The Old Woman
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Thriller
The Old Woman is a narrative experimental short film that blends absurdist thriller with dark comedy. In it, an old woman enters an eccentric writer's room and suddenly dies in it. From there, the protagonist goes off on different tangents instead of dealing with the situation.
The Old Woman
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Thriller
1 Campaigns | California, United States
22 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$4,740
Goal: $4,700 for production
The Old Woman is a narrative experimental short film that blends absurdist thriller with dark comedy. In it, an old woman enters an eccentric writer's room and suddenly dies in it. From there, the protagonist goes off on different tangents instead of dealing with the situation.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Join us in making The Old Woman happen!
Hey, my name is Alexander Barancheyev, and I am a film student at CalArts. I am also the writer, director, and co-producer of The Old Woman. It is based on the semi-autobiographical short story written by Daniil Kharms. This film will work both both as a stand-alone project, as well a proof-of-concept for a feature film.
The film follows a children's writer, Daniil, as he meets an old woman who enters his room uninvited, and suddenly dies in it. Instead of dealing with this situation, he goes off on different tangents, gets worried that people will accuse him of killing her, as well as distracted by things like getting bread and almost inviting a neighbour to his room. Eventually, he is forced to sort things out.
The film explores extremes: the protagonist, Daniil, constantly pivots from extreme confidence to doubt, and from there to a completely new thing. It also tackles the ideas of self-censorship and self-deceit, as Daniil constantly questions his own decisions. The Old Woman is a representation of a repressive and all-permeating force that everyone encounters in life in one way or another.
The story is set against the backdrop of 1930s Leningrad, USSR, and will explore the themes of creative process, control, fear, the real and unreal, and life and death.
The film will combine elements of dark comedy and psychological thriller.
Narrative Techniques
The narrative of the film is unreliable: one would constantly question whether what is happening on screen is real, or if it’s the product of Daniil’s imagination.
One of the driving forces of the narrative will be Daniil's voiceover, which will add information, humour, and a sense of ambiguity with whether what is happening is real or not.
The Old Woman is sometimes alive, sometimes dead, and sometimes, walking dead. The film is set to capture what it feels like to face an all-engulfing, life-sucking force.
Cinematography Approach
To achieve a gritty and expressionistic look, the movie will be shot on Kodak Eastman Double-X 16mm film using an Arri SR2 camera. All of the story takes place during the day, but the lighting will have a dim feel. Different lenses will be used in order to capture the chaotic nature of Daniil: from telephoto to ultra-wide.
The aesthetics of the original text written by Kharms will be transposed into the visual language through a variety of shot angles, as well as the experimental shooting technique of single-frame pixilation on a Bolex H16 camera.
Sonic Approach
The sound design will drive anxiety: there will be noises of the apartment complex, hissing sounds, doors slamming, people talking, children shouting outside. At points, the sounds will get exaggerated and distorted, highlighting the anxious state of the protagonist. The soundtrack will be gritty and percussive.
Inspiration playlist for the soundtrack:
Where the money will go
We are raising $4700 that will go towards production costs. Here is a breakdown of where exactly the money will go:
$2000: buying 16mm film + 16mm film processing and scanning
$800: food and crafty
$500: actors' salaries
$500: production design
$300: costumes
$300: lens rental
$300: festival fees
The Impact
Every dollar donated counts, and helps make this story come to life! Through the unique cinematic style, the film will bring people together to experience something not seen before. It will allow people to share a laugh and be thrilled by the story.
Other ways you can help
Follow our Instagram page for news and updates, tell your friends and family about the project, spread the word!! :))
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Double-X 16mm Film
Costs $1,000
The material our film will be shot on to create the gritty and expressive look.
Lens Rental
Costs $300
Century Precision Optics 6mm T1.9, a special ultra-wide lens we will be using.
Festival Fees
Costs $300
Our budget for festival submissions, so that the film to reaches a wide audience.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Alexander Barancheyev
Writer/Director/Producer
Alexander Barancheyev is a 21 year old filmmaker, producer, and cinematographer based in Los Angeles, USA and Riga, Latvia.
By merging narrative and experimental film techniques, poetic imagery and sound, he explores the themes of human condition, the absurd in the everyday, and family.
Alexander is an upcoming senior at the California Institute of the Arts in the Film/Video program.
Jacob d'Annunzio
is Daniil
Jacob d'Annunzio is a filmmaker from Pittsburgh, PA. They received their BFA in Film Production from Santa Fe University of Art and Design and a MFA in Film Directing from The California Institute of the Arts. They work in independent films as both crew and a performer, combining both skill sets as an actor/director in their own narrative work.
Erika Nadir
is The Old Woman
Erika Nadir is an actor and singer based in Los Angeles. Most recently, her film BETI has been a nominee and finalist in 6 national and international film festivals. In 2022, her film THE HEARTS THAT BLEED AND BLOOM was a finalist in the LA SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL and won Best New Director at the HOLLYWOOD SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL. Her recent stage appearances include the role of Florence Foster Jenkins in the Springfield Contemporary Theatre production of SOUVENIR in 2021. Erika is a member of the ROAD THEATRE based in North Hollywood.
