The Lost Comet

Mexico City, Mexico | Film Short

Drama, Music

Sheena McCann

1 Campaigns | Mexico City, Mexico

Green Light

This campaign raised $22,365 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.

229 supporters | followers

Enter the amount you would like to pledge

$

The Lost Comet reveals the first moments of a life-changing event in a young couple’s life, shown through public modes of movement and dance that stem from the structure of Mexico City. Injected with music and culture, we highlight the silent struggle of miscarriage that societies choose to ignore.

In Partnership With

About The Project

  • The Story
  • Wishlist
  • Updates
  • The Team
  • Community

Mission Statement

Through revealing Mexico City’s diverse architecture and world-renown (massive) urban flow, we hope our film will create a new language for a loss that is socially suppressed throughout the world. We want to support all who have felt silenced by societal expectations.

The Story

 

THE STORY

Pairing the pre-eminent Mexico City with narrative film and dance, this film will give meteoric definition to millions of personal tragedies in a first-ever film of its kind.
 
Floating through crowds of the city on joy and expectation, a couple suddenly faces the clinical result of failed pregnancy. Miscarriages, more common than many understand, are often “discovered” in clinical doctor offices like this.
 
Following the couple quietly to work, throughout the vibrant plazas, metros, and streets of Mexico City, we are breathless as their anguish shifts from unnoticeable, almost forgotten, into swift, colossal bursts of unraveling emotion as the reality of what happened takes hold. 

 

 

 

WHY IT MATTERS NOW

In an era where both female reproductive health and minority cultures and populations are threatened across the world, the importance of telling this powerful story cannot be overstated.

 

 

Observing this couple’s behavior under the weight of their loss, through Mexico City and Dance, is how the global audience will truly understand this nearly invisible experience and the complex nature of this couple’s (and many others') grief.
 
This short film will highlight the social necessity of valuing and protecting each other, as well as bringing awareness to the shunning of universal human experiences in societies worldwide.

 

 

 

THE IMPACT

The Lost Comet focuses on a human story of loss by creating a universal connection through the emotional, visual, historic quality of Mexico City and the physical impact of dance.

 

 

There's a relatable, human experience that needs to be shared and vocalized, and through this mindset, we may find ourselves more connected than before.
 
Clearing the taboo of sharing personal hardships like miscarriage will go a long way to opening ourselves up and creating a more forgiving society to live in.
Creating a visual, sensational experience through dance will create a catharsis and understanding that transcends borders. 

 

 

 

This film hopes to shine a spotlight on the remarkable infrastructure of Mexico City steeped in history and tension as the extension of daily life and the balletic flow of urban motion.
 
Together, in this film, Mexico City and Dance will shape a new language for the parts of human unable to speak.

 

 

 

WHAT WE NEED

This story is going to be told in narrative format, so we need your help to get this project on its way! A visual format means that there are physical costs in getting there.
 
Things to get this story told may include things like: Actors, Crew, Locations, Catering, Set/Props, Film/Lighting Equipment, Editing costs and more!

 

 

 

WHAT YOU GET

No matter how much you can contribute, it is all helping us reach our goal! We are so immensely grateful for the support.

 

Take a look at our PERKS section to find a list of the many things we're offering to show our thanks for your contribution to our mission! 

 

 

OTHER WAYS TO HELP

To reach our goal, I will need help from as many of you as possible.

Apart from contributing to the campaign, sharing our funding link via social media will help to spread the word about this powerful story.

 

 

 

I hope you can support or even personally identify with our mission.

Thank you so much! 

 

Wishlist

Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.

Camera Rental (+Add-ons)

Costs $2,500

Camera, Lights, Action! Crucial to making a Film possible, we want to get the best quality we can.

Cash Pledge

Costs $0

Crew Cost

Costs $6,000

We want to be able to have an energetic, talented crew! Quality help ensures a quality result.

Prod. Truck + Gas

Costs $1,200

We need to get our equipment off the ground and onto the film set!

Catering and Craft Services

Costs $1,500

Good food means good work! We want our Cast and Crew to be motivated to get the job done.

Cast

Costs $2,500

We want to compensate our Actors for their hard work to bring this film to life!

