The Cassandra Project
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Shorts Program
Three films. Three genres. Three scenarios. One unifying and terrifying truth.
The Cassandra Project
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Shorts Program
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $51,409 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
203 supporters | followers
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Three films. Three genres. Three scenarios. One unifying and terrifying truth.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Hi Friends,
Like many of you, we have been disturbed by the current state of things in our country. So much progress has been reversed recently, that it often feels like retreat or resignation are the two most viable options. But we refuse to do that.
In discussing what we can do to push back, fight and take a stand, we decided to create “The Cassandra Project,” a trilogy of short films showcasing the reality and risks of women not being believed. Three films, three genres, three scenarios – one unifying and terrifying truth.
You probably know the myth of Cassandra, the Trojan priestess with the power to know the future but who was cursed to never be believed. Though this myth is 2,500 years old, it is as relevant as ever. Women today continue to be dismissed and doubted, and it seems the stakes of women not being heard or believed only continue to increase.
The specific idea for this project came from one of our own experiences of a medical crisis that was discounted, disregarded, and disbelieved. The rest of us watched for months as our friend’s health deteriorated and she tried to get help, but it wasn’t until she was critical that she received the medical care necessary. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. In almost every scenario imaginable, women’s voices are not given the same credence as their counterparts, and the stakes for everyone are extremely high.
We are storytellers. Our avenue for rallying, motivating, and inspiring is through story. We invite you to help us tell the stories of these three women who all, like Cassandra, are disbelieved–in each case, leading to extremely high stakes situations.
The films will shoot in Jan/Feb, 2023 and be complete by summer, 2023. We will, of course, be following all union guidelines on covid safety on set and in post. The films will be submitted to all the major film festivals and to the Academy for Oscar consideration in the short film category.
Our goal is to raise $50k for production costs, including cast and crew, camera, grip and lighting equipment, art department expenses, locations, permits, catering and post production costs.
Please consider joining us in this endeavor by contributing to our project. Check out the various incentives you can receive for contributing at various levels, and remember every contribution, no matter the amount, will help us raise awareness and affect change with these films; every single dollar is deeply appreciated.
Let’s do this!
-The Cassandra Project Team
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Cast & Crew
Costs $7,500
This money will fund our cast and crew.
Camera, grip and lighting equipment
Costs $8,000
This money will fund camera, grip and lighting equipment.
Production Design/Art Department
Costs $7,500
This money will fund art dept. expenses, including set design, set dressing, props, etc.
Make-up & Wardrobe
Costs $5,000
This money will fund costumes, make-up and hair expenses.
Location Fees and Permits
Costs $7,500
This money will fund our locations fees, stage rental fees and permit fees.
Production Insurance
Costs $2,500
This money will fund our production insurance which covers cast, crew, locations and equipment.
Transpo
Costs $2,500
This money will fund transpo including camera & equipment trucks and art dept. vehicles.
Catering and Craft Services
Costs $4,500
This money will fund catering for our cast & crew so we can keep everyone happy while shooting!
Post Production Costs
Costs $5,000
This money will fund editing, sound mixing, composing and visual effects.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Image description: A woman in a black t-shirt with grey pants stands on a box looking through a large Panavision film camera.
Barclay DeVeau - Director (she/her)
Barclay DeVeau is a director/producer who grew up acting in films, television and on Broadway. Under the wing of renowned director Alan Pakula (Sophie’s Choice, All the President’s Men), she then added director and producer to her resumé, and has gone on to collaborate on numerous films, television shows and theatrical productions, including projects for 20th Century FOX, Universal Studios, Disney and Paramount. She has earned several honors for her work, including two Emmy Awards, special recognition from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and a Sony Music Director's Award. A graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall and the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, DeVeau is dedicated to raising the visibility of women in front of and behind the camera.
Image description: A man wearing a black shirt peers through a large Panavision film camera.
Francis dela Torre - Producer and Cinematographer (he/him)
Based in Los Angeles, Filipino-American filmmaker Francis dela Torre is an award winning cinematographer, writer and director. After graduating from the prestigious School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, his directorial feature film debut Subject: I Love You, starred Kristin Bauer (True Blood) along with some of the biggest screen stars in the Philippines, and received much acclaim. In the years since, dela Torre has directed numerous films and television shows, including Blood Ransom starring Alexander Dreymon (The Last Kingdom), Leverage: Redemption and Amazon’s Almost Paradise, on which he also serves as Co-Executive Producer. His latest feature, East of Western, recently wrapped principal photography and is scheduled for release in 2023.
