Reggie is seventeen, awkward, and ready to take on adulthood. She is newly attending a private, conservative Christian school in the south and is absolutely bewildered when her gym teacher labels her an "outcast" and follows up with a lecture on the importance of virginity. Reggie tries to acclimate to her new environment and fly under the radar.

She attends the school's Daughters of Devotion group and attempts to confide in peers about her strange gym experience, but finds that they are all ashamed of their interest in sex and still promoting the school's abstinence-only agenda, even when no one is watching.

After the small group meeting, she turns to her overly confident, eccentric older sister, Jenna, for advice. Her sister reassures her that all of life is exactly like Reggie's school, she just needs to learn how to live in it.

Jenna invites Reggie to join a party that she is hosting. Reggie agrees and her curiosity leads her to pursue a boy named Sam, but her idea of sexuality and the reality of her experience with him do not coalesce.

Following this experience, Reggie takes a shower and through the fog in the mirror, she finally sees the person she should be giving her attention to. Reggie courageously stands up to her gym teacher and proclaims her own plan for her sexuality.

I wrote this story for my younger self. This is a light-hearted, humorous take on being an adolescent and forming your identity in the face of everyone telling you what to be. Our culture has a serious issue with the subjects of abstinence, sex, and virginity in correlation with a woman’s worth. We can't fix it by telling more stories filled with the same shame and guilt. With Her Own Hands is meant to open minds and start conversations.

When I was younger, I wish I had a character like Reggie to inspire me to say "no" to more people. I was so concerned with being perceived as nice or sweet that I let everyone tell me what I should believe, even about myself. This story is not only about sexual liberation, it's about self love.

Growing up, I loved watching movies, but I was disappointed when the woman character’s goals always revolved around a man. To combat this, I wrote a story where a young woman falls in love with the most important person in her life: herself.

If we can all be brave adults and have more open, honest conversation around sexuality, we can change the narrative for future young women and help them feel more empowered to use their voices. I am hoping this film can be an approachable starting place for that!

While there are several roles integral to the story, Reggie is the protagonist and we observe the world alongside her throughout the film.

REGGIE: An intelligent and witty tomboy, seemingly unconcerned with her appearance. Reggie has no filter. She loves learning and doesn’t easily accept the status quo. She’s mature for her age, yet sexually inexperienced.

With so many things working against Reggie, her saving grace is her older sister, Jenna. Jenna provides the story's comic relief and while she often gets on Reggie's nerves, every once in awhile she provides her sister with much needed insight and support.

JENNA: Jenna is effortlessly cool. She has a mystical mentor quality that does not align with her tacky, eclectic wardrobe. Jenna takes life for what it is and makes it something better, or at least more fun.

Important to note: Seed & Spark has set a requirement that mandates us to secure a minimum of 80% of our project's funding goal within a one month window for With Her Own Hands to be funded. That means, if we do not raise at least $12,000 in the next 30 days, we get nothing.

Your contribution plays a pivotal role in the success of our project. Your support empowers us to craft the finest possible version of our film while ensuring equitable compensation for our remarkable team.

Given the ongoing WGA and SAG strikes, the backing of independent films takes on even greater significance.

The $15,000 you're aiding us in raising will be allocated towards several crucial aspects of our project:

1. Cast & Crew: Ensuring everyone who brings our vision to life is compensated
2. Equipment: Acquiring top-notch equipment to enhance the quality of production
3. Booking Locations: Covering expenses for location rental fees
4. Art & Wardrobe: Enabling us to create immersive environments that elevate the storytelling experience
5. Meal time: Providing our team with sustenance during demanding shoot days

Your contribution is not just an investment in our project; it's an investment in the art of independent filmmaking and in the livelihoods of the dedicated individuals involved.

We genuinely appreciate your support in making our film a reality.

If you can't donate, please consider sharing our page on your social media! We need to get the word out to as many people as possible. You can also support our production by following us on Seed&Spark and Instagram!

The Movie: @withherownhandsmovie

Our Production Company: @unlikelypears



Writer & Director: Kathryn McCarthy has been an active filmmaker since 2012 when she attended Interlochen Arts Academy as a Motion Picture Artist. From there, she went on to receive a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Film Production from the University of Central Florida. She is passionate about creating truthful, authentic stories for and about women. Having lived in 25 places in 27 years, many of her stories focus on themes of transition and growth. 

Producer: Destiny Deming has a passion for creative collaboration and holding megaphones up to the mouths of underrepresented filmmakers. After earning a degree in Photographic Technology, she went on to the University of Central Florida where she received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Film Production. Destiny has produced several short films and community-based, grant-funded projects. While she enjoys her day job in creative strategy, her life's passion is working on narrative films that incorporate naturalistic storytelling and staunch realism.

Additional Cast & Crew

McKenna Quigley Harrington is playing the lead role of Reggie. McKenna can be seen as Grace in the series Tulsa King alongside Sylvester Stallone on Paramount+. Additionally, McKenna was recently featured in Sophie Kargman's new movie Susie Searches, which premiered at TIFF in 2022. 

In terms of her work onstage, McKenna's Off-Broadway debut was in the Mint Theatre Company's production of The Mountains Look Different which received a NYT Critic's Pick. Her most recent was at the Irish Repertory Theatre where she originated the role of Ann Lovett in the world premiere of Ciara Ní Chuirc's, Made By God. 

Lauren Megan McCarthy is playing the role of Jenna. Lauren Megan is currently working as an actor in the Pacific Northwest, where she was cast in Bill Pohlad’s recent feature film, Dreamin’ Wild. She is coming off her Seattle theatre debut in the world premiere of Bethany Sees the Stars. 

Prior to moving out West, she crafted her career in Atlanta’s film and theatre scene. Most notably playing Sam in Bricked alongside Terrence 'T.C.' Carson and leading roles in the Southeastern Regional Premier of both The Library as Caitlin Gabriel and A Kid Like Jake as Alex.

Karim Dakkon is a Moroccan-born, South Florida-raised Cinematographer who will be our Director of Photography. He first picked up a camera to film skateboarding videos as a kid, and has not put it down since. With a strong interest in painting and storytelling, he strives to capture our world with an engaging and immersive approach.

Karim's concentration is on documentary and narrative filmmaking; although very different genres, that is where he finds his best self.

Aaron Jackson, humbly affiliated with IATSE 728 union, will be our Gaffer. He has devoted himself to the craft of Gaffing, steadily building expertise in lighting and electrical work across diverse film and television productions.

With a background in photography, he's cultivated an appreciation for composition and lighting through years of capturing moments behind the lens. This blend of experiences has allowed him to play a flexible and meaningful role in the world of visual storytelling.