Woman Meets Girl
Toronto, Canada | Film Short
Drama, LGBTQ
Over a vodka-fueled game of Never Have I Ever, Annabelle, a 40-something year old virgin and Tessie, an 18-year old homeless sex worker, challenge each other to expose their vulnerabilities revealing their differences and similarities. Through the night, an undeniable chemistry emerges between them.
Woman Meets Girl
Toronto, Canada | Film Short
Drama, LGBTQ
1 Campaigns | Ontario, Canada
Green Light
This campaign raised C$14,030 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
123 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Over a vodka-fueled game of Never Have I Ever, Annabelle, a 40-something year old virgin and Tessie, an 18-year old homeless sex worker, challenge each other to expose their vulnerabilities revealing their differences and similarities. Through the night, an undeniable chemistry emerges between them.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
ANNABELLE, an awkward in her own skin forty-two-year-old woman, has invited eighteen-year-old TESSIE, an extroverted sex worker, to stay with her in her mother, Libby's home. Over a vodka-fueled game of Never Have I Ever, they challenge each other to reveal themselves. Through the game, Annabelle and Tessie explore their differences and similarities, especially their fractured relationships with their parents: Tessie's mom died when she was ten and her dad kicked her out, while Annabelle's dad left when she was young. Through their conversation, an undeniable chemistry builds between them that neither knows what to do with. While Tessie initiates contact, wordlessly extending the offer of a sexual liason, Annabelle's discomfort gets in the way and she brings the evening to a close. With the possibility of a deeper connection hanging in the air between them, Annabelle watches after Tessie, who heads off to bed.
The images in this campaign are from our initial shoot of Woman Meets Girl. We began shooting this short in November of 2020, but we were forced to shut down in the middle of production due to Covid. We were only able to shoot half of our film last year and we are looking to raise funding to finish production. We've secured the cast, the team and the location to shoot in November 2021 and we hope to count on your support to finish shooting the film.
We were able to create a mid-production trailer, using some raw footage from our initial shoot. While the project is very much a work in progress, as we still need to finish filming and this footage is without treatment for colour, sound and more, we wanted to provide a sneak peak of what's to come with Woman Meets Girl.
ANNABELLE, played by ENUKA OKUMA (WORKIN' MOMS, IMPULSE, ROOKIE BLUE)
*All photos by www.tayoyannickanton.com
TESSIE, played by CHELSEA RUSSELL (SEE, 21 BLACK FUTURES, TINY PRETTY THINGS).
At its core, this is a story about love. Parental love. Platonic love. Romantic love. Self-love.
With distance comes perspective. As I reflect on my relationship with my late-mother, I can see the ways in which my perception of it has shifted through the years. Many girls go through a difficult period with their mothers, but not all girls get the opportunity to come out the other side and get to reconcile with them. For those girls, that work has to be done on their own.
I was interested in telling a story about both the complicated mother-daughter relationship, finding connection in unexpected places and the secret power of vulnerability.
Both Annabelle and her mother Libby have complex feelings for one another, though neither is fully able to express how they feel. This generational trauma bleeds into every faucet of Annabelle's life as she struggles with self-esteem and self-actualization. Annabelle had her mother with her for most of her life and their inability to communicate played a huge part in who she became. Tessie lost her mother at a young age and her factured relationship with her father influenced her development.
In many ways Annabelle and Tessie are at different places on the same path. They both struggle with love and its expression. Ultimately, through their time together, they each learn from the other and begin to heal. This is far from a simple story. It is intended to pose ethical dilemmas. To make you think. Discuss. And hopefully, self-reflect.
The piece I have chosen for this short encapsulates the essence of one of the two main relationships in the film. Here, we see Tessie's desire to provoke and shock Annabelle, testing her limits and we see Annabelle's desire to know Tessie and her refusal to truly let herself be known. Both women have a complicated relationship with love and are figuring out how to let themselves love and be loved in return.
Director, MURRY PEETERS with Chelsea Russell.
Director MURRY PEETERS with Enuka Okuma.
Director MURRY PEETERS with Chelsea Russell and Enuka Okuma.
Enuka, Adria and I funded the initial shoot and we were able to land an amazing camera and equipment rental. However, in order to finish shooting the film with this second shoot, we are faced again with the same costs of production. Factoring in labour, rentals, food and more, the budget of this second shoot is essentially just as much as our initial shoot was. This is why we need your support.
Seed & Spark requires at least 80% of the project to be funded in order to get the green light. We need to reach our goal in 30 days or we don't receive anything and all your contributions revert back to you. Please help us get that green light!
Our goal of $8,500 will greenlight the production of the project. However, we will still need more to finish and deliver the film to the world. Though I’ve applied to arts council grants to hopefully fund post-production, grants are not guaranteed. If we can reach the following stretch goals, that would unlock new possibilities:
$4,000 - Post-Production
$1,500 - Festival submissions & marketing budget
$1,500 - Music Licensing
Although our production shoots in November 2021, we're closely monitoring the situation and are ready to adapt our production plan to keep everyone safe.
