Sam decides to stop pursuing charges against her rapist and spend Thanksgiving alone on her family’s Virginia farm. Her brother stages an intervention with seven of Sam's friends to persuade her to return.
Sam decides to stop pursuing charges against her rapist and spend Thanksgiving alone on her family’s Virginia farm. Her brother stages an intervention with seven of Sam's friends to persuade her to return.
Participating In

Hometown Heroes
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Story
Mission Statement
Shallow Graves is committed to telling small stories that embody the human experience. Namely, stories by women about women, while creating a platform for intersectional storytelling. And for our first feature, our all female creative team is hiring an all female crew! #yas #femalegazeAbout The Project
PHD candidate, Sam, should be nearly finished with her dissertation. Instead, she’s spent the the last year in and out of court pursuing charges against her rapist. When she receives news that the trial is postponed yet again, Sam heads to her family’s remote cabin in the Virginia woods, effectively ghosting everyone in her life. A few days before Thanksgiving, Sam’s oasis is interrupted as her brother comes barging in with Sam’s closest friends in tow, to stage a pseudo-intervention and convince her to return to the city and finish out the trial.
It’s a year after the assault, and we’re putting eight twenty-somethings in a pressure cooker of a remote cabin (with no Wi-Fi, yikes) to examine how trauma can still affect a person after they’re seemingly “over it,” and, more universally, how this trauma effects an entire community as they rally around their friend and sister, taking on her trauma as their own. Because they’re empathetic. Or narcissistic. Or bored. Or all of the above.
It’s a feature length kitchen-sink drama with a black comedy heart.Right, ok. So why the hell are we making this?
It’s not like sexual assault is a subject that's never been taken on before. It’s the era of #metoo, after all, and everyone’s throwing in their own “too” cents. Plus, like, hello, how many seasons of SVU have there been? (Most of which were directed by men, we might add.) But that piece -- the assault piece -- is only one tiny fraction of a much larger and more complicated conversation.
Yet, it’s where most on-screen stories about assault begin and end.
We’re picking up that story a year later. A year into the life of a woman battling depression, trying to finish her PHD, and ultimately treading water. And we’re pairing that story with a tight-knit community of three-dimensional characters who have incredibly mixed, funny, sad, and human opinions about how their friend should deal with her trauma.
We’re a bunch of totally obsessed indie-philes. We’re consistently inspired by the nuanced and naturalistic work of the Duplass Brothers, Jill Soloway, Joe Swanberg, and Greta Gerwig (to name a few). But we also come from the theatre world -- garnering our sensibility for familial drama from the likes of Chekov and Tracy Letts. (People stuck in houses yelling at each other? We promise, there’s a stage/screen venn diagram in there, somewhere.)
We love movies about family and groups of friends -- people with shared history, baggage, and a whole lot of insight about what makes each other tick. But what we haven't seen is another film telling this story in this way -- a story about family and community set up against the backdrop of the judicial system.
Shallow Graves (our DIY-style boutique production company... keep up!) believes that changing social and political discourse one film at a time has the potential and the power to change the discourse of communities at large.
Still from "5th Wave"
We want to make a social justice skewing independent film that tackles huge issues, including the legal system (and its failings), privilege, and destigmatization of mental health (namely PTSD). We are confident our little film challenges inequality and does so in a form that’s utterly accessible, humorous, and all-too-recognizably human. We hope to have the audience watching from behind their fingers as they think, “Oh God, that’s so me.”
Sounds pretty ambitious, you say. How can they possibly achieve it, you inquire? Can it really be done, you cry, shaking your fists at the heavens as you fall to your knees.
Okay, leave the drama to us from now on. Keep reading.
We’re shooting this thing in Virginia, the homeland of both our director and lead producer, in their real-life family cabin. Now we’re dedicated to throwing as much of our budget back into the community using local resources while we shoot.
But that means meeting our budget goals. And that means we need YOU to join our community. But not in a "give us your money and leave us alone" way. No. We want you to be a part of this movie -- in as big or as little a way as you want! This is a choose your own adventure! You’re in charge, now!
Still, we’re serious about having you along through every step. So how ‘bout we start by letting you in on the plan? (Ooo, ahhh, a graphic.)As it turns out, you need more than a bunch of cool people to make a movie. You can head over to our wishlist to check out what it is we’re actually requesting. Or you can just trust that we’ve redone our budget 4,689 times and we’ve got it on lock.
And we know that not all of our artist friends (heyyy artist friends!) can pledge financial support right now. And that’s okay. Because there are lots of free ways to help! For starters, if you like what we’re doing, please please PLEASE share the hell out of this campaign page so that it can reach people with big kid jobs who might suddenly have an interest in producing a film by a couple of charming up-and-comers.Still from "Platonics"
We are dedicated to making a movie that will provide opportunities for up-and-coming female filmmakers. And we're gonna pay them what they are worth. And we know if we do it right, we can blow open a social and political conversation while providing solace for victims, recognition for allies, and above all, a really entertaining movie.
