The Rothschilds
New York City, New York | Film Feature
Comedy, Drama
When do we know who we want to be? 23-year-old Carmelita is convinced a desk job and a husband are the keys to success. Yale sophomore Xavier can't figure out what or who he needs to do to be happy. The path they climb toward "adulthood" is steep and daunting, but it's not a lonely one.
The Rothschilds
New York City, New York | Film Feature
Comedy, Drama
2 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $18,000 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
51 supporters | followers
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When do we know who we want to be? 23-year-old Carmelita is convinced a desk job and a husband are the keys to success. Yale sophomore Xavier can't figure out what or who he needs to do to be happy. The path they climb toward "adulthood" is steep and daunting, but it's not a lonely one.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Carmelita Rothschild is a 23-year-old New Yorker with a cushy architectural internship and a microcelebrity photographer boyfriend, Justin. She's determined to become the downtown it-girl and start a family, in that order and as soon as possible. Meanwhile, her always-precocious younger brother Xavier is studying at Yale and applying for a musicians' grant that will kickstart his career. Beyond their intrinsic ambitions, both siblings have always used each other as metrics for competition, their shared childhood full of loving rivalry. When Justin proposes to Carmelita, she's convinced she's hit the jackpot and sets the wedding date for the end of the summer, only three months away. Having been semi-estranged from Xavier due to his chaotic school year, she tentatively invites him to stay at her apartment for the summer to plan the wedding and make up for lost time.
Throughout months of tense cohabitation, the two encounter a crew of eclectic characters that challenge their worldviews and family dynamic, including a bombastic, authoritarian wedding planner; a self-conscious young rabbi; and two absurdly uninhibited future in-laws. In the process, Xavier uses his time in the city to explore his repressed sexuality and unstable vision of his future. Carmelita struggles to balance her professional and personal lives, causing major friction at the architecture firm. While embracing adult individualism the siblings must redefine their long-held ideals of family and identity, risking their relationship along the way.
The film's dialogue-heavy format puts the titular siblings in a biting, comedic spotlight, following them through winding, summer-long arguments that speak truth to the chaos of siblinghood and the Jewish art of kvetching. While its subject matter is uniquely current, its format and style dip nostalgically into the staples of New York comedic cinema like Annie Hall and When Harry Met Sally. There’s an air of wit and absurdism, but timeless sweetness underneath it all.
The Rothschilds is a refreshing portrayal of young adulthood in 2025. It offers raw and necessary reflection from its early-20's creators to its younger audiences, grappling with religion, sexuality, and the eternal search for maturity in an age of childhoods interrupted. The film doesn't hold back in exploring deeply uncomfortable discussions and dynamics, seeking to provide comfort to audiences yearning to see their own modern struggles and confusions portrayed on the big screen. It follows in the footsteps of recent microbudget indie comedies like Tiny Furniture, Shithouse, and Frownland, which have all made their mark in indie film history by relaying the issues of today's youth in the most direct and truthful format possible.
After years of creating short films selected at the largest student and youth film festivals in the nation and studying at NYU Tisch where I've refined my craft and found a brilliant community of collaborators, I wrote The Rothschilds over a number of months this past year and I'm finally ready to make the film a reality. Alongside me is a team of esteemed producers, artists, and technicians who have poured passion into the project throughout its stages of development and are prepared to bring the story to the biggest screens possible. Your donations will help our team access the resources to produce the film this August, including gear, locations, craft services, and other necessary elements of the filmmaking process. In addition, funds will be dedicated to submitting the film to the Winter-Spring independent festival circuit and working toward distribution in indie and arthouse theaters around the country. The filmmaking journey ahead is an exhilarating one, and you can follow the team through every stage of the film on @rothschilds.mov!
In the meantime, located below is some BTS of the Rothschilds team. We've worked on dozens of shorts together and cannot wait to bring our first full-length project to life with your help!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Equipment Rentals
Costs $4,250
This budget will give the team the freedom to shoot with high quality, industry standard equipment.
Art Department
Costs $1,700
Help us make our sets shine with the warmth of a bonafide downtown Manhattan, pseudo-intellectual, bachelorette pad.
Production Expenses
Costs $4,500
Help us feed our cast and crew, transport them to sets, and cover all the little things that are essential to the production process.
Post, Music, Distribution
Costs $2,400
A soundtrack, color-grading, and editing, will help bring The Rothschilds to life and get it on the big screen through the film festival.
Talent
Costs $2,200
With this budget, we can bring together the finest talent to bring the characters to life.
Locations
Costs $750
We are seeking to make the most of the unique places that populate NYC: clubs, bridal shops, beach houses, office spaces, and more.
Insurance and Legal
Costs $750
This Sag Micro-budget feature production requires certain legal fees such as an LLC, paperwork, and copyright claims.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Spencer Sabath is a writer/director based in New York City. At age 20, he has a decade of filmmaking experience and education and currently studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. His work has been featured at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth, the All-American High School Film Festival, NYU’s Winterfest, and around the globe at student film showcases. In addition to film production, he is a composer of film scores and concert music. The Rothschilds is his debut feature.
Pauline Joyce Salame, known to most as Joyce, is a born and raised New Yorker of Syrian and Hungarian descent. She is a writer, director, and producer, currently attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts as a Film and Television major. She has produced short films such as “The Abstract and Brief Chronicles of the Time”, “Topeka, 2006”, and Crucifymeinmyadidastracksuit. She has professional experience working as the Assistant Director on award winning filmmaker Ankit Poudel’s film “From Rivers, From Shores,” and under Emmy-winning production designer Mona Mekkawi. Additionally, Joyce has written and directed several short narratives and experimental documentaries. Her film, “Sticks,” was an official selection at NYU’s Sight and Sound Showcase.
