Wormball.
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Experimental
Freti throws up worms. Mawn thinks she's a cow. Oh, and also, a notorious college rapist is banging at their door. With urgency and absurdity, WORMBALL disrupts the oppressive need for clarity. What if several stories were true at once? What if a lie is a symptom of a greater societal failure?
Wormball.
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Experimental
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $6,910 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
81 supporters | followers
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Freti throws up worms. Mawn thinks she's a cow. Oh, and also, a notorious college rapist is banging at their door. With urgency and absurdity, WORMBALL disrupts the oppressive need for clarity. What if several stories were true at once? What if a lie is a symptom of a greater societal failure?
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Freti, Mawn, and May are seniors at a tiny unnamed liberal arts college, navigating a toxic world of secrets, sex, lies—and worms. Freti is unraveling: constantly drunk, vomiting worms, plagued by panic attacks, and flashbacks of a sexual trauma from her past. After a rough night, she hallucinates a grotesque version of herself—Pig Freti—who devours worms like candy. On the same night, Mawn, a sex worker with deep-seated trauma of her own, hallucinates her Cow Self in lingerie and lipstick. Something is boiling to the surface for both of these women.
Over the course of one night, Mawn becomes convinced that Freti has been sexually assaulted, and her rage fixates on a rumored predator: Steven, a student canceled by most of the campus. When Mawn, May, and Freti learn that Steven is expected to come to their house for a pre-game, panic erupts. What happens is unclear—but by the end, Mawn has blood on her knuckles, a pig spits on Freti, and Mawn and Freti both throw up worms.
Imagine a muddy pig in a pristine college cafeteria, a doll’s head talking to you from the street, or your throw-up turning into live earthworms. WORMBALL will be a fragile, expressionistic world that reflects Freti and Mawn’s experiences of trauma. Think Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets Fleabag meets Daisies meets Euphoria.
With a dedicated producing body led by Jacqueline Evangelista, Alexander Peña, Noah Morely, and Tin Can Contingency, WORMBALL is currently simmering and sizzling in pre-production. With locations, schedules, and a passionate team in place, we are slated and prepped to film in late October.
We believe in this movie and its mission. Our goal is to raise $7,924 now to make a short film. Then, we will take that short film to festivals.
But the first question you must be wondering is.....
From Writer & Director Ella Talerico
As a survivor of sexual assault, I never felt fully seen. I felt pigeonholed, told what to believe about my trauma and how to name it. Survivors are given contradictory messages: You're a liar! You're an inspiration! You're overreacting! You're underreacting! I read an article about a woman who lied about having been gang-raped by six men, when in fact she had ‘only’ been raped by one. When asked why she lied, she simply said, “That’s how it felt.” That stuck with me.
Trauma chemically alters the brain and the way it stores memory.
Through a delicate mix of muggy, wacky surrealism and cold-hard realism, we aim to honor the emotional truth of a trauma and illustrate the way it fragments a survivor’s psyche. Trauma is never tidy—it’s emotional, confusing, nonlinear. There is no gray area for survivors to approach their trauma on their own terms. We can’t accept a flawed person or a flawed memory. WORMBALL aims to upend that.
With the experience of myself and so many other women as my guide, I am determined to treat this story with the care, kindness, empathy, and passion that it demands.
Pictured Above: Angelina Papa, playing MAWN/COW MAWN*
*NOTE: the mask used in this photo will not be used in the film, we are using a prosthetic cow nose and clever makeup for COW MAWN's appearance.
The public craves clarity. WORMBALL rejects the oppressive demand for singular truths. It asks: What if multiple stories are true at once? What if lies are symptoms of deeper societal failure?
Pictured Above: Mady Ockner, playing FRETI/PIG FRETI
Your contributions will help us cover the cost of set dressing, lighting and sound equipment, costumes, food, and travel for our crew. By donating you will not only be supporting emerging filmmakers' dreams, but you will also be receiving AWESOME PERKS - from stickers, to instagram shout outs, to special thanks and executive producer credits. However much you are able to give, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making this dream a reality.
Check out our WISHLIST to see how your money is specifically being allocated, every bit of it matters. Want to know who's on our RAD team? Check out the TEAM page!
