In Media, PA ("Everybody's Hometown"), there's nothing more important than relationships. Our story uses a psychological thriller to tell a surreal tale about a young woman trapped with her fiancée in her childhood home, exposing the terrifying nature of sharing all of yourself with another person.
In Media, PA ("Everybody's Hometown"), there's nothing more important than relationships. Our story uses a psychological thriller to tell a surreal tale about a young woman trapped with her fiancée in her childhood home, exposing the terrifying nature of sharing all of yourself with another person.
Participating In
Hometown Heroes 2017
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Story
Mission Statement
Israeli filmmaker Omri draws on his life in PA & interest in cross-cultural relationship dynamics. Simone, the star, is a Jewish, Italian, and Afro-Puerto Rican actress. We're excited to use our hometown to empower a dynamic female while subverting Hollywood's reliance on a typical white male hero.About The Project
SEED & SPARK FUNDRAISER
Hi, I'm Omri Dorani and I'm the co-creator and director of This Is Our Home. Last year, my writing partner and I set out to use horror to explore the anxieties in modern relationships. The goal is to make a "relationship psycho-drama," where the scenarios would be heightened, surreal and scary, but the core issues themselves would be relatable to our indecisive, swipe-happy generation.
We knew that we wanted a strong and dynamic female lead, and it was around that time that we started paying attention to Simone and Jeff’s work in New York, where the two have collabroated on nearly a dozen projects over the past year (see more in our pitch video). When it came time to get serious about our idea, we didn’t cast Simone and Jeff, we wrote it around them. The two have the ability to be as bitingly funny as they do deadly serious--exactly the two people that we want to trap inside a house with the cameras rolling.
So why Media, PA? Jeff grew up in an old spooky 1700s farmhouse in Media, where half a decade ago we met and began collaborating. We instantly clicked, having both grown up in the Philadelphia suburbs shooting home movies in the woods and watching an oddly equal ratio of romantic comedies AND horror movies. As our story began to take shape, we knew it should take place in our heroine's childhood home, and we kept coming back to Jeff's house and the houses of his grandparents in Pennsylvania.
When this contest came along, it was serendipitous as Jeff reminded us that his hometown of Media is known as “Everybody’s Hometown.” We’re extremely excited by the prospect of bringing a film production and commerce to Media and the surrounding area. Not only do these towns have a lot of beautiful character, but Media in particular is “America's First Fair-Trade Town,” and we’d love to support these businesses by buying our props, wardrobe, and food from them.
So, why this story and why now? As members of the aforementioned swipe-happy generation, we want our "relationship psycho-drama" to be surreal, but relatable on a deep level for viewers in this bizarre new reality of endless choice. Through the heightened torment of our couple, we'll explore the nuances of relationships and the terrifying nature of fully trusting another person.
Incentives
$10
Digital thanks
Thank you for your contribution to our film, your name will be (creepily?) immortalized on our website when it launches!
$25
Social Media Shoutout / Scare
We'll give you a very special thanks on social media for your contribution--just be sure to send us your preferred platform and @handle!
$50
Photoshop Victim
For this generous contribution, your social media shoutout gets a twist: Jeff will Photoshop you onto the poster of your favorite horror film...
$100
Scary Halloween voicemail
Above perks + Jeff will leave you or a friend a scary Halloween voicemail as one of his variety of characters. Don't worry, there are scarier voices too....
$300
You are horrifyingly helpful, you get an IMDb credit!
You really made some horror happen. You get the above perks + your name in the film's credits and on IMDb!
$500
Be part of the hometown horror
Our film takes place mostly within a (freaky!) house, but as Hannah and Simon return to their hometown, they'll pass local characters on the street...and this can be you!* Includes all of the previous perks.
*Note: the appearance or "extra" perk is ideal for Delaware County locals, as travel and lodging for extras cannot be provided within this budget. However, we can promise food and a great time on set!
Claimed: 2 of 10
$1,500
Associate Producer
It's official: you're an associate producer on a horror film. We'll credit you in the film and on our IMDb page, plus give you early access and updates and a cameo* in the film if possible (any public scenes that are not the two stars trapped in the house!).
*Note: the appearance or "extra" perk is ideal for Delaware County locals, as travel and lodging for extras cannot be provided within this budget. However, we can promise food and a great time on set!