Ej Yeh
Director of Photography
Ej Yeh is an independent filmmaker from Nanjing, China. He is also a 2025 Flaherty Seminar Fellow and a full-time faculty at 2025 CSSSA.
As a cinematographer, Ej was recognized at the Houston International Film Festival and has lensed films selected by LA Shorts IFF, AmDocs Film Festival, San Diego Asian Film Festival, San Francisco IndieFest, and ADF’s Movies By Movers.
Juliana Webster
Assistant Director, 1st Assistant Camera
Juliana Webster is an LA-based filmmaker from Boston with a BFA in Film/Video from the California Institute of the Arts.
She focuses on themes of identity, language and memory through, tactile sound design, and exploring an experimental approach to narrative filmmaking. Structure, sound, and facial expressions are crucial to building bizarre realities that she places her characters in.
Rex Xiao
Assistant Director
Rex Xiao is a writer, filmmaker, and visual artist whose work grows out of a fascination with the darker, subconscious side of human psychology and an ongoing engagement with questions of moral philosophy. He holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University and is currently pursuing an MFA in Film and Video at the California Institute of the Arts.
Bonnie Kim
Production Designer
Bonnie Bohyeon Kim is a spatial designer / Scenographer based in L.A. with production design and art direction experiences in film, dance, and theater with a strong background in sculpture, photography, video, and printmaking. She is expanding her practice in spatial design and creative direction for fashion runways, branded experiences, and concerts. She holds a BFA in Experience Design and Production at CalArts, with a focus on scenic and lighting design and a minor in Digital Arts Media. She is passionate about storytelling through design, and her hands-on experience includes work at the Hollywood Bowl, brand collaboration with Nike, Walt Disney Imagineering, production design for the Hollywood Fringe Festival, and a number of film, theater, and dance projects.
Addison Jones
Costume Designer
Addison is thrilled to act as one of the costume designers on "The Old Woman" film and is especially grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Katherine and the rest of the talented creative team. She is a BFA2 costume design student with a background in fashion design and a strong passion for costume design across both stage and screen. Addison has previously assisted on productions such as "The Play That Goes Wrong", Village Theatre’s "Les Misérables", and CalArts’ "Property Rites", where she worked as assistant costume designer. She is currently working on several exciting projects, including "Puffs" as assistant costume designer, as well as multiple short films in development.
Katherine Chen
Costume Designer
Katherine Chen is a costume designer with a background in fashion and accessory design. She’s interested in how silhouette, texture, and references come together to support character and storytelling. Her work often involves hands-on craft with material experimentations, creating costumes that are both expressive and true to the characters.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Join us in making The Old Woman happen!
Hey, my name is Alexander Barancheyev, and I am a film student at CalArts. I am also the writer, director, and co-producer of The Old Woman. It is based on the semi-autobiographical short story written by Daniil Kharms. This film will work both both as a stand-alone project, as well a proof-of-concept for a feature film.
The film follows a children's writer, Daniil, as he meets an old woman who enters his room uninvited, and suddenly dies in it. Instead of dealing with this situation, he goes off on different tangents, gets worried that people will accuse him of killing her, as well as distracted by things like getting bread and almost inviting a neighbour to his room. Eventually, he is forced to sort things out.
The film explores extremes: the protagonist, Daniil, constantly pivots from extreme confidence to doubt, and from there to a completely new thing. It also tackles the ideas of self-censorship and self-deceit, as Daniil constantly questions his own decisions. The Old Woman is a representation of a repressive and all-permeating force that everyone encounters in life in one way or another.
The story is set against the backdrop of 1930s Leningrad, USSR, and will explore the themes of creative process, control, fear, the real and unreal, and life and death.
The film will combine elements of dark comedy and psychological thriller.
Narrative Techniques
The narrative of the film is unreliable: one would constantly question whether what is happening on screen is real, or if it’s the product of Daniil’s imagination.
One of the driving forces of the narrative will be Daniil's voiceover, which will add information, humour, and a sense of ambiguity with whether what is happening is real or not.
The Old Woman is sometimes alive, sometimes dead, and sometimes, walking dead. The film is set to capture what it feels like to face an all-engulfing, life-sucking force.
Cinematography Approach
To achieve a gritty and expressionistic look, the movie will be shot on Kodak Eastman Double-X 16mm film using an Arri SR2 camera. All of the story takes place during the day, but the lighting will have a dim feel. Different lenses will be used in order to capture the chaotic nature of Daniil: from telephoto to ultra-wide.
The aesthetics of the original text written by Kharms will be transposed into the visual language through a variety of shot angles, as well as the experimental shooting technique of single-frame pixilation on a Bolex H16 camera.