Film Equipment

Costs $1,800

We need to hold our Lights up and mount the Camera properly! A lot goes into making a movie.

Lighting Equipment

Costs $900

We want that glamour shot! Lights are essential to the aesthetic and basic visuals on-camera.

Locations / Sets

Costs $5,000

You can't make a movie without proper clearance to film! And the location is crucial to our story.

Wardrobe and Makeup

Costs $850

The look of this film can be achieved by carefully and skillfully planned costume and makeup.

Sound Equipment

Costs $850

Nothing's worse than wind noise taking over a film. We need to make sure it sounds crystal clear!

Production Design

Costs $1,050

We're telling an authentic story. Props and set decoration go a long way to making a film realistic.

Choreography

Costs $1,850

We'll need to hire trained professionals to both design and direct the dancers in the film.

About This Team

DIRECTORA/GUIONISTA/PRODUCTORA:

 

 

DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER

SHEENA MCCANN is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles.

Sheena has a BA in Film Studies from UC Santa Barbara and an MFA in Directing from the American Film Institute.  Her films have premiered at several film festivals including Clermont-Ferrand IFF, Santa Barbara IFF, Big Bear IFF, and AFI Fest.  Sheena’s work has been featured in Shorts TV and Huffington Post.  Her AFI thesis, The Darkness is Close Behind starring Maika Monroe (It Follows) and Samuel Hunt (Unbroken: Path to Redemption), was among 6 jury selected short films presented at the Director’s Guild of America Showcase. Sheena is a founding member of the American Film Institute Conservatory’s Women Directing Association, supporting the projects of female directors and female representation in Hollywood. She is currently making her first international film in Mexico City.

 

PRODUCTORA:

 

 

PRODUCER

NINA WARA CARRASCO studied journalism in EPCSG in Mexico city. After she worked for newspapers like Milenio or Amiante a French magazine.  She worked for NGO´s as a project manager with topics like culture or development with BM, BID, Mexican government. She collaborated with the Goethe Institut Mexico, with some project during the dual year and recently for the culture and education área.  Nina starts working for tv and films until she specializes in production. Working in many movies and commercials, as Yuban (live earth) (Dir. Yaasib Vázquez) as a researcher and executive producer; this project was selected on IDFA and won the Ariel to best short documentary 2012. Recently she made a fiction movie in post-production called “Fractal” (Dir. Mariana Gonzalez), she made a short movie named "The Last Bird" (Dir. Azeneth Farah) selected in the Eco film festival México, a documentary in post production "Lost Star" (Dir. Luis Palomino) and her first movie as a director, winner of the

VI edition of DOCTV. Selected for the Lasa films festival “In the Whisper of the Wind”.


DIRECTOR DE FOTOGRAFIA:

 

 

CINEMATOGRAPHER

PETR CIKHART is an EMMY winning Czech cinematographer living in Los Angeles.

As a 19-year-old Assistant Director covered the war in Chechnya for Czech TV, and was arrested and held hostage for two days by Russian soldiers during the assignment. It was his first ever field shoot, and he was hooked.

After working as a cinematographer for 12 years Petr decided to deepen his knowledge by attending the AFI Conservatory, earning a masters degree in cinematography in 2012. His thesis film FIRST IN FLIGHT competed at Camerimage festival in Poland and was nominated for the ASC Harris Savides Heritage Award. While at AFI Petr won the College Camera Operator of the Year award from the SOC.

Subsequently, Petr worked as a cinematographer on various feature films including World War II drama AGAINST THE SUN, TAMARA (Nueva Vision Award, 2017 Santa Barbara Film Festival), Universal pictures ID2:SHADWELL ARMY & DAY OF RECKONING, THE DUNNING MAN, THE NANNY or the recent Tencent China production ESCAPING VALENTINE’S DAY.

Traveling & filming in more than 100 countries he also made films like FARMINGVILLE (Special Jury Prize, 2004 Sundance Film Festival) and BLINDSIGHT (Audience Awards, 2006 AFI Film Festival & 2007 Berlin Film Festival). In 2007 Petr won his Prime Time Emmy Award for his work on THE AMAZING RACE.

Petr is fluent in English, Spanish and Czech. He also speaks Italian and Russian.

Current Team

Supporters

Followers

Incentives