Vespertine
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Thriller
Vespertine is a relevant story to everyone. It touches on mental health, femininity, and trauma through its writing. It casts a light on our current political and cultural environment. But mainly, it will show people the importance of finding your group and healing together instead of alone.
Vespertine
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Thriller
2 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $33,533 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
89 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Vespertine is a relevant story to everyone. It touches on mental health, femininity, and trauma through its writing. It casts a light on our current political and cultural environment. But mainly, it will show people the importance of finding your group and healing together instead of alone.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Vespertine is a 2024 supernatural thriller from filmmaker Lauri Levenfeld and AgentC.
Told through the eyes of a mystical creature (THE RAVEN) who transmits messages from inter-dimensional portals nestled deep within its midnight-hued wings, this story celebrates the beauty of twilight, a moment just before darkness when we choose to embrace ourselves in our entirety, to find creative solutions to inspire and heal, embracing the shadows we surface from where light may follow.
When a self-loathing lawyer, VERONICA LEE, shatters the glass ceiling at LA’s most sought-after firm, an act of retaliation summons the mystical intervention of sacred land calling “V” to the desert to reckon her current life state. An electric caw foreshadows the split-second between glitter particles dancing on the pavement and a car skidding violently into the embankment. We see a shamble of a woman standing at the wayside of the world, deeply harmed by something much bigger than this accident. As otherworldly bodies awaken from shadows, a pareidolia effect creates something peculiar. Desperate to evade the eerie sounds of darkness, V shifts to animalistic form, darting into the arid landscape. Strange, supernatural forces follow her until they take her down, where the earth envelopes her body. Terrified by the burial ritual proceeding, she slowly scoops a large mound of dirt into her mouth to suffocate.
What proceeds from there is a fast track to her desert home as V spirals to rock bottom. In an intoxicated moment, she calls her ride-or-die FRANKIE to bring in some friendly forces (CASSY & MARLOWE) from a lifetime ago. With the armor of fashion threads and a hatchet slung over their heads, the women arrive the next day ready for business. The reunion quickly turns to a day of drinking debauchery, poolside antics, and tarot card readings, resurrecting stories unforgotten and current ones unknown. As Frankie watches emotions heighten and women unravel, she introduces her unspoken plan. Nestled deep in the valley under the desert moon lives a poisonous flower. Blooming only once at twilight, it dies at the first sight of dawn. Yet in its tiny lifetime, a blossom bursts of magic and opportunity, seemingly worth the risk of fate. The women say f’ck it and decide to take a chance. They roll the dice, spin the wheel, and bet on life over death.
In this moment of sweet surrender, these women feel more free and supported than they have in a lifetime.
VERONICA LEE, 44
“V” is the first of many things: the first sign in the Zodiac, the first of her immigrant family to finish college, and the first female partner at the top law firm in LA. A walking time bomb, V does stupid things to piss people off, fuck with policy, preserve her ego, and satisfy her parent’s dreams. Her high IQ and finely-tuned intuition alienate her peers and make her a target for retaliation. V (the lone wolf) yearns for genuine freedom, a social pack, and an undying love.
CASSY RYDER, 43
At times, Cassy can appear small-town and fragile. Yet the revered artist has the inner strength necessary to consistently metamorphosis to people’s liking. Toiling in celebrity madness while holding divine secrets, the typically gilded-boho recently adopted a “somewhat” rebel persona marked by her signature Avril Lavigne eye and slippery slope into drugs. All in hopes of masking “seen” premonitions that undoubtedly will unfold into necessary truths.
FRANKIE ZEPHYRIN, 42
Deemed the “Professor” by all who know her, Frankie is a teacher of life. After her mom (a struggling actress) committed suicide, Frankie got lost in self-help books as a teen, moving through difficult times. Now a teacher in women’s studies at USC, Frankie sees her childhood trauma as a superpower and wants every woman to feel the same. Through her creative fashion choices, charismatic language, and off-beat self-assuredness, Frankie persuades anyone and everyone to follow her lead, especially her “sister” Marlowe.