Image description: A woman wearing a green shirt and black pants sits at an Avid editing console with a sound mixing board and four monitors containing The Cassandra Project logo.
Christine Kim - Editor (she/her)
Christine Kim is an editor whose film and tv credits include The Big Leap (Fox), Endgame (NBC), the soon to be released limited series for Disney+ based on The Santa Clause movies, and the indie feature films 1UP, Dramarama, 40-Love, Ethan Mao, and the award-winning comedy Babysplitters. Her extensive studio experience as a first assistant editor includes Solo: A Star Wars Story, Sully, Alice in Wonderland, Gangster Squad, and Deja Vu. Kim has also served as an assistant editor on many features, including David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, Maleficent, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Recount, Unstoppable, Too Big to Fail, and the TV series Battlestar Galactica.
Image description: A woman wearing a black knit sweater and gold earrings smiles at the camera.
Yvette Janine Jackson - Composer (any)
Yvette Janine Jackson is a composer and installation artist who brings attention to historical events and social issues through her radio operas. Her work has been presented at numerous venues across North America and Europe. In 2020, Jackson established the Radio Opera Workshop, a scalable intermedia ensemble, which will premiere Left Behind at the Venice Music Biennale in September 2022. Her album Freedom, produced by the Fridman Gallery in New York, debuted as Contemporary Album of the Month in the January 2021 issue of The Guardian. Its track “Destination Freedom” won the Giga-Hertz Production Award 2021. Jackson’s Hello, Tomorrow! for orchestra and electronics, co-commissioned by American Composers Orchestra and Carnegie Hall, will premiere in October 2022.
Image description: A woman with long brown hair wearing an off-white lace shirt smiles at the camera.
Jenna von Oy - Writer (she/her)
Multihyphenate Jenna von Oy has established an incredible list of creative endeavors over the years, including playing the memorable roles of best friend Six LeMeure on NBC’s Blossom and Stevie Van Lowe on UPN’s The Parkers. She recently appeared in the 2022 season two premiere of Call Me Kat, reuniting her with her Blossom co-star Mayim Bialik. von Oÿ has spent the past decade of her career focusing on being an author and storyteller. A candid monthly blog on motherhood for PEOPLE Magazine gave way to a two-book series with Medallion Press. The first book, Situation Momedy, was released in November 2015, followed by its sequel in 2017. She is currently the associate editor and lead writer for Nashville-based digital lifestyle publication StyleBlueprint.
Image description: A woman with long hair on a black background smiles at the camera.
Dani de Jesus - Producer (she/her)
Dani de Jesus, CNN Original Series + Film Independent Docuseries Fellow, is an award-winning educator, facilitator, and filmmaker from Los Angeles. During her undergraduate years at UCLA, de Jesus was highly involved in organizations advocating for women’s rights. As the director of development at Craig Anderson Productions, she worked on various projects including Meltdown, For the Love of a Child, The Christmas Blessing, and On Golden Pond, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. Currently, de Jesus is a producing partner at ALEJANDRO FILMS, and has produced the short films A Cohort of Guests starring Sarah Drew, Adult Night with Kevin Alejandro, and various music videos, including the recent Asian American Pacific Islander anthem Gold by Ella Jay Basco, featuring Ruby Ibarra.
Image description: A person with short brown hair and glasses is smiling for the camera
H. Brooke Perkins - Producer (she/her)
H. Brooke Perkins attended Tisch School of the Arts and is a believer in the transformative power of performance and storytelling. She is a training consultant to first responders and public safety personnel, focusing on how to minimize cognitive bias in decision making. In her work she addresses the very real phenomenon of how characteristics, like the gender of another, can influence perception and action in destructive and dangerous ways. She is excited to bring her creative and professional spheres together, and to work with her long-time friend Director, Barclay DeVeau.
Image description: A person with short blonde hair wearing a red shirt and clear classes is smiling at the camera.
Laura Mitterman - Producer (they/them)
Laura Mitterman is a devoted activist and arts enthusiast. They were born and raised under the shadow of the NYC skyline and drawn to the performing arts at a very young age. They occasionally appear on stage with their most recent performance at the Stonewall Inn, New York’s most historic gay bar. By day, Mitterman is a board certified veterinary surgeon, caring for and advocating for animals. Her activism also extends to feminist and diversity causes as well as climate change. In their current home of Washington DC, when they are not working they can often be seen on the front lines of marches and demonstrations at the white house and the capitol fighting for progress.
