The Laughing Woo Woo
San Francisco, California | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
Setup in San Francisco, during the 2011 Arab Spring that left Egypt in turmoil. Simsim—an Egyptian immigrant with a wooingly contagious laugh—seeks asylum in the U.S. where he encounters a series of bizarre events, that jeopardize his immigration status and his only hope is his greedy lawyer Dale.
The Laughing Woo Woo
San Francisco, California | Film Short
Comedy, Drama
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $13,390 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
56 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Setup in San Francisco, during the 2011 Arab Spring that left Egypt in turmoil. Simsim—an Egyptian immigrant with a wooingly contagious laugh—seeks asylum in the U.S. where he encounters a series of bizarre events, that jeopardize his immigration status and his only hope is his greedy lawyer Dale.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Synopsis
The Laughing Woo Woo is a proof-of-concept short film about Simsim—a lonesome 29-year-old Egyptian immigrant with a wooingly contagious laugh. Simsim is seeking asylum in the United States out of fear of the outcome of the 2011 revolution in Egypt, he escapes to San Francisco leaving behind his aging mother.
Like a fish out water Simsim seeks guidance from his greedy lawyer Dale. At the age of 63, Dale never loses touch with his redneck persona and never gives a damn about his clients, but he's afordable. He tolerates Simsim, because he pays in cash.
Simsim believes that his immigration hearing in a week is the only barrier before he eases into a new tranquil and prosporous life, but shortly he learns that there's more in store for him when he encounters a series of bizarre events that leave him in shambles.
.png)
Director's Statement
As an Egyptian immigrant who left Cairo as a teenager my first months were the toughest. I was seeking a sense of belonging, after leaving everything and many people behind. I spent several months quietly observing the new community that I was about to delve in and become part of. Back then I saw San Francisco as a city with two conflicting faces. On the surface the city seemed to be welcoming and warm to everyone, whatever your background, race or class, but many souls were socialized to be as selfish as they’d strive to succeed. And this drum can beat you down. In 2011, some years after I immigrated, a political uprising took place in Egypt climaxing the Arab Spring. The instability, however, drove many Egyptians to seek refuge elsewhere. Some of these immigrants sought asylum in the U.S. became very close friends to me. Their fears and uncertainties were even much greater than mine when I got here, and their sacrifices and struggles were far larger. For me The Laughing Woo Woo is a deeply personal caricatured exhibition that represents a distinct individual, an Egyptian immigrant that has the same universal desires and needs that decent humans seek. It’s just another day in this young man’s journey, navigating the hills or the immigration laws. We’ll go on a ride with him and we’ll laugh and cry at his misfortunes.
Join Our Journey
We’re very lucky to have the best group of cast and crew fitted for this project and we’re currently in the final stages of pre-production. We aim to start filming by the end of February 2021, but that is not possible without your support to raise the funds needed to cover the costs of Renting Equipment, Locations, Art Department, Meals, Post production and towards meeting COVID-19 safety compliance measures.
Support our campaign and together we can create a poignant, impactful and hillarious piece.
Filmmaking During A Pandemic
The Bay Area film community has been hit pretty badly by the current pandemic conditions. Luckily under the San Francisco Order of The Health Officer No. C19-07p we have clear guidelines that can help us create a safer environment for our cast and crew. However, these measures will have a financial impact on our production and through funds allocated from this campaign, we'll be able to meet our health and safety obligations. Your contributions are integral for us to be able to be back on set.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONSIDERING OUR PROJECT.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
16mm Film
Costs $1,600
(8) 400ft rolls of KODAK Vision3 250D/500T 16mm film.
Equipment Rental
Costs $3,400
Rentals of camera, lenses, grip and electric.
Art Department
Costs $1,000
Wardrobe and set design.
Locations
Costs $1,250
Renting locations, obtaining city permits and security costs.
Talent Travel
Costs $500
Talent travel and accommodation costs from from LA to SF.
Meals
Costs $1,100
Meals during filming for cast and crew.
COVID-19 Safety Compliance Measure
Costs $1,000
Following the CDC and SF safety requirements. Additionally hiring a compliance officer on set.
Post Production
Costs $3,400
4K film scanning, editing, color grading and FX.
Sound Mixing
Costs $500
Post production sound mixing.
Festival Submissions
Costs $1,250
Festival entry submission and costs.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Amir Youssef (Writer-Director)
Amir is an Egyptian filmmaker based in San Francisco and a renewables engineer focusing on solar development. Amir's directorial debut film 'The Initiation' won multiple awards at film festival locally and internationally, including Best Narrative Short Film at the 2020 Oakland International Film Festival and Best Director at the 2020 Oregaon Short Film Festival. On his future work, Amir strives to create unconventional stories that can echo unheard voices, while drawing inspiration from the extremely rich culture of his native Egypt.