MARLOWE FOX, 43
A previous best-selling author, Marlowe relies on humor to navigate the mothering of a teenage daughter, her washed-up career, and her current perimenopausal state. The name Marlowe (meaning driftwood) came to her teen mother after a dream saved her pregnancy; she understood that her daughter would do incredible things. Taken as a self-fulfilling prophecy, Marlowe struggled with “imposter syndrome” all of her life. Until an act of antisemitism propelled a new sense of faith for Marlowe, the courage to shed unwanted stories while helping her daughter transcend to an extraordinary place.
I have learned there is nothing more significant than the power of trusting yourself. When we surrender to the lessons given to us in life, we can participate in the universe's magic. As I have become in sync with myself, I align more frequently with nature and the world around me. Even before I set foot on this earth, the narrative infused in my blood, the tattoo stamped on my body, and the movie created for the character I would ultimately become had attached itself to me. From a wide lens, my story is about race, religion, slavery, and death (Jewish heritage), in addition to the genocide and violence that has tormented women (my gender) throughout history. When I zoom in, I reflect on the trauma inflicted upon my family and the coping mechanisms we adapted to mask pain and general suffering in the world. I am lucky that I had access to support that helped me overcome my challenges with an eating disorder in my teens and 20s. I started wiccan practice & reiki in my early 30s to tap into my inner child, resource spiritual guides, and find ways to heal outside my physical body. I devoted myself to artistic and advocacy-driven endeavors. The irony and beauty is that life gives us just what we need. My daughter gave me a reason to stay healthy and find joy in the simplicity of love. She also propelled my interest in creating a safe space for women & girls by building platforms dedicated to female creatives. I have continued my path as a storyteller by sharing women's stories and creating jobs for women through my branding agency and as an independent filmmaker.
With today's political and social climate, the film Vespertine offers a safety net (and reminder) for the broader community to draw strength and source from one another by addressing trauma transferred head-on without shame or abandonment and to fuel the art of recovery through the artistic process. With a unique lens on four protagonists dealing with their own "dark side," stories of culture and circumstance reveal what is universally true: Nothing is more vital than our relationship to ourselves, nature, and humanity. A female-led story and our work as an all-female creative team will give others the courage to find their inner "circle" where they can celebrate a new female gaze, one acknowledging ourselves as teachers who want to be just brave enough to own the beauty at dusk and awaken to its healing.
- Lauri Levenfeld, Writer/Director of Vespertine
Vespertine is a relevant story to everyone. It touches on mental health, femininity, and trauma through its writing. It casts a light on our current political and cultural environment. But mainly, it will show people the importance of finding your group and healing together instead of alone.
We have been working for a few months on pre-production and we can’t wait to start filming early Spring 2024. This campaign will help us get the funding we need to bring our story to life, specifically with camera, VFX, location, and casting. Vespertine will be released to the world after it completes its festival run. Follow us and share our page to join our Vespertine family!
Instagram link
https://www.instagram.com/vespertinefilm/
Xoxo, Vesper Ladies
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera
Costs $8,000
We are filming on an Arri Alexa. Money will go towards equipment rentals and crew to create the thriller-esque, symbolic motifs desired.
Costume
Costs $9,000
We will support local and national artisans in creating original pieces for the film’s outstanding moments.
Location
Costs $6,333
We are filming in a luxurious modern estate in the hills and in the desert valley situated under the Bullion Mountains on the sacred land.
Post-Production
Costs $7,000
Help us by contributing towards the detailed work in color, editing, sound, and VFX that needs to be done after our film is in the can.
