A comedic delve into morality, this holiday short film introduces us to Katie, a down on her luck, recently dismissed teacher struggling to make ends meet to support for her beloved, but socially awkward mess of a nephew, Roger, after she drunkenly donates $1000 to his school play.
A comedic delve into morality, this holiday short film introduces us to Katie, a down on her luck, recently dismissed teacher struggling to make ends meet to support for her beloved, but socially awkward mess of a nephew, Roger, after she drunkenly donates $1000 to his school play.
-
Story
Mission Statement
As student filmmakers, we wanted to showcase being down on your luck, and unsure of your purpose, a place that we find ourselves in- especially during a pandemic. Although we have diverse backgrounds, we all relate to feeling lost, and our mission is to normalize finding your way at any age.About The Project
The skeleton of our film came to us from "The Sugar-Kill Gang", a screenplay by Maxfield Masacarin. His idea involved a group of thieves plotting to kidnap a mall Santa. With his permission, we took his concept, and over the next few months and dozens of drafts, we transformed the story into “The Philanthropist”. We went through a variety of genres, trying to nail down the feeling we wanted to convey with this film. Even though we knew how difficult comedy would be to successfully do, we all knew that Katie’s story needed to be one accompanied by laughter.
One idea that we were so drawn to in the original concept was that of a mall at Christmas time. Even just the thought of that transports us through time to chilly evenings in a crowded mall- families bustling to get last minute gifts, kids in itchy outfits waiting to sit on Santa’s lap, twinkling lights hanging from the ceiling. We were fascinated with bringing that to life in a film, and wanted to explore the fascinating variety of lifestyles in a mall. We want to bring that feeling of nostalgia to viewers, especially since even the simple comfort of going to a mall this holiday season isn’t an option for many.
Katie is a good-hearted, down on her luck teacher who loses her job over a HUGE misunderstanding. Matters are made worse when she discovers she drunkenly donated a grand to the school play of her favorite nephew Roger - a socially awkward pre-teen.
Desperate not to disappoint him, Katie must find a way to deliver on her promise. Katie grapples with right and wrong as she determines what lengths she’s willing to go for Roger.
The Director and Director of Photography are challenging themselves to create a comedy through shots that will keep you entertained and laughing along with the dialogue. We are looking to keep the audience smiling and invested in the story we have to share. A Winter Wonderland in a shopping mall is the key piece to our story and we are excited to see our designs come to life. We are challenged to create the illusion of crowds amidst a pandemic and are relying on all of our crew to make this possible.
In our film, our main character Katie, accidentally pledges $1000 to her nephew's play. We want to make sure you know exactly where YOUR pledge is going!
This student film is entirely self-funded. We began pre-production for this film in May, and have been working to budget out how to make this film the best it can possibly be. Your contributions will go towards the production and post-production stages. It will help us secure our cast, locations, lodging, props, meals, covid-19 safety precautions, post-production sound and visuals, festival entry fees, and more! This film is a huge undertaking and we’re glad you want to help do your part to bring it to life!
We are a group of 7 dedicated and passionate young filmmakers in our final year of college. We have been training the past four years to evolve our skills in preparation for this final student film. We have been dreaming about this project since we were freshmen shooting our first one minute shorts. Even with the obstacles presented by the global pandemic we are dedicated to crafting the most ambitious film of our careers to date, and bringing holiday joy and laughter to audiences across the nation.
Our entire crew will be tested before shooting and will be following the most up to date CO-VID 19 guidelines to have a safe shoot!
Incentives
$15
Backer Credit
You’ll receive an official backer credit for helping us make our film.
$25
Cast & Crew Holiday Card
You’ll receive a special Holiday Card signed by the crew & a backer credit.
$50
Digital Copy of the Completed Film
Get your own link to the completed film!
$75
Digital Copy of the Completed Film & The Blooper Reel
Not only will you get a link to the completed film, but you can keep the laughs going with our behind the scenes blooper reel.
$100
The Philanthropist Ornament
What could be better than something to decorate your tree! You’ll get the official ornament of The Philanthropist Film.
$150
The Philanthropist Beanie
Winter is coming! Keep your head warm with a beanie with our films logo!
$200
Corporate Sponsorship I
If you have a company/business, we’d love to feature your logo in the credits of our film.
$300
Corporate Sponsorship II
Not only will your logo be seen in the Credits, but we’ll produce a 30 second to 1 minute commercial for your company/business (must be in New England).
$500
Santa Claus Level
Thank you so much! You’ll receive an associate Producer Credit as well as a Completed Copy of the film & the Blooper Reel, the Ornament, and Beanie!