Our entire cast and crew will be tested prior to production and we'll have on site rapid antigen testing during the shoot (thank you Toronto Region Board of Trade!) We're hoping by the time we shoot, cases will be down even further and the vaccine rates in Toronto will be higher. We will take COVID precautions very seriously and ensure that our shoot is safe.
FOLLOW our campaign here for FREE! Building our audience and growing followers on Seed & Spark unlocks products, services and festival fee waivers courtesy of Seed & Spark.
PLEDGE & CONTRIBUTE by clicking the "Make a Pledge" button at the top of this page, by selecting an amazing Incentive or by donating toward our Wish List in the tab above.
SPREAD THE WORD about our campaign via social media or e-mail. YOU can help us reach our goal by SHARING with your network using Seed & Spark’s handy share tools (next to the FOLLOW button) on the top right of this page. It’s EASY to share our campaign with your friends and family!
Follow us on SOCIAL MEDIA to get the latest Woman Meets Girl updates!
Twitter: @WMGFilm @murrypeeters @enukaokuma @abuddjohnson
Instagram: @WMGFilm @murrypeeters @enukaokumaofficial @abuddjohnson
Facebook:@WMGFilm
Feel free to COPY & PASTE these examples!
Join me in supporting @WMGFilm by contributing to their @seedandspark crowdfunding campaign: https://bit.ly/WMGSSCampaign
I can't WAIT to see @WMGFilm!! But first they need to finish fundraising!! Help them reach their crowdfunding goal @seedandspark: https://bit.ly/WMGSSCampaign
Make sure to use #WomanMeetsGirl and tag us when you post!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs C$0
CAST & CREW
Costs C$3,300
From Production Assistants to the Actors, all these talented people work together to make the film.
EQUIPMENT
Costs C$2,500
All the Camera Gear, Lighting & Sound Equipment Rentals we need to make it look great.
INSURANCE
Costs C$1,100
We got it all covered.
FOOD
Costs C$500
A film crew marches on their stomachs! No hungry folks on our set.
TRANSPORTATION
Costs C$425
Necessary to get all the gear from the rental house to the location & back.
HAIR, MAKE UP & WARDROBE
Costs C$425
Hair, Make up and Wardrobe is essential to help our Actors to BE their character.
COVID TESTING & PPE
Costs C$250
Protection & Prevention
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer & Director
Murry Peeters (she/her) is an actor/screenwriter. Recent screenwriting credits include: THE PARKER-ANDERSONS and AMELIA PARKER. Her screen credits include NBC’s TAKEN, FAR CRY 5 and MY LITTLE PONY. Peeters and her past acting experience enable her to write material populated by richly diverse and layered characters. She was selected to participate in the inaugural class of the WarnerMedia Access x Canadian Academy Writers Program. She is also an alumna of the Canadian Film Center's 2018 Writers' Lab, a 2018 Magee TV Diverse Screenwriters Award recipient and a Netflix-Banff 2019 & 2020 Diversity of Voices participant. Peeters spearheaded #StartWith8HollywoodNorth, a program aimed at connecting industry leaders and emerging women and non-binary, BIPOC creatives.
Producer & Actor - Annabelle
Enuka Okuma is a producer, writer, director and actress, garnering more than sixty-five credits to her name. She is best known for her series regular roles on ABC’s ROOKIE BLUE and YouTube Premium's sci-fi series IMPULSE, produced and directed by Doug Liman (THE BOURNE IDENTITY). Doubling down on both sides of the camera, Enuka is currently a writer on the NETFLIX/CBC series WORKIN' MOMS, while simultaneously starring as the newest lead character on the show. Enuka co-wrote the ROOKIE BLUE episode entitled “Best Man" and she also wrote, directed and produced the short film COOKIE, starring Jennifer Finnigan (MOONSHINE, SALVATION) and Jonathan Silverman (WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S), which went on to screen in over twenty film festivals worldwide. The feature film Enuka wrote entitled OUT COME THE WOLVES, stars Missy Peregrym (FBI) and shoots in 2022.