Original Score
Costs $3,000
Help us by contributing to our incredible team of musicians working on the score, original songs, and soundtrack for Vespertine.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Prolific creative Lauri Levenfeld is an award-winning producer dedicated to the art of storytelling to promote conversation and activate community. Two events (early on) created a paradigm shift in the course of her career. Upon graduating from USC (as one of two women in the Film & TV Production program) Lauri realized a greater purpose for her craft, sharing the voices of women and providing mentorship to elevate their position. A profound encounter with Nelson Mandela during the filmmaking of his documentary also gave Levenfeld the insight to use her position as a vehicle for advocacy and transformation. It was this fundamental desire to support women and foster creativity that spearheaded the building of several global platforms; The Project for Women/ Girls and Project Mentor are communities created by Lauri to promote compassion and spark positive change in the world. Together, they have touched millions of women and girls worldwide. In her latest chapter, a decisive move and the evolution of her creative endeavors led Lauri to establish AgentC (a boutique branding agency based in Los Angeles) to give rise and strategic direction to companies across industries that share a sense of purpose and commitment to capturing and elevating what unites us all in new and beautiful ways. they have touched millions of women and girls worldwide. In her latest chapter, a decisive move and the evolution of her creative endeavors led Lauri to establish AgentC (a boutique branding agency based in Los Angeles) to give rise and strategic direction to companies across industries that share a sense of purpose and commitment to capturing and elevating what unites us all in new and beautiful ways. ent to capturing and elevating what unites us all in new and beautiful ways.
Grace Wethor is an award-winning director, best-selling author, & brain cancer survivor/ advocate. After being told she had six months to live due to an untreatable brain tumor at age 13, she moved to Los Angeles and began pursuing her dreams in film with full force. She gave her first TED Talk at age 15, wrote her first book at 16, spoke at the United Nations at 17, & released her first original docu-series at 18. She is now a legislation advocate and has made her way to the White House & Capitol Hill while spearheading bills that would bring over $100m in funding to youth healthcare. Seven years later and still fighting, as a young female filmmaker, she hopes to use film to tell unseen stories & show other young people that they can pursue their dreams despite their circumstances or illness.
Executive Producer: Lauri Levenfeld
Producer: Jillian Shea Spaeder
Directors: Lauri Levenfeld & Grace Wethor
Director of Photography: Trixie Ayson
Costume: Katja O’Brien
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Vespertine is a 2024 supernatural thriller from filmmaker Lauri Levenfeld and AgentC.
Told through the eyes of a mystical creature (THE RAVEN) who transmits messages from inter-dimensional portals nestled deep within its midnight-hued wings, this story celebrates the beauty of twilight, a moment just before darkness when we choose to embrace ourselves in our entirety, to find creative solutions to inspire and heal, embracing the shadows we surface from where light may follow.
When a self-loathing lawyer, VERONICA LEE, shatters the glass ceiling at LA’s most sought-after firm, an act of retaliation summons the mystical intervention of sacred land calling “V” to the desert to reckon her current life state. An electric caw foreshadows the split-second between glitter particles dancing on the pavement and a car skidding violently into the embankment. We see a shamble of a woman standing at the wayside of the world, deeply harmed by something much bigger than this accident. As otherworldly bodies awaken from shadows, a pareidolia effect creates something peculiar. Desperate to evade the eerie sounds of darkness, V shifts to animalistic form, darting into the arid landscape. Strange, supernatural forces follow her until they take her down, where the earth envelopes her body. Terrified by the burial ritual proceeding, she slowly scoops a large mound of dirt into her mouth to suffocate.
What proceeds from there is a fast track to her desert home as V spirals to rock bottom. In an intoxicated moment, she calls her ride-or-die FRANKIE to bring in some friendly forces (CASSY & MARLOWE) from a lifetime ago. With the armor of fashion threads and a hatchet slung over their heads, the women arrive the next day ready for business. The reunion quickly turns to a day of drinking debauchery, poolside antics, and tarot card readings, resurrecting stories unforgotten and current ones unknown. As Frankie watches emotions heighten and women unravel, she introduces her unspoken plan. Nestled deep in the valley under the desert moon lives a poisonous flower. Blooming only once at twilight, it dies at the first sight of dawn. Yet in its tiny lifetime, a blossom bursts of magic and opportunity, seemingly worth the risk of fate. The women say f’ck it and decide to take a chance. They roll the dice, spin the wheel, and bet on life over death.