Andrew Wagner (Producer)
Andrew created a portfolio of character-rich films celebrated for his keen ability to blend emotional nuance and grounded comedy in visually inspired stories that keep us laughing as they fill our hearts and open our minds. His signature work directing the industry’s most esteemed actors in masterful performances has garnered his films critical acclaim, multiple festival awards and year-end awards recognition. Most recently, Andrew directed and co-wrote Breakable You, starring Holly Hunter, Tony Shalhoub, Alfred Molina, Cristin Milioti and Omar Metwally. The film had its World Premiere at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and screened in the Film Independent Series at the LACMA, curated by Elvis Mitchell. Breakable You was released by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and premiered on Hulu.
arthur gallery (Producer)
arthur is an Award-Winning Writer-Director and Producer based in Oakland. A life-long storyteller, he made his first film at age 17, which went on to win first place at the then called Portland African American Film Festival. As a true student of the craft, he grew up studying prominent techniques such as Wes Anderson's composition and surrealism, Edgar Wright's invigorating camera movements and Kanye West's use of color to create visual poetry. Additionally he has written and directed a wide range of short films, which have screened at Oakland International Film Festival, New Filmmakers NY and won at San Francisco Black Film Festival. He also partnered with EMPIRE Distribution to write and direct 3 music videos that have garnered over 6M total views.
Evan Weidenkeller (Director of Photography)
Evan is a cinematographer from Long Beach California working in LA for a handful of years before moving up to the Bay Area to continue his work as a freelance cinematographer, while getting his BA in cinematography from San Francisco State University. He started off his career shooting documentries following skateboarders and surfers in Orange County, to using this medium to help tell personal and intricate narrative stories with hopes that these stories can be heard and have an effect on others. Evan is an AFI class of 2022 Cinematography Fellow.
Pegasus Ghobreal (As Simsim)
Pegasus is an Egyptian poet based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Pegasus previously featured on stage plays within the Coptic community and The Laughing Woo Woo will be his first on screen appearance. Besides poetry and acting, Pegasus has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from San Jose State University. Like the fictional character Simsim, Pegasus immigrated to California in 2011 and has encountered the many faces of alienation.
Mah Ferraz (Editor)
Mah is an award winning Brazilian Film Editor based in New York City. She's an Aries with Leo rising. Mah's clients include Adidas Originals, Nike, Vogue, Apple Music, Billboard, Honda, Polaroid, Spotify, Youtube Music, Marc Jacobs, Volvo, Grey Goose, ESPN, Gap, Walmart, Comcast and NFL. Her work has been featured in Vimeo Staff Picks, Nowness, Paper Magazine, Vogue, Elle Magazine, Fast Company, among others.
Ayumi Ashley (Colorist)
Ayumi is the global lead colorist at Ntropic. She is based in New York City and available for projects in Ntropic's San Francisco, Los Angeles and London locations.Prior to Ayumi launching Ntropic’s east coast color division, she made a name for herself as a premier colorist in the San Francisco Bay Area. There, she co-owned a finishing facility, Mission Film & Design, where she worked with prominent ad agencies, Silicon Valley giants and global brands. While a passion for advertising brought her to the New York market, her portfolio of work has been recognized in acclaimed feature films and music videos at leading industry festivals and publications.
Heather Fox (Casting Director)
Heather is a Los Angeles based Casting Director. She has worked for Julie Ashton Casting, Thomas/O’Neill, Bialy/Thomas & Associate and Tracy Lilienfield. Previous credits include the new “Saved by the Bell” reboot (Peacock) “Mapleworth Murders” (Quibi), “Fear the Walking Dead“ (AMC) and “The Twilight Zone” (CBS All Access). She has a BFA in Theatre from the University of Southern California.
Carlos Diego Mendoza (Principle Peformer)
Bay Area native Carlos Diego Mendoza began his acting career on the stage. He took theater, film, and musical classes and eventually graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor's degree in Theater Arts and Cinema. He is an actor, rapper, director, and theater educator. He is also the podcast host for "Tenacious Talk," and co-host for "Mindful Meets Messy." He lives in Los Angeles, California.