David Dean is a cinematographer/director from Colorado and Brazil. He lives and works in New York City and has shot dozens of films while pursuing a BFA at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Carmelita Rothschild is a 23-year-old New Yorker with a cushy architectural internship and a microcelebrity photographer boyfriend, Justin. She's determined to become the downtown it-girl and start a family, in that order and as soon as possible. Meanwhile, her always-precocious younger brother Xavier is studying at Yale and applying for a musicians' grant that will kickstart his career. Beyond their intrinsic ambitions, both siblings have always used each other as metrics for competition, their shared childhood full of loving rivalry. When Justin proposes to Carmelita, she's convinced she's hit the jackpot and sets the wedding date for the end of the summer, only three months away. Having been semi-estranged from Xavier due to his chaotic school year, she tentatively invites him to stay at her apartment for the summer to plan the wedding and make up for lost time.
Throughout months of tense cohabitation, the two encounter a crew of eclectic characters that challenge their worldviews and family dynamic, including a bombastic, authoritarian wedding planner; a self-conscious young rabbi; and two absurdly uninhibited future in-laws. In the process, Xavier uses his time in the city to explore his repressed sexuality and unstable vision of his future. Carmelita struggles to balance her professional and personal lives, causing major friction at the architecture firm. While embracing adult individualism the siblings must redefine their long-held ideals of family and identity, risking their relationship along the way.
The film's dialogue-heavy format puts the titular siblings in a biting, comedic spotlight, following them through winding, summer-long arguments that speak truth to the chaos of siblinghood and the Jewish art of kvetching. While its subject matter is uniquely current, its format and style dip nostalgically into the staples of New York comedic cinema like Annie Hall and When Harry Met Sally. There’s an air of wit and absurdism, but timeless sweetness underneath it all.
The Rothschilds is a refreshing portrayal of young adulthood in 2025. It offers raw and necessary reflection from its early-20's creators to its younger audiences, grappling with religion, sexuality, and the eternal search for maturity in an age of childhoods interrupted. The film doesn't hold back in exploring deeply uncomfortable discussions and dynamics, seeking to provide comfort to audiences yearning to see their own modern struggles and confusions portrayed on the big screen. It follows in the footsteps of recent microbudget indie comedies like Tiny Furniture, Shithouse, and Frownland, which have all made their mark in indie film history by relaying the issues of today's youth in the most direct and truthful format possible.
After years of creating short films selected at the largest student and youth film festivals in the nation and studying at NYU Tisch where I've refined my craft and found a brilliant community of collaborators, I wrote The Rothschilds over a number of months this past year and I'm finally ready to make the film a reality. Alongside me is a team of esteemed producers, artists, and technicians who have poured passion into the project throughout its stages of development and are prepared to bring the story to the biggest screens possible. Your donations will help our team access the resources to produce the film this August, including gear, locations, craft services, and other necessary elements of the filmmaking process. In addition, funds will be dedicated to submitting the film to the Winter-Spring independent festival circuit and working toward distribution in indie and arthouse theaters around the country. The filmmaking journey ahead is an exhilarating one, and you can follow the team through every stage of the film on @rothschilds.mov!
In the meantime, located below is some BTS of the Rothschilds team. We've worked on dozens of shorts together and cannot wait to bring our first full-length project to life with your help!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Equipment Rentals
Costs $4,250
This budget will give the team the freedom to shoot with high quality, industry standard equipment.
Art Department
Costs $1,700
Help us make our sets shine with the warmth of a bonafide downtown Manhattan, pseudo-intellectual, bachelorette pad.
Production Expenses
Costs $4,500
Help us feed our cast and crew, transport them to sets, and cover all the little things that are essential to the production process.
Post, Music, Distribution
Costs $2,400
A soundtrack, color-grading, and editing, will help bring The Rothschilds to life and get it on the big screen through the film festival.
Talent
Costs $2,200
With this budget, we can bring together the finest talent to bring the characters to life.
Locations
Costs $750
We are seeking to make the most of the unique places that populate NYC: clubs, bridal shops, beach houses, office spaces, and more.
Insurance and Legal
Costs $750
This Sag Micro-budget feature production requires certain legal fees such as an LLC, paperwork, and copyright claims.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Spencer Sabath is a writer/director based in New York City. At age 20, he has a decade of filmmaking experience and education and currently studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. His work has been featured at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth, the All-American High School Film Festival, NYU’s Winterfest, and around the globe at student film showcases. In addition to film production, he is a composer of film scores and concert music. The Rothschilds is his debut feature.
Pauline Joyce Salame, known to most as Joyce, is a born and raised New Yorker of Syrian and Hungarian descent. She is a writer, director, and producer, currently attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts as a Film and Television major. She has produced short films such as “The Abstract and Brief Chronicles of the Time”, “Topeka, 2006”, and Crucifymeinmyadidastracksuit. She has professional experience working as the Assistant Director on award winning filmmaker Ankit Poudel’s film “From Rivers, From Shores,” and under Emmy-winning production designer Mona Mekkawi. Additionally, Joyce has written and directed several short narratives and experimental documentaries. Her film, “Sticks,” was an official selection at NYU’s Sight and Sound Showcase.
David Dean is a cinematographer/director from Colorado and Brazil. He lives and works in New York City and has shot dozens of films while pursuing a BFA at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.