In this moment of sweet surrender, these women feel more free and supported than they have in a lifetime.
VERONICA LEE, 44
“V” is the first of many things: the first sign in the Zodiac, the first of her immigrant family to finish college, and the first female partner at the top law firm in LA. A walking time bomb, V does stupid things to piss people off, fuck with policy, preserve her ego, and satisfy her parent’s dreams. Her high IQ and finely-tuned intuition alienate her peers and make her a target for retaliation. V (the lone wolf) yearns for genuine freedom, a social pack, and an undying love.
CASSY RYDER, 43
At times, Cassy can appear small-town and fragile. Yet the revered artist has the inner strength necessary to consistently metamorphosis to people’s liking. Toiling in celebrity madness while holding divine secrets, the typically gilded-boho recently adopted a “somewhat” rebel persona marked by her signature Avril Lavigne eye and slippery slope into drugs. All in hopes of masking “seen” premonitions that undoubtedly will unfold into necessary truths.
FRANKIE ZEPHYRIN, 42
Deemed the “Professor” by all who know her, Frankie is a teacher of life. After her mom (a struggling actress) committed suicide, Frankie got lost in self-help books as a teen, moving through difficult times. Now a teacher in women’s studies at USC, Frankie sees her childhood trauma as a superpower and wants every woman to feel the same. Through her creative fashion choices, charismatic language, and off-beat self-assuredness, Frankie persuades anyone and everyone to follow her lead, especially her “sister” Marlowe.
MARLOWE FOX, 43
A previous best-selling author, Marlowe relies on humor to navigate the mothering of a teenage daughter, her washed-up career, and her current perimenopausal state. The name Marlowe (meaning driftwood) came to her teen mother after a dream saved her pregnancy; she understood that her daughter would do incredible things. Taken as a self-fulfilling prophecy, Marlowe struggled with “imposter syndrome” all of her life. Until an act of antisemitism propelled a new sense of faith for Marlowe, the courage to shed unwanted stories while helping her daughter transcend to an extraordinary place.
I have learned there is nothing more significant than the power of trusting yourself. When we surrender to the lessons given to us in life, we can participate in the universe's magic. As I have become in sync with myself, I align more frequently with nature and the world around me. Even before I set foot on this earth, the narrative infused in my blood, the tattoo stamped on my body, and the movie created for the character I would ultimately become had attached itself to me. From a wide lens, my story is about race, religion, slavery, and death (Jewish heritage), in addition to the genocide and violence that has tormented women (my gender) throughout history. When I zoom in, I reflect on the trauma inflicted upon my family and the coping mechanisms we adapted to mask pain and general suffering in the world. I am lucky that I had access to support that helped me overcome my challenges with an eating disorder in my teens and 20s. I started wiccan practice & reiki in my early 30s to tap into my inner child, resource spiritual guides, and find ways to heal outside my physical body. I devoted myself to artistic and advocacy-driven endeavors. The irony and beauty is that life gives us just what we need. My daughter gave me a reason to stay healthy and find joy in the simplicity of love. She also propelled my interest in creating a safe space for women & girls by building platforms dedicated to female creatives. I have continued my path as a storyteller by sharing women's stories and creating jobs for women through my branding agency and as an independent filmmaker.