Producer
Adria Budd-Johnson is a Toronto-based writer-producer with over 20 years in television, feature film and animation, in production and development. She wrote on the first Computer Animated TV series, REBOOT, was on the creative team for two IMAX Ridefilms and produced and digitally distributed her first feature and numerous short films. Co-founder of Process Entertainment with partner/husband Eric Johnson (50 SHADES DARKER, PRETTY LITTLE LIARS:ORIGINAL SIN) their projects in development include: Level Films feature film S.O.S., the first Singapore-Canadian Treaty Co-production, starring Amybeth McNulty (ANNE WITH AN E) and Byron Mann (SKYSCRAPER), directed by Brett Sullivan; feature film REMIND ME, from award winning writer Andrew Rai Berzins and director Eric Johnson; and the Superchannel feature documentary on the controversial Indian Bandit-Queen-turned-Parliamentarian Phoolan Devi. Adria is a member of the WGC, CMPA, WIFT-T and a Transatlantic Partners Alumna.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
ANNABELLE, an awkward in her own skin forty-two-year-old woman, has invited eighteen-year-old TESSIE, an extroverted sex worker, to stay with her in her mother, Libby's home. Over a vodka-fueled game of Never Have I Ever, they challenge each other to reveal themselves. Through the game, Annabelle and Tessie explore their differences and similarities, especially their fractured relationships with their parents: Tessie's mom died when she was ten and her dad kicked her out, while Annabelle's dad left when she was young. Through their conversation, an undeniable chemistry builds between them that neither knows what to do with. While Tessie initiates contact, wordlessly extending the offer of a sexual liason, Annabelle's discomfort gets in the way and she brings the evening to a close. With the possibility of a deeper connection hanging in the air between them, Annabelle watches after Tessie, who heads off to bed.
The images in this campaign are from our initial shoot of Woman Meets Girl. We began shooting this short in November of 2020, but we were forced to shut down in the middle of production due to Covid. We were only able to shoot half of our film last year and we are looking to raise funding to finish production. We've secured the cast, the team and the location to shoot in November 2021 and we hope to count on your support to finish shooting the film.
We were able to create a mid-production trailer, using some raw footage from our initial shoot. While the project is very much a work in progress, as we still need to finish filming and this footage is without treatment for colour, sound and more, we wanted to provide a sneak peak of what's to come with Woman Meets Girl.
ANNABELLE, played by ENUKA OKUMA (WORKIN' MOMS, IMPULSE, ROOKIE BLUE)
*All photos by www.tayoyannickanton.com
TESSIE, played by CHELSEA RUSSELL (SEE, 21 BLACK FUTURES, TINY PRETTY THINGS).
At its core, this is a story about love. Parental love. Platonic love. Romantic love. Self-love.
With distance comes perspective. As I reflect on my relationship with my late-mother, I can see the ways in which my perception of it has shifted through the years. Many girls go through a difficult period with their mothers, but not all girls get the opportunity to come out the other side and get to reconcile with them. For those girls, that work has to be done on their own.
I was interested in telling a story about both the complicated mother-daughter relationship, finding connection in unexpected places and the secret power of vulnerability.
Both Annabelle and her mother Libby have complex feelings for one another, though neither is fully able to express how they feel. This generational trauma bleeds into every faucet of Annabelle's life as she struggles with self-esteem and self-actualization. Annabelle had her mother with her for most of her life and their inability to communicate played a huge part in who she became. Tessie lost her mother at a young age and her factured relationship with her father influenced her development.
In many ways Annabelle and Tessie are at different places on the same path. They both struggle with love and its expression. Ultimately, through their time together, they each learn from the other and begin to heal. This is far from a simple story. It is intended to pose ethical dilemmas. To make you think. Discuss. And hopefully, self-reflect.
The piece I have chosen for this short encapsulates the essence of one of the two main relationships in the film. Here, we see Tessie's desire to provoke and shock Annabelle, testing her limits and we see Annabelle's desire to know Tessie and her refusal to truly let herself be known. Both women have a complicated relationship with love and are figuring out how to let themselves love and be loved in return.
Director, MURRY PEETERS with Chelsea Russell.
Director MURRY PEETERS with Enuka Okuma.
Director MURRY PEETERS with Chelsea Russell and Enuka Okuma.
Enuka, Adria and I funded the initial shoot and we were able to land an amazing camera and equipment rental. However, in order to finish shooting the film with this second shoot, we are faced again with the same costs of production. Factoring in labour, rentals, food and more, the budget of this second shoot is essentially just as much as our initial shoot was. This is why we need your support.
Seed & Spark requires at least 80% of the project to be funded in order to get the green light. We need to reach our goal in 30 days or we don't receive anything and all your contributions revert back to you. Please help us get that green light!
Our goal of $8,500 will greenlight the production of the project. However, we will still need more to finish and deliver the film to the world. Though I’ve applied to arts council grants to hopefully fund post-production, grants are not guaranteed. If we can reach the following stretch goals, that would unlock new possibilities:
$4,000 - Post-Production
$1,500 - Festival submissions & marketing budget
$1,500 - Music Licensing
Although our production shoots in November 2021, we're closely monitoring the situation and are ready to adapt our production plan to keep everyone safe.
Our entire cast and crew will be tested prior to production and we'll have on site rapid antigen testing during the shoot (thank you Toronto Region Board of Trade!) We're hoping by the time we shoot, cases will be down even further and the vaccine rates in Toronto will be higher. We will take COVID precautions very seriously and ensure that our shoot is safe.