And we guess a couple other people think we can do it, too. Also in our corner is Pitch Her Productions, a 501c3 non-profit that is serving as our fiscal sponsor, so all contributions to our film are tax deductible. (YAS.)We’ve already attracted support and resources like we never could have imagined. But we’re not nearly to the finish line. So the only thing left to ask is… are you coming with us?
Make sure you hit the fancy blue FOLLOW button at the top right hand corner of the page. The more followers we attract, the better chance we have of getting greenlit. And when you're finished with that easy thing, head over to www.shallow-graves.com to sign up for our e-mail list to stay the most up-to-date with all things What She Said. And feel free to shoot us an email with questions, concerns, love notes, helpful horoscopes, or unsolicited advice that we’ll probably ignore.
PS - All incentive tiers include the chosen incentive in addition to all of the ones before it. Fierce.
Incentives
$10
Dinner Roll
You’re warm and flaky (in a good way, not in a you-forgot-about-our-coffee-date way), and we’re full up on your love and support! And to thank you (and help you drown out the gluten-haters) you’ll be receiving our special What She Said Spotify playlist full of the music that helped inspire our film. Please pass the butter. Or just share the shit out of this campaign on social media.
$18
Salad
We know you might feel a little awkward at the table. But you’re Kosher as hell! The family in our story is a Jewish one, and 18 means Chai (Life!) in Hebrew. Know what else means life? Lots and lots of kale. Maybe some Thanksgiving die-hards judge you, but we secretly appreciate the *balance* you give us. (Get it?) To remind you that you aren’t awkward and that you play a bigger role than you think, you will receive a shout out on the social media platform of your choice.
$30
Beer
Whether you’re a sensible midwest lager or a hipster af microbrew, your presence always makes the holidays a little easier. You kick awkward small talk up a notch and games of competitive cornhole are impossible without you. We see your last-minute-attempt-to-not-show-up-empty-handed-six-pack and raise you a craft cocktail. You’ll receive our super secret What She Said cocktail recipe as a thank you. Cheers! (Please drink responsibly, Uncle Larry.)
$50
Mashed Potatoes
We always knew we could count on you. And just because you’re reliable as hell, doesn’t mean you can’t also be the life of the party. Whether you prefer cheese, bacon bits, or too much garlic, you’re perfect just the way you are. We’re proud to have you at our table, and we hope you’re proud of us too. We can’t wait to see how you rock the fierce campaign sticker we’re sending you in the mail. (If you only voted for the sticker, at least you still voted, right?)
$100
Gravy
You are the glue that holds us together! And you have the singular power to change EVERY OTHER DISH. Mmm our mouths are watering just thinking about you pouring all your love and support all over our creative baby. And we think we know what’ll make your mouth water… how about an early bird streaming link to our finished film. Does gravy go well on popcorn?
$250
Grandpa
You must be someone’s Grandpa. Is that your connection to this film? Either way we love ya. Especially at Thanksgiving when you drink too much and start telling war stories. And everyone knows Grandpas are the most supportive. That’s why as cast grandpa, you’ll get an invite to our 1st table read followed by a reception.
*you do not have to be an actual grandpa to claim this reward.
**1st Table Read will be held in New York City - Travel is not included as part of this reward.
$500
Cranberry Sauce
You sneaky devil, you. Your confidence in yourself (and in us!) is overwhelming. You just waltz into our lives, mingling with mashed potatoes AND dinner rolls AND turkey and you know you’re a compatible match before they do. You’re basically the winner of Thanksgiving bachelor. Because of your abilities (and your financial support), you will get a Special Thanks credit at the end of the final film!
$1,000
Cornucopia
We’re literally not sure what you do. Maybe that’s the failing of our education system or maybe you’re just cagey as hell about where you get your income. But either way, we cannot begin to thank you enough. You play a huge role (literally and *aesthetically*) in our telling of this story. And to say thanks, you and a guest are invited to join us at the What She Said premiere. We have no doubt you’ll arrive all dressed up.
*Please specifiy whether you'd like to join us at the New York or DC Metro Area premiere. Travel is not included as a part of this reward.
$5,000
Memaw's Pumpkin Pie
You are absolutely ranked highest in our hearts. Everyone savors their time with you and it’s because you’re utterly timeless. We don’t even know if Memaw was a real person, but you are her legacy. And because of that, you will be rewarded with an Associate Producer title (yeah, that means in the opening credits). Keeping our fingers crossed there’s enough for seconds.