Claimed: 0 of 3
$3,000
Producer
WOA. You're a film producer!
Social media shoutout, custom horror poster, scary voicemail, cameo* (depending on your location), film + IMDb credit!
Note: the appearance or "extra" perk is ideal for Delaware County locals, as travel and lodging for extras cannot be provided within this budget. However, we can promise food and a great time on set!
Claimed: 0 of 2
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$10
Digital thanks
Thank you for your contribution to our film, your name will be (creepily?) immortalized on our website when it launches!
$25
Social Media Shoutout / Scare
We'll give you a very special thanks on social media for your contribution--just be sure to send us your preferred platform and @handle!
$50
Photoshop Victim
For this generous contribution, your social media shoutout gets a twist: Jeff will Photoshop you onto the poster of your favorite horror film...
$100
Scary Halloween voicemail
Above perks + Jeff will leave you or a friend a scary Halloween voicemail as one of his variety of characters. Don't worry, there are scarier voices too....
$300
You are horrifyingly helpful, you get an IMDb credit!
You really made some horror happen. You get the above perks + your name in the film's credits and on IMDb!
$500
Be part of the hometown horror
Our film takes place mostly within a (freaky!) house, but as Hannah and Simon return to their hometown, they'll pass local characters on the street...and this can be you!* Includes all of the previous perks.
*Note: the appearance or "extra" perk is ideal for Delaware County locals, as travel and lodging for extras cannot be provided within this budget. However, we can promise food and a great time on set!
Claimed: 2 of 10
$1,500
Associate Producer
It's official: you're an associate producer on a horror film. We'll credit you in the film and on our IMDb page, plus give you early access and updates and a cameo* in the film if possible (any public scenes that are not the two stars trapped in the house!).
*Note: the appearance or "extra" perk is ideal for Delaware County locals, as travel and lodging for extras cannot be provided within this budget. However, we can promise food and a great time on set!
Claimed: 0 of 3
$3,000
Producer
WOA. You're a film producer!
Social media shoutout, custom horror poster, scary voicemail, cameo* (depending on your location), film + IMDb credit!
Note: the appearance or "extra" perk is ideal for Delaware County locals, as travel and lodging for extras cannot be provided within this budget. However, we can promise food and a great time on set!
Claimed: 0 of 2
- Updates
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Current Team
About This Team
The intimate cast & crew are made up of filmmakers Omri Dorani, Rob Harmon, Simone Policano, and Jeff Ayars. Omri & Jeff both grew up as film nerds in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and are excited by the prospect of shooting a film in Media, PA--affectionately known to locals as "Everybody's Home Town."Omri Dorani received a bachelor’s degree in Video Production from The Art Institute in Los Angeles, CA. He has directed and produced numerous award-winning shorts and music videos including a number of sketches for the popular comedy website Funny or Die. Omri directed his first feature film in college, which he co-wrote with Rob Harmon, a long time friend and writing collaborator who he has written dozens of projects with. The film is now playing on Amazon Prime. Omri has since moved back to his hometown of Philadelphia where he directed a teen comedy starring David Koechner, Kate Flannery, Chris Kattan, and Chris Elliot.Our star, Simone, is an NYC born & bred actress/writer whose work has been featured in The Tribeca Film Festival, on IFC, The New Yorker, Comedy Central & Above Average. She graduated from Yale University in 2016 where she performed with the Yale Dramatic Association and wrote and performed with Red Hot Poker, Yale's premiere sketch comedy group. She also feels fancy when she uses words like "premiere."She's had lead roles in several independent films, including the upcoming Go Tell Your Fathers, No More Lonely People, and Extra Innings.
Jeff Ayars, Simone's co-star and frequent collabroator, is an actor, filmmaker and one-half of the Cannibal Milkshake comedy duo. Jeff first worked with Omri on a handful of projects in the Philadelphia suburbs and is excited to return to his home town. Since then, Jeff's work has been featured on The New Yorker, Fortune Magazine, the Funny or Die Homepage, CollegeHumor, Splitsider, AdWeek, Channel 101, Fast Company, as well as the NYC Web Festival, the NYC Independent Film Festival, and the Tribeca Film Festival. He also performs live sketch comedy at venues like Union Hall and the UCB theaters. -
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