FOLLOW our campaign here for FREE! Building our audience and growing followers on Seed & Spark unlocks products, services and festival fee waivers courtesy of Seed & Spark.
PLEDGE & CONTRIBUTE by clicking the "Make a Pledge" button at the top of this page, by selecting an amazing Incentive or by donating toward our Wish List in the tab above.
SPREAD THE WORD about our campaign via social media or e-mail. YOU can help us reach our goal by SHARING with your network using Seed & Spark’s handy share tools (next to the FOLLOW button) on the top right of this page. It’s EASY to share our campaign with your friends and family!
Follow us on SOCIAL MEDIA to get the latest Woman Meets Girl updates!
Twitter: @WMGFilm @murrypeeters @enukaokuma @abuddjohnson
Instagram: @WMGFilm @murrypeeters @enukaokumaofficial @abuddjohnson
Facebook:@WMGFilm
Feel free to COPY & PASTE these examples!
Join me in supporting @WMGFilm by contributing to their @seedandspark crowdfunding campaign: https://bit.ly/WMGSSCampaign
I can't WAIT to see @WMGFilm!! But first they need to finish fundraising!! Help them reach their crowdfunding goal @seedandspark: https://bit.ly/WMGSSCampaign
Make sure to use #WomanMeetsGirl and tag us when you post!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs C$0
CAST & CREW
Costs C$3,300
From Production Assistants to the Actors, all these talented people work together to make the film.
EQUIPMENT
Costs C$2,500
All the Camera Gear, Lighting & Sound Equipment Rentals we need to make it look great.
INSURANCE
Costs C$1,100
We got it all covered.
FOOD
Costs C$500
A film crew marches on their stomachs! No hungry folks on our set.
TRANSPORTATION
Costs C$425
Necessary to get all the gear from the rental house to the location & back.
HAIR, MAKE UP & WARDROBE
Costs C$425
Hair, Make up and Wardrobe is essential to help our Actors to BE their character.
COVID TESTING & PPE
Costs C$250
Protection & Prevention
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer & Director
Murry Peeters (she/her) is an actor/screenwriter. Recent screenwriting credits include: THE PARKER-ANDERSONS and AMELIA PARKER. Her screen credits include NBC’s TAKEN, FAR CRY 5 and MY LITTLE PONY. Peeters and her past acting experience enable her to write material populated by richly diverse and layered characters. She was selected to participate in the inaugural class of the WarnerMedia Access x Canadian Academy Writers Program. She is also an alumna of the Canadian Film Center's 2018 Writers' Lab, a 2018 Magee TV Diverse Screenwriters Award recipient and a Netflix-Banff 2019 & 2020 Diversity of Voices participant. Peeters spearheaded #StartWith8HollywoodNorth, a program aimed at connecting industry leaders and emerging women and non-binary, BIPOC creatives.
Producer & Actor - Annabelle
Enuka Okuma is a producer, writer, director and actress, garnering more than sixty-five credits to her name. She is best known for her series regular roles on ABC’s ROOKIE BLUE and YouTube Premium's sci-fi series IMPULSE, produced and directed by Doug Liman (THE BOURNE IDENTITY). Doubling down on both sides of the camera, Enuka is currently a writer on the NETFLIX/CBC series WORKIN' MOMS, while simultaneously starring as the newest lead character on the show. Enuka co-wrote the ROOKIE BLUE episode entitled “Best Man" and she also wrote, directed and produced the short film COOKIE, starring Jennifer Finnigan (MOONSHINE, SALVATION) and Jonathan Silverman (WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S), which went on to screen in over twenty film festivals worldwide. The feature film Enuka wrote entitled OUT COME THE WOLVES, stars Missy Peregrym (FBI) and shoots in 2022.
Producer
Adria Budd-Johnson is a Toronto-based writer-producer with over 20 years in television, feature film and animation, in production and development. She wrote on the first Computer Animated TV series, REBOOT, was on the creative team for two IMAX Ridefilms and produced and digitally distributed her first feature and numerous short films. Co-founder of Process Entertainment with partner/husband Eric Johnson (50 SHADES DARKER, PRETTY LITTLE LIARS:ORIGINAL SIN) their projects in development include: Level Films feature film S.O.S., the first Singapore-Canadian Treaty Co-production, starring Amybeth McNulty (ANNE WITH AN E) and Byron Mann (SKYSCRAPER), directed by Brett Sullivan; feature film REMIND ME, from award winning writer Andrew Rai Berzins and director Eric Johnson; and the Superchannel feature documentary on the controversial Indian Bandit-Queen-turned-Parliamentarian Phoolan Devi. Adria is a member of the WGC, CMPA, WIFT-T and a Transatlantic Partners Alumna.