Pancho Lopez Jr. (Principal Peformer)
Francisco “Pancho” is a Central Coast native, he’s been on the other side of the lens his whole career, a second generation photographer and owner of his own practice for 2 decades. He took a break from his profession and decided to go back to school and attended Hartnell College in 2011, later graduated top of his class in cinematography at CSUMB in 2017 with Cum Laude honors. Pancho decided to try acting in 2015 while attending CSUMB and starred in a multitude of student capstones portraying everything from Satan, a drug dealer and even a vampire professor. In 2019 he starred in the award winning short film The Initiation.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Synopsis
The Laughing Woo Woo is a proof-of-concept short film about Simsim—a lonesome 29-year-old Egyptian immigrant with a wooingly contagious laugh. Simsim is seeking asylum in the United States out of fear of the outcome of the 2011 revolution in Egypt, he escapes to San Francisco leaving behind his aging mother.
Like a fish out water Simsim seeks guidance from his greedy lawyer Dale. At the age of 63, Dale never loses touch with his redneck persona and never gives a damn about his clients, but he's afordable. He tolerates Simsim, because he pays in cash.
Simsim believes that his immigration hearing in a week is the only barrier before he eases into a new tranquil and prosporous life, but shortly he learns that there's more in store for him when he encounters a series of bizarre events that leave him in shambles.
Director's Statement
As an Egyptian immigrant who left Cairo as a teenager my first months were the toughest. I was seeking a sense of belonging, after leaving everything and many people behind. I spent several months quietly observing the new community that I was about to delve in and become part of. Back then I saw San Francisco as a city with two conflicting faces. On the surface the city seemed to be welcoming and warm to everyone, whatever your background, race or class, but many souls were socialized to be as selfish as they’d strive to succeed. And this drum can beat you down. In 2011, some years after I immigrated, a political uprising took place in Egypt climaxing the Arab Spring. The instability, however, drove many Egyptians to seek refuge elsewhere. Some of these immigrants sought asylum in the U.S. became very close friends to me. Their fears and uncertainties were even much greater than mine when I got here, and their sacrifices and struggles were far larger. For me The Laughing Woo Woo is a deeply personal caricatured exhibition that represents a distinct individual, an Egyptian immigrant that has the same universal desires and needs that decent humans seek. It’s just another day in this young man’s journey, navigating the hills or the immigration laws. We’ll go on a ride with him and we’ll laugh and cry at his misfortunes.
Join Our Journey
We’re very lucky to have the best group of cast and crew fitted for this project and we’re currently in the final stages of pre-production. We aim to start filming by the end of February 2021, but that is not possible without your support to raise the funds needed to cover the costs of Renting Equipment, Locations, Art Department, Meals, Post production and towards meeting COVID-19 safety compliance measures.
Support our campaign and together we can create a poignant, impactful and hillarious piece.
Filmmaking During A Pandemic
The Bay Area film community has been hit pretty badly by the current pandemic conditions. Luckily under the San Francisco Order of The Health Officer No. C19-07p we have clear guidelines that can help us create a safer environment for our cast and crew. However, these measures will have a financial impact on our production and through funds allocated from this campaign, we'll be able to meet our health and safety obligations. Your contributions are integral for us to be able to be back on set.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONSIDERING OUR PROJECT.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
16mm Film
Costs $1,600
(8) 400ft rolls of KODAK Vision3 250D/500T 16mm film.
Equipment Rental
Costs $3,400
Rentals of camera, lenses, grip and electric.
Art Department
Costs $1,000
Wardrobe and set design.
Locations
Costs $1,250
Renting locations, obtaining city permits and security costs.
Talent Travel
Costs $500
Talent travel and accommodation costs from from LA to SF.
Meals
Costs $1,100
Meals during filming for cast and crew.
COVID-19 Safety Compliance Measure
Costs $1,000
Following the CDC and SF safety requirements. Additionally hiring a compliance officer on set.
Post Production
Costs $3,400
4K film scanning, editing, color grading and FX.
Sound Mixing
Costs $500
Post production sound mixing.
Festival Submissions
Costs $1,250
Festival entry submission and costs.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Amir Youssef (Writer-Director)
Amir is an Egyptian filmmaker based in San Francisco and a renewables engineer focusing on solar development. Amir's directorial debut film 'The Initiation' won multiple awards at film festival locally and internationally, including Best Narrative Short Film at the 2020 Oakland International Film Festival and Best Director at the 2020 Oregaon Short Film Festival. On his future work, Amir strives to create unconventional stories that can echo unheard voices, while drawing inspiration from the extremely rich culture of his native Egypt.
