Tryphine
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Horror, Thriller
'Tryphine' is a horror and mystery that uses an atmosphere of utter dread to explore strong themes of immigration and feminist solidarity. It is a film that blends South-Asian cinema, Victorian Gothic visuals, and modern Thriller storytelling.
Tryphine
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Horror, Thriller
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $33,243 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
178 supporters | followers
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'Tryphine' is a horror and mystery that uses an atmosphere of utter dread to explore strong themes of immigration and feminist solidarity. It is a film that blends South-Asian cinema, Victorian Gothic visuals, and modern Thriller storytelling.
In Partnership With
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Kareena, a struggling grad student, is brought to a grand country estate to teach English to the disturbed wife of a wealthy heir. As her lessons with the manic bride become more and more intense, she gradually begins to understand the dangerous extent of the strangeness she faces inside the house.
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“Tryphine” is a retelling of ‘Bluebeard’, a folktale in which women are punished by a man for their curiosity. Kareena and Sita are two South-Asian women uprooted and planted in a country that is not their own; one has integrated into it, while the other is isolated. Sita is clearly traumatised and endangered, but renounced by her peers as ‘hysterical’. As the film progresses, these women are only able to survive because they believe and give aid to one another. One only needs to look at the current #MeToo movement to see that traumatic events experienced by women are widely written-off or even ridiculed; it’s only through mutual support and the testimony of other women that are we able to survive and overcome injustice. Through magical realism and horror, we examine how women are victimised, vilified, and ultimately how they can save each other.
.jpg)
In creating ‘Tryphine’, we are trying to tap into the peculiar terror of alienation and isolation faced by so many immigrant women the world over, and especially those in South-Asian diasporas. Arranged marriage is still incredibly commonplace globally, and while largely benevolent, it is still not uncommon for women to find themselves stuck in an unfamiliar place, with an unfamiliar man, and absolutely no tangible connection to anyone around them. In some cases, the consequences are very serious indeed. ‘Tryphine’ is about viewing what might otherwise be a familiar horror story through a uniquely South-Asian lens. It uses the tropes of the genre to examine themes of spousal abuse, gaslighting, and the importance of female solidarity and believing the testimony of women. Tryphine is a project that matters very greatly to us, and we hope it will resonate with others as well.
"I write to exist. For far too long, the words of women - especially women of color - have been erased or plagiarized. When I was just a toddler, we left India, and headed west to California. I spent a lot of time in front of a TV while my mother pursued both a career and higher education in a completely new country. As a result, I fostered a deep love for movies from a young age - even if the majority of the movies I consumed didn’t really love me. I quickly learned that movies tended to ignore, forget, and erase women who looked like me and, yet, I loved them. Nevertheless, to find any piece of media that reflects the truth you see around you is a feeling like no other. It is to love and be loved in return. I want to give that to the people who come after me. By telling these stories, I want other women like me to feel seen."
- Revati Dhomse
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The AFI Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) is a hands-on training program committed to increasing the number of women working professionally as narrative screen directors. Since its inception in 1974, the DWW has graduated over 300 alumnae, creating robust network of female storytellers empowered to lend their voices to film and television in ever greater numbers. Each year, the DWW provides eight gifted directors with immersive training and the support to complete a short film or digital series. Revati Dhomse is one of the youngest applicants ever to be included in the program.
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We have scrimped and saved and shaved every penny off our budget as possible, but movies ultimately cost money to make, and there wasn’t enough in the couch cushions.
Art needs patrons, and we’re hoping you believe enough in this idea to help bring it to life. Remember, this is a 501(c) non-profit organization and every dollar that you donate to us may be tax deductible!
Movies are always and forever a collaborative medium; nothing gets done alone. Yet with a dedicated team of backers, we can get this picture out there. We want you on our team.
We can’t do it without you!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production
Costs $5,000
Dressing up sets so that they scream "patriarchy" and "colonialism" isn't cheap!
Location
Costs $5,000
The house is a character all on its own and crucial to the story. Help us find the perfect place!
Crew Kit Fees
Costs $2,500
Most of our crew is working for free, but we want to be able to pay them for their supplies
Share this update!