READ THE FULL BIOS AND MEET THE REST OF OUR INCREDIBLE TEAM IN THE CLICKABLE BIOS ABOVE!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Hi Friends,
Like many of you, we have been disturbed by the current state of things in our country. So much progress has been reversed recently, that it often feels like retreat or resignation are the two most viable options. But we refuse to do that.
In discussing what we can do to push back, fight and take a stand, we decided to create “The Cassandra Project,” a trilogy of short films showcasing the reality and risks of women not being believed. Three films, three genres, three scenarios – one unifying and terrifying truth.
You probably know the myth of Cassandra, the Trojan priestess with the power to know the future but who was cursed to never be believed. Though this myth is 2,500 years old, it is as relevant as ever. Women today continue to be dismissed and doubted, and it seems the stakes of women not being heard or believed only continue to increase.
The specific idea for this project came from one of our own experiences of a medical crisis that was discounted, disregarded, and disbelieved. The rest of us watched for months as our friend’s health deteriorated and she tried to get help, but it wasn’t until she was critical that she received the medical care necessary. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. In almost every scenario imaginable, women’s voices are not given the same credence as their counterparts, and the stakes for everyone are extremely high.
We are storytellers. Our avenue for rallying, motivating, and inspiring is through story. We invite you to help us tell the stories of these three women who all, like Cassandra, are disbelieved–in each case, leading to extremely high stakes situations.
The films will shoot in Jan/Feb, 2023 and be complete by summer, 2023. We will, of course, be following all union guidelines on covid safety on set and in post. The films will be submitted to all the major film festivals and to the Academy for Oscar consideration in the short film category.
Our goal is to raise $50k for production costs, including cast and crew, camera, grip and lighting equipment, art department expenses, locations, permits, catering and post production costs.
Please consider joining us in this endeavor by contributing to our project. Check out the various incentives you can receive for contributing at various levels, and remember every contribution, no matter the amount, will help us raise awareness and affect change with these films; every single dollar is deeply appreciated.
Let’s do this!
-The Cassandra Project Team
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Cast & Crew
Costs $7,500
This money will fund our cast and crew.
Camera, grip and lighting equipment
Costs $8,000
This money will fund camera, grip and lighting equipment.
Production Design/Art Department
Costs $7,500
This money will fund art dept. expenses, including set design, set dressing, props, etc.
Make-up & Wardrobe
Costs $5,000
This money will fund costumes, make-up and hair expenses.
Location Fees and Permits
Costs $7,500
This money will fund our locations fees, stage rental fees and permit fees.
Production Insurance
Costs $2,500
This money will fund our production insurance which covers cast, crew, locations and equipment.
Transpo
Costs $2,500
This money will fund transpo including camera & equipment trucks and art dept. vehicles.
Catering and Craft Services
Costs $4,500
This money will fund catering for our cast & crew so we can keep everyone happy while shooting!
Post Production Costs
Costs $5,000
This money will fund editing, sound mixing, composing and visual effects.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Image description: A woman in a black t-shirt with grey pants stands on a box looking through a large Panavision film camera.
Barclay DeVeau - Director (she/her)
Barclay DeVeau is a director/producer who grew up acting in films, television and on Broadway. Under the wing of renowned director Alan Pakula (Sophie’s Choice, All the President’s Men), she then added director and producer to her resumé, and has gone on to collaborate on numerous films, television shows and theatrical productions, including projects for 20th Century FOX, Universal Studios, Disney and Paramount. She has earned several honors for her work, including two Emmy Awards, special recognition from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and a Sony Music Director's Award. A graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall and the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, DeVeau is dedicated to raising the visibility of women in front of and behind the camera.
Image description: A man wearing a black shirt peers through a large Panavision film camera.
Francis dela Torre - Producer and Cinematographer (he/him)
Based in Los Angeles, Filipino-American filmmaker Francis dela Torre is an award winning cinematographer, writer and director. After graduating from the prestigious School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, his directorial feature film debut Subject: I Love You, starred Kristin Bauer (True Blood) along with some of the biggest screen stars in the Philippines, and received much acclaim. In the years since, dela Torre has directed numerous films and television shows, including Blood Ransom starring Alexander Dreymon (The Last Kingdom), Leverage: Redemption and Amazon’s Almost Paradise, on which he also serves as Co-Executive Producer. His latest feature, East of Western, recently wrapped principal photography and is scheduled for release in 2023.
Image description: A woman wearing a green shirt and black pants sits at an Avid editing console with a sound mixing board and four monitors containing The Cassandra Project logo.