Andrew Wagner (Producer)
Andrew created a portfolio of character-rich films celebrated for his keen ability to blend emotional nuance and grounded comedy in visually inspired stories that keep us laughing as they fill our hearts and open our minds. His signature work directing the industry’s most esteemed actors in masterful performances has garnered his films critical acclaim, multiple festival awards and year-end awards recognition. Most recently, Andrew directed and co-wrote Breakable You, starring Holly Hunter, Tony Shalhoub, Alfred Molina, Cristin Milioti and Omar Metwally. The film had its World Premiere at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and screened in the Film Independent Series at the LACMA, curated by Elvis Mitchell. Breakable You was released by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and premiered on Hulu.
arthur gallery (Producer)
arthur is an Award-Winning Writer-Director and Producer based in Oakland. A life-long storyteller, he made his first film at age 17, which went on to win first place at the then called Portland African American Film Festival. As a true student of the craft, he grew up studying prominent techniques such as Wes Anderson's composition and surrealism, Edgar Wright's invigorating camera movements and Kanye West's use of color to create visual poetry. Additionally he has written and directed a wide range of short films, which have screened at Oakland International Film Festival, New Filmmakers NY and won at San Francisco Black Film Festival. He also partnered with EMPIRE Distribution to write and direct 3 music videos that have garnered over 6M total views.
Evan Weidenkeller (Director of Photography)
Evan is a cinematographer from Long Beach California working in LA for a handful of years before moving up to the Bay Area to continue his work as a freelance cinematographer, while getting his BA in cinematography from San Francisco State University. He started off his career shooting documentries following skateboarders and surfers in Orange County, to using this medium to help tell personal and intricate narrative stories with hopes that these stories can be heard and have an effect on others. Evan is an AFI class of 2022 Cinematography Fellow.
Pegasus Ghobreal (As Simsim)
Pegasus is an Egyptian poet based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Pegasus previously featured on stage plays within the Coptic community and The Laughing Woo Woo will be his first on screen appearance. Besides poetry and acting, Pegasus has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from San Jose State University. Like the fictional character Simsim, Pegasus immigrated to California in 2011 and has encountered the many faces of alienation.
Mah Ferraz (Editor)
Mah is an award winning Brazilian Film Editor based in New York City. She's an Aries with Leo rising. Mah's clients include Adidas Originals, Nike, Vogue, Apple Music, Billboard, Honda, Polaroid, Spotify, Youtube Music, Marc Jacobs, Volvo, Grey Goose, ESPN, Gap, Walmart, Comcast and NFL. Her work has been featured in Vimeo Staff Picks, Nowness, Paper Magazine, Vogue, Elle Magazine, Fast Company, among others.
Ayumi Ashley (Colorist)
Ayumi is the global lead colorist at Ntropic. She is based in New York City and available for projects in Ntropic's San Francisco, Los Angeles and London locations.Prior to Ayumi launching Ntropic’s east coast color division, she made a name for herself as a premier colorist in the San Francisco Bay Area. There, she co-owned a finishing facility, Mission Film & Design, where she worked with prominent ad agencies, Silicon Valley giants and global brands. While a passion for advertising brought her to the New York market, her portfolio of work has been recognized in acclaimed feature films and music videos at leading industry festivals and publications.
Heather Fox (Casting Director)
Heather is a Los Angeles based Casting Director. She has worked for Julie Ashton Casting, Thomas/O’Neill, Bialy/Thomas & Associate and Tracy Lilienfield. Previous credits include the new “Saved by the Bell” reboot (Peacock) “Mapleworth Murders” (Quibi), “Fear the Walking Dead“ (AMC) and “The Twilight Zone” (CBS All Access). She has a BFA in Theatre from the University of Southern California.
Carlos Diego Mendoza (Principle Peformer)
Bay Area native Carlos Diego Mendoza began his acting career on the stage. He took theater, film, and musical classes and eventually graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor's degree in Theater Arts and Cinema. He is an actor, rapper, director, and theater educator. He is also the podcast host for "Tenacious Talk," and co-host for "Mindful Meets Messy." He lives in Los Angeles, California.
Pancho Lopez Jr. (Principal Peformer)
Francisco “Pancho” is a Central Coast native, he’s been on the other side of the lens his whole career, a second generation photographer and owner of his own practice for 2 decades. He took a break from his profession and decided to go back to school and attended Hartnell College in 2011, later graduated top of his class in cinematography at CSUMB in 2017 with Cum Laude honors. Pancho decided to try acting in 2015 while attending CSUMB and starred in a multitude of student capstones portraying everything from Satan, a drug dealer and even a vampire professor. In 2019 he starred in the award winning short film The Initiation.