Sonic Approach
The sound design will drive anxiety: there will be noises of the apartment complex, hissing sounds, doors slamming, people talking, children shouting outside. At points, the sounds will get exaggerated and distorted, highlighting the anxious state of the protagonist. The soundtrack will be gritty and percussive.
Inspiration playlist for the soundtrack:
Where the money will go
We are raising $4700 that will go towards production costs. Here is a breakdown of where exactly the money will go:
$2000: buying 16mm film + 16mm film processing and scanning
$800: food and crafty
$500: actors' salaries
$500: production design
$300: costumes
$300: lens rental
$300: festival fees
The Impact
Every dollar donated counts, and helps make this story come to life! Through the unique cinematic style, the film will bring people together to experience something not seen before. It will allow people to share a laugh and be thrilled by the story.
Other ways you can help
Follow our Instagram page for news and updates, tell your friends and family about the project, spread the word!! :))
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Double-X 16mm Film
Costs $1,000
The material our film will be shot on to create the gritty and expressive look.
Lens Rental
Costs $300
Century Precision Optics 6mm T1.9, a special ultra-wide lens we will be using.
Festival Fees
Costs $300
Our budget for festival submissions, so that the film to reaches a wide audience.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Alexander Barancheyev
Writer/Director/Producer
Alexander Barancheyev is a 21 year old filmmaker, producer, and cinematographer based in Los Angeles, USA and Riga, Latvia.
By merging narrative and experimental film techniques, poetic imagery and sound, he explores the themes of human condition, the absurd in the everyday, and family.
Alexander is an upcoming senior at the California Institute of the Arts in the Film/Video program.
Jacob d'Annunzio
is Daniil
Jacob d'Annunzio is a filmmaker from Pittsburgh, PA. They received their BFA in Film Production from Santa Fe University of Art and Design and a MFA in Film Directing from The California Institute of the Arts. They work in independent films as both crew and a performer, combining both skill sets as an actor/director in their own narrative work.
Erika Nadir
is The Old Woman
Erika Nadir is an actor and singer based in Los Angeles. Most recently, her film BETI has been a nominee and finalist in 6 national and international film festivals. In 2022, her film THE HEARTS THAT BLEED AND BLOOM was a finalist in the LA SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL and won Best New Director at the HOLLYWOOD SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL. Her recent stage appearances include the role of Florence Foster Jenkins in the Springfield Contemporary Theatre production of SOUVENIR in 2021. Erika is a member of the ROAD THEATRE based in North Hollywood.
Ej Yeh
Director of Photography
Ej Yeh is an independent filmmaker from Nanjing, China. He is also a 2025 Flaherty Seminar Fellow and a full-time faculty at 2025 CSSSA.
As a cinematographer, Ej was recognized at the Houston International Film Festival and has lensed films selected by LA Shorts IFF, AmDocs Film Festival, San Diego Asian Film Festival, San Francisco IndieFest, and ADF’s Movies By Movers.
Juliana Webster
Assistant Director, 1st Assistant Camera
Juliana Webster is an LA-based filmmaker from Boston with a BFA in Film/Video from the California Institute of the Arts.
She focuses on themes of identity, language and memory through, tactile sound design, and exploring an experimental approach to narrative filmmaking. Structure, sound, and facial expressions are crucial to building bizarre realities that she places her characters in.
Rex Xiao
Assistant Director
Rex Xiao is a writer, filmmaker, and visual artist whose work grows out of a fascination with the darker, subconscious side of human psychology and an ongoing engagement with questions of moral philosophy. He holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University and is currently pursuing an MFA in Film and Video at the California Institute of the Arts.
Bonnie Kim
Production Designer
Bonnie Bohyeon Kim is a spatial designer / Scenographer based in L.A. with production design and art direction experiences in film, dance, and theater with a strong background in sculpture, photography, video, and printmaking. She is expanding her practice in spatial design and creative direction for fashion runways, branded experiences, and concerts. She holds a BFA in Experience Design and Production at CalArts, with a focus on scenic and lighting design and a minor in Digital Arts Media. She is passionate about storytelling through design, and her hands-on experience includes work at the Hollywood Bowl, brand collaboration with Nike, Walt Disney Imagineering, production design for the Hollywood Fringe Festival, and a number of film, theater, and dance projects.
Addison Jones
Costume Designer
Addison is thrilled to act as one of the costume designers on "The Old Woman" film and is especially grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Katherine and the rest of the talented creative team. She is a BFA2 costume design student with a background in fashion design and a strong passion for costume design across both stage and screen. Addison has previously assisted on productions such as "The Play That Goes Wrong", Village Theatre’s "Les Misérables", and CalArts’ "Property Rites", where she worked as assistant costume designer. She is currently working on several exciting projects, including "Puffs" as assistant costume designer, as well as multiple short films in development.
Katherine Chen
Costume Designer
Katherine Chen is a costume designer with a background in fashion and accessory design. She’s interested in how silhouette, texture, and references come together to support character and storytelling. Her work often involves hands-on craft with material experimentations, creating costumes that are both expressive and true to the characters.