$10,000
Turkey
You’re the Top! You’re a Turkey Dinner! You bring everything together to make the meal that is our movie. Without you, this would just be a sad protein-deficient early lunch. And we know you didn’t just come to the decision to support us lightly. Turkey takes for-f***ing-ever to cook… but when all is said and done… you’re one juicy tender birdy. And as our main course (and our main squeeze), you will straight up be an Executive Producer (that’s an above the title credit, yo). But don’t go losin’ your head about it. We want you on set with us for a day to check out exactly what we’ve been squawking about.
*Travel and lodging is not included as a part of this reward.
Claimed: 0 of 3
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$10
Dinner Roll
You’re warm and flaky (in a good way, not in a you-forgot-about-our-coffee-date way), and we’re full up on your love and support! And to thank you (and help you drown out the gluten-haters) you’ll be receiving our special What She Said Spotify playlist full of the music that helped inspire our film. Please pass the butter. Or just share the shit out of this campaign on social media.
$18
Salad
We know you might feel a little awkward at the table. But you’re Kosher as hell! The family in our story is a Jewish one, and 18 means Chai (Life!) in Hebrew. Know what else means life? Lots and lots of kale. Maybe some Thanksgiving die-hards judge you, but we secretly appreciate the *balance* you give us. (Get it?) To remind you that you aren’t awkward and that you play a bigger role than you think, you will receive a shout out on the social media platform of your choice.
$30
Beer
Whether you’re a sensible midwest lager or a hipster af microbrew, your presence always makes the holidays a little easier. You kick awkward small talk up a notch and games of competitive cornhole are impossible without you. We see your last-minute-attempt-to-not-show-up-empty-handed-six-pack and raise you a craft cocktail. You’ll receive our super secret What She Said cocktail recipe as a thank you. Cheers! (Please drink responsibly, Uncle Larry.)
$50
Mashed Potatoes
We always knew we could count on you. And just because you’re reliable as hell, doesn’t mean you can’t also be the life of the party. Whether you prefer cheese, bacon bits, or too much garlic, you’re perfect just the way you are. We’re proud to have you at our table, and we hope you’re proud of us too. We can’t wait to see how you rock the fierce campaign sticker we’re sending you in the mail. (If you only voted for the sticker, at least you still voted, right?)
$100
Gravy
You are the glue that holds us together! And you have the singular power to change EVERY OTHER DISH. Mmm our mouths are watering just thinking about you pouring all your love and support all over our creative baby. And we think we know what’ll make your mouth water… how about an early bird streaming link to our finished film. Does gravy go well on popcorn?
$250
Grandpa
You must be someone’s Grandpa. Is that your connection to this film? Either way we love ya. Especially at Thanksgiving when you drink too much and start telling war stories. And everyone knows Grandpas are the most supportive. That’s why as cast grandpa, you’ll get an invite to our 1st table read followed by a reception.
*you do not have to be an actual grandpa to claim this reward.
**1st Table Read will be held in New York City - Travel is not included as part of this reward.
$500
Cranberry Sauce
You sneaky devil, you. Your confidence in yourself (and in us!) is overwhelming. You just waltz into our lives, mingling with mashed potatoes AND dinner rolls AND turkey and you know you’re a compatible match before they do. You’re basically the winner of Thanksgiving bachelor. Because of your abilities (and your financial support), you will get a Special Thanks credit at the end of the final film!
$1,000
Cornucopia
We’re literally not sure what you do. Maybe that’s the failing of our education system or maybe you’re just cagey as hell about where you get your income. But either way, we cannot begin to thank you enough. You play a huge role (literally and *aesthetically*) in our telling of this story. And to say thanks, you and a guest are invited to join us at the What She Said premiere. We have no doubt you’ll arrive all dressed up.
*Please specifiy whether you'd like to join us at the New York or DC Metro Area premiere. Travel is not included as a part of this reward.
$5,000
Memaw's Pumpkin Pie
You are absolutely ranked highest in our hearts. Everyone savors their time with you and it’s because you’re utterly timeless. We don’t even know if Memaw was a real person, but you are her legacy. And because of that, you will be rewarded with an Associate Producer title (yeah, that means in the opening credits). Keeping our fingers crossed there’s enough for seconds.
$10,000
Turkey
You’re the Top! You’re a Turkey Dinner! You bring everything together to make the meal that is our movie. Without you, this would just be a sad protein-deficient early lunch. And we know you didn’t just come to the decision to support us lightly. Turkey takes for-f***ing-ever to cook… but when all is said and done… you’re one juicy tender birdy. And as our main course (and our main squeeze), you will straight up be an Executive Producer (that’s an above the title credit, yo). But don’t go losin’ your head about it. We want you on set with us for a day to check out exactly what we’ve been squawking about.
*Travel and lodging is not included as a part of this reward.
Claimed: 0 of 3
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