There is much more to come, and we cannot WAIT to share WORMBALL with you.
A little wormy teaser for you....
Example of Ella's previous experimental work....
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
SET DRESSING
Costs $200
Set Dressing to make Freti's apartment look realistic and symbolic will require: unique posters, throws, rugs, pillows, photos, etc.
PROPS
Costs $224
Props will include: fake worms, real worms, fake alcohol, refrigerator items, consumables, pink towels, fake weed paraphernalia, etc.
MAKE-UP & HAIR DRESSING / WARDROBE
Costs $500
Primarily used in prosthetic cow and pig nose, as well as symbolically relevant clothing for the characters. Fake blood, as well.
INSURANCE
Costs $2,000
To keep ourselves and the locations protected!
TRANSPORTATION
Costs $800
To transport actors from NYC and LA to the set, as well as any gasoline costs for cars used for production errands.
FOOD & AMENITIES FOR CAST AND CREW
Costs $1,500
To pay for the cost of meals that are taken over 12 hour days for 4 days, as well as any other necessary amenities for the cast and crew.
CONTINGENCY
Costs $700
As we all know, sometimes unexpected events occur. We want to be prepared and have money in the bank when they do!
Security & Location Costs
Costs $2,000
Pay for required on-set security (insurance reasons) as well as location costs
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
To learn more about Ella, visit ellatalerico.com or check out her instagram @ellatalerico
FULL CREW LIST:
Pre-Production Producer and Script Advisor | Noah Morely
Director of Photography | Preston Bowe
Production Designer | Jane Lipper
Composer | Avery Duer
1st AD | Alexander Peña
2nd AD | Vi To
1st CA | Miranda Fishkin
2nd CA | Catalina Arias Vásquez
Gaffer and Key Grip | Laura Weiss
Grip | Ella Maniatis
Co Sound Technicians | Jae Young Nigalye and Majka Kiely-Miller
Costume & Prosthetics Designer | Maria Shansonga
Set Decorator & Props | Sadie Hammarhead
Production Assistants | Will Luber, Nandini Likki, and Caroline Humphrey
FULL CAST LIST:
ANGELINA PAPA as MAWN
MADELYN OCKNER as FRETI
MARIAH C JONES as MAY
LEVI SREBALUS as OLLY
THOMAS ROMBACH as SOME GUY
COLE SMITH as MIKE
ROMAN SHAHEEN and SAMUEL ANDREWS as Various Male Roles
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Freti, Mawn, and May are seniors at a tiny unnamed liberal arts college, navigating a toxic world of secrets, sex, lies—and worms. Freti is unraveling: constantly drunk, vomiting worms, plagued by panic attacks, and flashbacks of a sexual trauma from her past. After a rough night, she hallucinates a grotesque version of herself—Pig Freti—who devours worms like candy. On the same night, Mawn, a sex worker with deep-seated trauma of her own, hallucinates her Cow Self in lingerie and lipstick. Something is boiling to the surface for both of these women.
Over the course of one night, Mawn becomes convinced that Freti has been sexually assaulted, and her rage fixates on a rumored predator: Steven, a student canceled by most of the campus. When Mawn, May, and Freti learn that Steven is expected to come to their house for a pre-game, panic erupts. What happens is unclear—but by the end, Mawn has blood on her knuckles, a pig spits on Freti, and Mawn and Freti both throw up worms.
Imagine a muddy pig in a pristine college cafeteria, a doll’s head talking to you from the street, or your throw-up turning into live earthworms. WORMBALL will be a fragile, expressionistic world that reflects Freti and Mawn’s experiences of trauma. Think Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets Fleabag meets Daisies meets Euphoria.
With a dedicated producing body led by Jacqueline Evangelista, Alexander Peña, Noah Morely, and Tin Can Contingency, WORMBALL is currently simmering and sizzling in pre-production. With locations, schedules, and a passionate team in place, we are slated and prepped to film in late October.
We believe in this movie and its mission. Our goal is to raise $7,924 now to make a short film. Then, we will take that short film to festivals.
But the first question you must be wondering is.....
