully incorporate these themes, but it will be difficult to finance the transportation of twenty cast and crew so far from campus. We would be grateful for your support to help us film in this wonderful location!
This is our plan for how every dollar raised through the funding of this project will be used in the film’s production. To capture this period piece, fantasy aesthetic, we will need to shoot on film, utilize whimsical production design, and construct an elaborate fairy costume. Additionally, being a multi-day shoot with upwards of twenty crew members, it is my priority to ensure that everyone is transported, fed three meals a day, has access to an on-site medic, and is given the proper resources to have a fun and successful set. Finally, we are reserving the remainder of our budget as a contingency if the set runs into any unforeseen issues.
2024 marks my final year at Loyola Marymount, and The Girl in the Garden will be the last student thesis film I make. This project is the culmination of everything I have worked towards over these last 4 years, pulling especially from the experience of making my junior thesis The Skeleton Ballet. However, with this film moving out of pre-production and shooting soon in October, there isn’t much time to acquire the resources we need to make this film truly authentic - which will include everything from unique fabrics that will be hand-sewn by our costume designer, to period-accurate props and set dressing to help sell the vintage aesthetic. And since all LMU sets are self-funded (meaning each student is responsible for paying for the total film cost), and as a student worker, it is extremely difficult to finance this project as almost all of what I earn must go towards tuition.
(stills from Gigi La Rita's junior thesis film, The Skeleton Ballet)
Additionally, I am dedicated to supporting this project far beyond its completion - specifically in as many film festivals as possible. As a result, if this campaign exceeds our $5,500 goal the remaining funds will be used for our festival budget. Because we plan to debut at one of these events, we will be unable to publicly release the film until its festival run has been completed (which could take up to 2 years). However, if you are so kind as to donate to one of our tiers in the $75 range and beyond, you will receive an exclusive streaming link to the film in early 2025!
Finally, though I’m ecstatic to bring The Girl in the Garden to life as a short film: this is just the beginning! While it originally began as a stand-alone short, I plan to develop this story into a feature-length script as my screenwriting senior thesis project. I hope to expand this world and its characters, with this short serving as a proof of concept, and your support could help to take this project far beyond what I originally envisioned!
To help us make this dream a reality, please consider donating, spreading the word, following this campaign, or sharing our Instagram page @girl.in.the.garden.shortfilm!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Set Medic
Costs $720
We need a medic on site since we are shooting off-campus, especially in the mountains where hospitals are not in close proximity.
Shooting on Film
Costs $720
To give the film it's intended, vintage look, we are hoping to shoot on film directly as a core part of its visual identity.
Transportation
Costs $680
This is what we need to pay for average gas prices of four vehicles, plus renting and driving a U-Haul to transport equipment.
Costuming
Costs $600
We need to create a full-body, realistically-detailed flower fairy costume, as well as authentic Edwardian-inspired attire for Giselle.
Food & Craft Services
Costs $1,200
We need to provide three meals for twenty cast and crew, as well as having a stocked craft services station.
Hair & Makeup
Costs $300
We need to create detailed, whimsical fairy makeup for Solare's fairy appearance.
Production Design
Costs $557
We need talented production design to create Giselle's whimsical garden and cottage, complete with era-accurate set dressings and props
Contingency
Costs $723
This contingency allows us to prepare for any unforeseen issues we may run into. If unused, it will go into our festival budget!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Gigi La Rita - Director/Writer
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved storytelling, fairytales, and magic. The first “book” I ever wrote, was in kindergarten, and it was called “The Very Lonely Fairy”. Ultimately, my passion for imagination and creation drove me into directing and filmmaking because you can be anyone, anything, anywhere in film. The possibilities are endless and so exciting! As my education at Loyola Marymount comes to a close, I've been reflecting on the changes and growth I've experienced in the last few years. I'm ready to celebrate the blossoming of my life and love, and I really want my senior thesis film to reflect that.
In addition to my education at LMU, I work at the university's Student Production Office where I help other students produce their films by offering help and advice with budgeting, scheduling, and submitting film permits. I also work on campus as a member of the Student Worker Program. After I graduate I look forward to working in the industry!
Steven Jarrell - Producer
Steven Jarrell is an undergraduate screenwriting student at Loyola Marymount University, originally from San Diego, CA. He has acted as the producer of numerous student films, including Gigi La Rita's junior thesis, The Skeleton Ballet, and greatly enjoys working with passionate creators to bring their ideas to life. As a close collaborator throughout several elements of the production process, Steven can't wait to help share the wondrous, intimate fantasy Gigi has devised with the world.
Alejandra Torres - Director of Photography
Alejandra N. Torres Santiago is a cinematographer from Puerto Rico. Currently, she is pursuing an MFA degree in Film Production, with an emphasis in Cinematography at Loyola Marymount University. She graduated in May 2020 from Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she studied Digital Production - Film track at the School of Communications.
Collaboration is integral to her process, working closely with directors, production designers, and fellow creatives to seamlessly weave the visual elements into the large cinematic tapestry. She has previously worked as the Director of Photography on Gigi La Rita's junior thesis, The Skeleton Ballet, and this is their next project together as a highly effective team.
Josephine Spanier - Production Designer
Josephine Spanier is a senior Film & Television Production major at Loyola Marymount University, originally hailing from Minneapolis. She specializes in art department roles and has worked on dozens of student and independent projects. She especially enjoys designing stylized, magical worlds, and she's excited for the creative opportunities in The Girl in the Garden!
Bailey Wertzberger - Art Director
Bailey is a senior Theatre Arts major and Film Studies minor from Las Vegas, NV. She directed In the Next Room at Del Rey Players in December 2023, and co-wrote I’ll Be Seeing You, produced at the 2023 New Works Festival. Bailey has been a scenic designer, sound designer, and asst. prop master in the LMU Theatre Department. At LMU, you may have seen her acting in plays such as Everybody, Haunting of Hannon X, and the 2024 New Works Festival, or starring in student films such as My Monster and Me. She is beyond excited to be the Art Director of this wonderful film!
Noura Smith - Costume Designer
Hello! I am an actor and costume designer in my senior year at Loyola Marymount University. I learned how to sew at my grandmother’s machine, and since then have used it as a means to connect my creativity between different passions, such as fashion, performance art, and writing. During my time here, I designed the Cabbie Award winning costumes for In The Next Room at the Del Rey Players – which featured entirely historically accurate pieces! I am constantly looking for ways to creatively challenge myself and am very excited for the opportunity to collaborate with the wonderful team of The Girl in the Garden. Currently, I work as a seamstress in the LMU Theatre Department’s Costume Shop where I help create costumes for LMU’s mainstage theatre season, and am a member of Espérer Service on campus where I focus on my passions for protecting natural spaces and human rights! You can also listen to my music anywhere you like to stream under the name Noura Rahali!