About This Team
REVATI DHOMSE
Director, Co-writer
Listed as one of Variety's 110 Students to Watch in their 2015 educational impact report, Revati Dhomse is a writer and director who lives in Los Angeles. Born in Mumbai and raised in California's Silicon Valley, her short ‘The Death of Colm Canter’ went on to receive praise by CineWomen magazine, in which they called it a "technically audacious and emotionally gripping film." The feature version that Dhomse co-wrote explored similar themes of motherhood and duty and went on to earn the rank of quarter-finalist in the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in 2018. ‘The Death of Colm Canter’ was awarded the Barry Josephson Fellowship at the Austin Film Festival in the same year. Dhomse enjoys exploring themes of womanhood through magical realism and/or heightened genres in her art.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Kareena, a struggling grad student, is brought to a grand country estate to teach English to the disturbed wife of a wealthy heir. As her lessons with the manic bride become more and more intense, she gradually begins to understand the dangerous extent of the strangeness she faces inside the house.
“Tryphine” is a retelling of ‘Bluebeard’, a folktale in which women are punished by a man for their curiosity. Kareena and Sita are two South-Asian women uprooted and planted in a country that is not their own; one has integrated into it, while the other is isolated. Sita is clearly traumatised and endangered, but renounced by her peers as ‘hysterical’. As the film progresses, these women are only able to survive because they believe and give aid to one another. One only needs to look at the current #MeToo movement to see that traumatic events experienced by women are widely written-off or even ridiculed; it’s only through mutual support and the testimony of other women that are we able to survive and overcome injustice. Through magical realism and horror, we examine how women are victimised, vilified, and ultimately how they can save each other.
In creating ‘Tryphine’, we are trying to tap into the peculiar terror of alienation and isolation faced by so many immigrant women the world over, and especially those in South-Asian diasporas. Arranged marriage is still incredibly commonplace globally, and while largely benevolent, it is still not uncommon for women to find themselves stuck in an unfamiliar place, with an unfamiliar man, and absolutely no tangible connection to anyone around them. In some cases, the consequences are very serious indeed. ‘Tryphine’ is about viewing what might otherwise be a familiar horror story through a uniquely South-Asian lens. It uses the tropes of the genre to examine themes of spousal abuse, gaslighting, and the importance of female solidarity and believing the testimony of women. Tryphine is a project that matters very greatly to us, and we hope it will resonate with others as well.
"I write to exist. For far too long, the words of women - especially women of color - have been erased or plagiarized. When I was just a toddler, we left India, and headed west to California. I spent a lot of time in front of a TV while my mother pursued both a career and higher education in a completely new country. As a result, I fostered a deep love for movies from a young age - even if the majority of the movies I consumed didn’t really love me. I quickly learned that movies tended to ignore, forget, and erase women who looked like me and, yet, I loved them. Nevertheless, to find any piece of media that reflects the truth you see around you is a feeling like no other. It is to love and be loved in return. I want to give that to the people who come after me. By telling these stories, I want other women like me to feel seen."
- Revati Dhomse
The AFI Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) is a hands-on training program committed to increasing the number of women working professionally as narrative screen directors. Since its inception in 1974, the DWW has graduated over 300 alumnae, creating robust network of female storytellers empowered to lend their voices to film and television in ever greater numbers. Each year, the DWW provides eight gifted directors with immersive training and the support to complete a short film or digital series. Revati Dhomse is one of the youngest applicants ever to be included in the program.
We have scrimped and saved and shaved every penny off our budget as possible, but movies ultimately cost money to make, and there wasn’t enough in the couch cushions.
Art needs patrons, and we’re hoping you believe enough in this idea to help bring it to life. Remember, this is a 501(c) non-profit organization and every dollar that you donate to us may be tax deductible!
Movies are always and forever a collaborative medium; nothing gets done alone. Yet with a dedicated team of backers, we can get this picture out there. We want you on our team.
We can’t do it without you!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production
Costs $5,000
Dressing up sets so that they scream "patriarchy" and "colonialism" isn't cheap!
Location
Costs $5,000
The house is a character all on its own and crucial to the story. Help us find the perfect place!
Crew Kit Fees
Costs $2,500
Most of our crew is working for free, but we want to be able to pay them for their supplies
Share this update!
About This Team
REVATI DHOMSE
Director, Co-writer
Listed as one of Variety's 110 Students to Watch in their 2015 educational impact report, Revati Dhomse is a writer and director who lives in Los Angeles. Born in Mumbai and raised in California's Silicon Valley, her short ‘The Death of Colm Canter’ went on to receive praise by CineWomen magazine, in which they called it a "technically audacious and emotionally gripping film." The feature version that Dhomse co-wrote explored similar themes of motherhood and duty and went on to earn the rank of quarter-finalist in the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in 2018. ‘The Death of Colm Canter’ was awarded the Barry Josephson Fellowship at the Austin Film Festival in the same year. Dhomse enjoys exploring themes of womanhood through magical realism and/or heightened genres in her art.