Christine Kim - Editor (she/her)
Christine Kim is an editor whose film and tv credits include The Big Leap (Fox), Endgame (NBC), the soon to be released limited series for Disney+ based on The Santa Clause movies, and the indie feature films 1UP, Dramarama, 40-Love, Ethan Mao, and the award-winning comedy Babysplitters. Her extensive studio experience as a first assistant editor includes Solo: A Star Wars Story, Sully, Alice in Wonderland, Gangster Squad, and Deja Vu. Kim has also served as an assistant editor on many features, including David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, Maleficent, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Recount, Unstoppable, Too Big to Fail, and the TV series Battlestar Galactica.
Image description: A woman wearing a black knit sweater and gold earrings smiles at the camera.
Yvette Janine Jackson - Composer (any)
Yvette Janine Jackson is a composer and installation artist who brings attention to historical events and social issues through her radio operas. Her work has been presented at numerous venues across North America and Europe. In 2020, Jackson established the Radio Opera Workshop, a scalable intermedia ensemble, which will premiere Left Behind at the Venice Music Biennale in September 2022. Her album Freedom, produced by the Fridman Gallery in New York, debuted as Contemporary Album of the Month in the January 2021 issue of The Guardian. Its track “Destination Freedom” won the Giga-Hertz Production Award 2021. Jackson’s Hello, Tomorrow! for orchestra and electronics, co-commissioned by American Composers Orchestra and Carnegie Hall, will premiere in October 2022.
Image description: A woman with long brown hair wearing an off-white lace shirt smiles at the camera.
Jenna von Oy - Writer (she/her)
Multihyphenate Jenna von Oy has established an incredible list of creative endeavors over the years, including playing the memorable roles of best friend Six LeMeure on NBC’s Blossom and Stevie Van Lowe on UPN’s The Parkers. She recently appeared in the 2022 season two premiere of Call Me Kat, reuniting her with her Blossom co-star Mayim Bialik. von Oÿ has spent the past decade of her career focusing on being an author and storyteller. A candid monthly blog on motherhood for PEOPLE Magazine gave way to a two-book series with Medallion Press. The first book, Situation Momedy, was released in November 2015, followed by its sequel in 2017. She is currently the associate editor and lead writer for Nashville-based digital lifestyle publication StyleBlueprint.
Image description: A woman with long hair on a black background smiles at the camera.
Dani de Jesus - Producer (she/her)
Dani de Jesus, CNN Original Series + Film Independent Docuseries Fellow, is an award-winning educator, facilitator, and filmmaker from Los Angeles. During her undergraduate years at UCLA, de Jesus was highly involved in organizations advocating for women’s rights. As the director of development at Craig Anderson Productions, she worked on various projects including Meltdown, For the Love of a Child, The Christmas Blessing, and On Golden Pond, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. Currently, de Jesus is a producing partner at ALEJANDRO FILMS, and has produced the short films A Cohort of Guests starring Sarah Drew, Adult Night with Kevin Alejandro, and various music videos, including the recent Asian American Pacific Islander anthem Gold by Ella Jay Basco, featuring Ruby Ibarra.
Image description: A person with short brown hair and glasses is smiling for the camera
H. Brooke Perkins - Producer (she/her)
H. Brooke Perkins attended Tisch School of the Arts and is a believer in the transformative power of performance and storytelling. She is a training consultant to first responders and public safety personnel, focusing on how to minimize cognitive bias in decision making. In her work she addresses the very real phenomenon of how characteristics, like the gender of another, can influence perception and action in destructive and dangerous ways. She is excited to bring her creative and professional spheres together, and to work with her long-time friend Director, Barclay DeVeau.
Image description: A person with short blonde hair wearing a red shirt and clear classes is smiling at the camera.
Laura Mitterman - Producer (they/them)
Laura Mitterman is a devoted activist and arts enthusiast. They were born and raised under the shadow of the NYC skyline and drawn to the performing arts at a very young age. They occasionally appear on stage with their most recent performance at the Stonewall Inn, New York’s most historic gay bar. By day, Mitterman is a board certified veterinary surgeon, caring for and advocating for animals. Her activism also extends to feminist and diversity causes as well as climate change. In their current home of Washington DC, when they are not working they can often be seen on the front lines of marches and demonstrations at the white house and the capitol fighting for progress.
READ THE FULL BIOS AND MEET THE REST OF OUR INCREDIBLE TEAM IN THE CLICKABLE BIOS ABOVE!