$1,000
Katie Level
You really know how to give gifts just like our main character, Katie! We can't thank you enough! You’ll receive an Executive Producer Credit as well as a Completed Copy of the film & the Blooper Reel, the Ornament, and Beanie!
-
Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$15
Backer Credit
You’ll receive an official backer credit for helping us make our film.
$25
Cast & Crew Holiday Card
You’ll receive a special Holiday Card signed by the crew & a backer credit.
$50
Digital Copy of the Completed Film
Get your own link to the completed film!
$75
Digital Copy of the Completed Film & The Blooper Reel
Not only will you get a link to the completed film, but you can keep the laughs going with our behind the scenes blooper reel.
$100
The Philanthropist Ornament
What could be better than something to decorate your tree! You’ll get the official ornament of The Philanthropist Film.
$150
The Philanthropist Beanie
Winter is coming! Keep your head warm with a beanie with our films logo!
$200
Corporate Sponsorship I
If you have a company/business, we’d love to feature your logo in the credits of our film.
$300
Corporate Sponsorship II
Not only will your logo be seen in the Credits, but we’ll produce a 30 second to 1 minute commercial for your company/business (must be in New England).
$500
Santa Claus Level
Thank you so much! You’ll receive an associate Producer Credit as well as a Completed Copy of the film & the Blooper Reel, the Ornament, and Beanie!
$1,000
Katie Level
You really know how to give gifts just like our main character, Katie! We can't thank you enough! You’ll receive an Executive Producer Credit as well as a Completed Copy of the film & the Blooper Reel, the Ornament, and Beanie!
- Updates
-
Current Team
About This Team
Steve Martocci • Director/Writer
Steve is our director who grew up in Garden City, NY. He is a Film, Television and Media Major with a Minor in Sports Studies. He spent a semester in Los Angeles, CA pursuing a career in film. He worked on music videos for international artists, GodSmack, and Illumination Foundation documentaries. He directed for Q30 Television and is excited to bring his skills to the big screen!
Sheylagh Killay • Producer/Writer
Shey is from Leominster, MA, and is pursuing dual degrees in Film Television & Media and Advertising & Integrated Communications. Shey has worked as a Production Assistant on Hulu’s Castlerock 2 and other independent projects. She fulfilled a lifelong dream by spending the Spring of 2020 in Los Angeles, working as a Talent and Public Relations Intern at the Television Academy and as an Audience Management Intern for 1iota Productions on the Late Late Show with James Corden. She’s thrilled to be producing such an ambitious film with such a great team.
Ryan Flaherty • Assistant Director/Writer
Ryan resides in Shrewsbury, MA and is pursuing his Film degree with a minor in Journalism. An avid sports fan, Ryan is the Executive Producer of Q30TV’s Bobcat Breakdown and has spent the last four years covering Quinnipiac Athletics for multiple student media organizations on campus. He’s super excited to get to work with such an incredible team and bring his passion for storytelling to the big screen.
Colin Murray • Cinematographer/Writer
Colin is a Boston based videographer who is pursuing a degree in Film Television & Media Arts. Colin co-owns and operates Indifferent, a production house and clothing brand which tailors to streetwear and underground artists. He has spent the last three years working as a production assistant for his University’s video production team. Most recently, Colin concluded his semester in Los Angeles where he served as an intern for The Montecito Picture Company as well as Engage The Vision. Colin is looking forward to capturing this short film which will encompass all that he has learned in his professional career.
Greyson Lam • Editor
Greyson is an editor and VFX artist from Natick, MA. Working with companies such as Immortal Cinema International, he’s had extensive experience with editing, VFX, and motion graphics. Greyson is looking to achieve his BA in Film, Television, and Media at Quinnipiac University.
Tyler DiLorenzo • Sound Designer
Tyler is an audio mixing and mastering engineer from Hillsdale, New Jersey. He is continuing to work towards his BA degree in Film, Television, and Media. Passionate about music and audio, Tyler is looking forward to expressing his creativity through the sound of our film.
Kim Pitz • Production Designer
Kim is from Franklin Square, New York. She is currently pursuing her BA degree in Film, Television & Media Arts, with a minor in Theatre Studies.
Over the past few years, Kim has been able to express her creative thoughts by working on sets and wardrobes for plays, becoming a makeup distributor, and is currently the Director of Marketing for her sorority.
With hopes of being a professional Production Designer one day, she is eager for this to be her first major stepping stone towards her career. She cannot wait to bring her creative design ideas to this short film while working with her amazing team.
-
Media
Videos
Images
-
Community
Supporters
Followers