With today's political and social climate, the film Vespertine offers a safety net (and reminder) for the broader community to draw strength and source from one another by addressing trauma transferred head-on without shame or abandonment and to fuel the art of recovery through the artistic process. With a unique lens on four protagonists dealing with their own "dark side," stories of culture and circumstance reveal what is universally true: Nothing is more vital than our relationship to ourselves, nature, and humanity. A female-led story and our work as an all-female creative team will give others the courage to find their inner "circle" where they can celebrate a new female gaze, one acknowledging ourselves as teachers who want to be just brave enough to own the beauty at dusk and awaken to its healing.
- Lauri Levenfeld, Writer/Director of Vespertine
Vespertine is a relevant story to everyone. It touches on mental health, femininity, and trauma through its writing. It casts a light on our current political and cultural environment. But mainly, it will show people the importance of finding your group and healing together instead of alone.
We have been working for a few months on pre-production and we can’t wait to start filming early Spring 2024. This campaign will help us get the funding we need to bring our story to life, specifically with camera, VFX, location, and casting. Vespertine will be released to the world after it completes its festival run. Follow us and share our page to join our Vespertine family!
Instagram link
https://www.instagram.com/vespertinefilm/
Xoxo, Vesper Ladies
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera
Costs $8,000
We are filming on an Arri Alexa. Money will go towards equipment rentals and crew to create the thriller-esque, symbolic motifs desired.
Costume
Costs $9,000
We will support local and national artisans in creating original pieces for the film’s outstanding moments.
Location
Costs $6,333
We are filming in a luxurious modern estate in the hills and in the desert valley situated under the Bullion Mountains on the sacred land.
Post-Production
Costs $7,000
Help us by contributing towards the detailed work in color, editing, sound, and VFX that needs to be done after our film is in the can.
Original Score
Costs $3,000
Help us by contributing to our incredible team of musicians working on the score, original songs, and soundtrack for Vespertine.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Prolific creative Lauri Levenfeld is an award-winning producer dedicated to the art of storytelling to promote conversation and activate community. Two events (early on) created a paradigm shift in the course of her career. Upon graduating from USC (as one of two women in the Film & TV Production program) Lauri realized a greater purpose for her craft, sharing the voices of women and providing mentorship to elevate their position. A profound encounter with Nelson Mandela during the filmmaking of his documentary also gave Levenfeld the insight to use her position as a vehicle for advocacy and transformation. It was this fundamental desire to support women and foster creativity that spearheaded the building of several global platforms; The Project for Women/ Girls and Project Mentor are communities created by Lauri to promote compassion and spark positive change in the world. Together, they have touched millions of women and girls worldwide. In her latest chapter, a decisive move and the evolution of her creative endeavors led Lauri to establish AgentC (a boutique branding agency based in Los Angeles) to give rise and strategic direction to companies across industries that share a sense of purpose and commitment to capturing and elevating what unites us all in new and beautiful ways. they have touched millions of women and girls worldwide. In her latest chapter, a decisive move and the evolution of her creative endeavors led Lauri to establish AgentC (a boutique branding agency based in Los Angeles) to give rise and strategic direction to companies across industries that share a sense of purpose and commitment to capturing and elevating what unites us all in new and beautiful ways. ent to capturing and elevating what unites us all in new and beautiful ways.
Grace Wethor is an award-winning director, best-selling author, & brain cancer survivor/ advocate. After being told she had six months to live due to an untreatable brain tumor at age 13, she moved to Los Angeles and began pursuing her dreams in film with full force. She gave her first TED Talk at age 15, wrote her first book at 16, spoke at the United Nations at 17, & released her first original docu-series at 18. She is now a legislation advocate and has made her way to the White House & Capitol Hill while spearheading bills that would bring over $100m in funding to youth healthcare. Seven years later and still fighting, as a young female filmmaker, she hopes to use film to tell unseen stories & show other young people that they can pursue their dreams despite their circumstances or illness.
Executive Producer: Lauri Levenfeld
Producer: Jillian Shea Spaeder
Directors: Lauri Levenfeld & Grace Wethor
Director of Photography: Trixie Ayson
Costume: Katja O’Brien