Uprooted is a narrative music video built around an original soundtrack. It was the result of an unexpected collaboration between the band Nightshade Mary and Ridco. The sonic landscape they created together is a delightful nod to the golden age of sampling and low-fi beats epitomized by so many landmark albums of the late 1990s (think Odelay by Beck and the Beastie Boys’ Hello Nasty). Inspired by the sonically “uprooted” music, a story started to emerge...

After a long day at the lumberyard Anthony, a worldweary loner, comes home hoping to enjoy a peaceful evening on his front porch. Instead, he discovers something unexpected in the roots of a fallen tree on his property. Exploring themes of family heritage and lost identity, our story follows Anthony on a life changing journey into an uprooted underworld. He must contend with a scheming hag and conquer three impossible challenges to make his way back home. Will he remain trapped by fear and isolation, or will he emerge as a whole person?

Film Comparisons

The more fantastic elements of our story feel similar to Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away; a profound tale of metamorphosis centered on a modern-day Alice in her own labyrinthine Wonderland. Another contrasting reference includes the cinematic depictions of everyday life mundanity in Minari, which beautifully explores characters and settings with naturalism. And Where The Wild Things Are is also a fun comparison, especially for the way Max’s journey in the fantastic realm unfolds within the context of parallel sequences in the “real world”.

Budget & Beyond

We are looking to raise $9,500 to get our film rolling. The funds will go towards equipment, props, costumes, travel, food, and post-production, as well as lots of other little expenses. Oh, and we also need to pay the cast and crew! Once the project is completed, the rest of the money will be used to host a premiere screening and bring the Uprooted film to the festival circuit so that we can share our movie with as many people as possible.

If we’re able to raise even more money, there are a few stretch goals that we already have in mind. For example, additional funds would allow us to level up with more and better equipment, as well as provide more wiggle room in our production schedule. Exceeding our funding goal would also afford us the opportunity to produce a behind-the-scenes featurette documenting the making of our Uprooted short film. But we also want to increase the budget for our filmmaking coaches, which would enable us to pay each of them what they actually deserve, and potentially grow the Youth Film Workshop program that was developed for this project. We realize this would all be “icing on the cake.” But it doesn’t hurt to dream, right?

Risks & Challenges

We are currently in the early stages of pre-production on this film. And if everything goes according to plan, we hope to have the final film ready to screen later in 2025. But it’s important to acknowledge the inherent risks and challenges involved.

Mariposa Pictures is a collaborative filmmaking group with lots of schedules to coordinate. The young people on our crew need to finish schoolwork and our creative director needs to bring home bacon. This is currently a "side project" for all of us, so potential production delays can sometimes be a challenge. But our young filmmakers realize that we still need to deliver. And the parents will also help us set production schedules that are ambitious, yet achievable.

We also want to reassure our supporters that we have a proven track record of completing these types of projects. Back in 2019 we raised over $10,000 to produce a short sci-fi film also made by young people. You can check out The Traveler short film, as well as the We're Travelers mini-doc to get a behind-the scenes look at that project. Thanks for taking another chance on us with this new Uprooted short film.

Let’s make something fantastic together!

Making movies together with young people is an extraordinary process. And we get to see them flourish in many ways. We see them build confidence and leadership skills. We see them learning to encourage each other, work as a team, take responsibility, and overcome the obstacles they encounter. Additionally, they learn lots of practical skills throughout the process that will be useful regardless of what they go on to do later in life.  

We are inviting you to join our team of young filmmakers and make their goals for this short film a reality. In addition to investing in their future and seeing their film come to life, we’ve got some great incentives to choose from at all different levels. Even if you can't partner with us financially, SHARING this project is just as helpful as a pledge.

If you enjoy music-driven films, slice-of-life cinema, or a fantastic hero’s journey, you are going to love Uprooted. Thanks so much for helping us make this special project a reality!