From Writer & Director Ella Talerico
As a survivor of sexual assault, I never felt fully seen. I felt pigeonholed, told what to believe about my trauma and how to name it. Survivors are given contradictory messages: You're a liar! You're an inspiration! You're overreacting! You're underreacting! I read an article about a woman who lied about having been gang-raped by six men, when in fact she had ‘only’ been raped by one. When asked why she lied, she simply said, “That’s how it felt.” That stuck with me.
Trauma chemically alters the brain and the way it stores memory.
Through a delicate mix of muggy, wacky surrealism and cold-hard realism, we aim to honor the emotional truth of a trauma and illustrate the way it fragments a survivor’s psyche. Trauma is never tidy—it’s emotional, confusing, nonlinear. There is no gray area for survivors to approach their trauma on their own terms. We can’t accept a flawed person or a flawed memory. WORMBALL aims to upend that.
With the experience of myself and so many other women as my guide, I am determined to treat this story with the care, kindness, empathy, and passion that it demands.
Pictured Above: Angelina Papa, playing MAWN/COW MAWN*
*NOTE: the mask used in this photo will not be used in the film, we are using a prosthetic cow nose and clever makeup for COW MAWN's appearance.
The public craves clarity. WORMBALL rejects the oppressive demand for singular truths. It asks: What if multiple stories are true at once? What if lies are symptoms of deeper societal failure?
Pictured Above: Mady Ockner, playing FRETI/PIG FRETI
Your contributions will help us cover the cost of set dressing, lighting and sound equipment, costumes, food, and travel for our crew. By donating you will not only be supporting emerging filmmakers' dreams, but you will also be receiving AWESOME PERKS - from stickers, to instagram shout outs, to special thanks and executive producer credits. However much you are able to give, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making this dream a reality.
Check out our WISHLIST to see how your money is specifically being allocated, every bit of it matters. Want to know who's on our RAD team? Check out the TEAM page!
There is much more to come, and we cannot WAIT to share WORMBALL with you.
A little wormy teaser for you....
Example of Ella's previous experimental work....
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
SET DRESSING
Costs $200
Set Dressing to make Freti's apartment look realistic and symbolic will require: unique posters, throws, rugs, pillows, photos, etc.
PROPS
Costs $224
Props will include: fake worms, real worms, fake alcohol, refrigerator items, consumables, pink towels, fake weed paraphernalia, etc.
MAKE-UP & HAIR DRESSING / WARDROBE
Costs $500
Primarily used in prosthetic cow and pig nose, as well as symbolically relevant clothing for the characters. Fake blood, as well.
INSURANCE
Costs $2,000
To keep ourselves and the locations protected!
TRANSPORTATION
Costs $800
To transport actors from NYC and LA to the set, as well as any gasoline costs for cars used for production errands.
FOOD & AMENITIES FOR CAST AND CREW
Costs $1,500
To pay for the cost of meals that are taken over 12 hour days for 4 days, as well as any other necessary amenities for the cast and crew.
CONTINGENCY
Costs $700
As we all know, sometimes unexpected events occur. We want to be prepared and have money in the bank when they do!
Security & Location Costs
Costs $2,000
Pay for required on-set security (insurance reasons) as well as location costs
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
To learn more about Ella, visit ellatalerico.com or check out her instagram @ellatalerico
FULL CREW LIST:
Pre-Production Producer and Script Advisor | Noah Morely
Director of Photography | Preston Bowe
Production Designer | Jane Lipper
Composer | Avery Duer
1st AD | Alexander Peña
2nd AD | Vi To
1st CA | Miranda Fishkin
2nd CA | Catalina Arias Vásquez
Gaffer and Key Grip | Laura Weiss
Grip | Ella Maniatis
Co Sound Technicians | Jae Young Nigalye and Majka Kiely-Miller
Costume & Prosthetics Designer | Maria Shansonga
Set Decorator & Props | Sadie Hammarhead
Production Assistants | Will Luber, Nandini Likki, and Caroline Humphrey
FULL CAST LIST:
ANGELINA PAPA as MAWN
MADELYN OCKNER as FRETI
MARIAH C JONES as MAY
LEVI SREBALUS as OLLY
THOMAS ROMBACH as SOME GUY
COLE SMITH as MIKE
ROMAN SHAHEEN and SAMUEL ANDREWS as Various Male Roles