Wunderkind is a meditative, slice-of-life short film that follows two half-sisters as they spend a summer weekend together in Hingham, Massachusetts.

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If you grew up or live in a suburban town, this film is for you.

If you long for more LGBTQ+ representation in media, this film is for you.

If you have a sister, this film is for you.

If you have a daughter, this film is for you.

If you’re nostalgic for the slow, saccharine summers of childhood, this film is for you.

If you are a struggling creative person in your ‘20s, this film is for you.

Sunny Abbott – a 23-year-old living in New York City working a dead-end job as a corporate presentation designer. She can’t tell if she’s a former artist, or still an artist. She’s about to find out.

Eleanor Abbott– almost 10, true to herself, and super-smart. She goes to fine arts day camp and is unafraid to ask big, bold questions.

Jamie – a 24-year-old trans man living at home…for now. He sees the best in everyone, especially Sunny.

Ms. Lynn –  a magical, hippy-dippy art teacher– Eleanor’s current, Sunny’s former. She’s shaped young artists in town for years.

Wunderkind /ˈwo͝ondərˌkind/ (German)

noun

A person who is very smart or good at something and achieves success at a young age.

Through quippy dialogue, meaningful silences, and intimate shots, Wunderkind asks the question, what does it mean to return home?

Sometimes, home seems just how you left it. Other times, it’s like a foreign place– filled with new storefronts, neighbors you’ve never met, and changed landscapes. Usually, both are true at the same time. This film explores the beauty and challenges of that coexistence.

It weaves together all the details we love and miss about summer in Hingham – camp, the ocean, the woods– and combines that imagery with themes of self-doubt, success, and family relationships.

It’s also an homage to the brilliant, kind, and funny children we’ve met and known throughout our lives. In high school and college, we babysat and taught theater to so many interesting children along the South Shore. We wanted to create a role for a young actor to represent the love and curiosity we have for kids.

In 2020, Casey’s parents bought the home of our childhood art teacher, Ms. Lynn. We grew up spending afternoons at ‘Ms. Lynn’s’ making art projects. In her cozy first-floor studio, we learned the fundamentals of crafting and sourcing materials from the natural world around us. We would gather sticks, uncooked beans, and pasta to make the alphabet, and swirl paints together to create still-life portraits. It was an early time of unbridled creativity– one we will forever try to cultivate.

Returning to this storied and generative home as young adults feels like a wonderful stroke of luck. Walking around in the studio is transcendental; the space is ripe for storytelling. We want to use this opportunity to make art that inspires like we were taught all those years ago. It will serve as the setting for the Abbott family home, Sunny and Eleanor’s father’s house.

The seed of Wunderkind was born from reflective journaling sessions about Hingham– all of the people and places that made us who we are today. As Kyra and Sarah co-wrote, they noticed many similarities between their entries. From long walks at World’s End to ice cream at Nona’s to teachers who taught them the importance of empathy, they couldn’t help but marvel at the magic of where they were raised. They discovered that the notion of “who I am” is forever entangled with “where I am from.” Hingham is already cinematic– now it just needs an innovative filmmaking team to do it justice!

Casey Hussey (producer/co-director) and Kyra McConnell (co-writer/Sunny) met at the age of 3 at Preschool Playmates in Hingham. They have remained close friends ever since, coming up together in the HPS drama program, and performing in shows with Kids’ Cabaret and the Company Theatre. They now live 10 minutes apart in Brooklyn, New York, where Sarah Allen (co-writer/co-director) also lives. Sarah found her creative outlet in the HPS visual arts program, where she studied drawing, painting, and ceramics. The three have reconnected as college graduates forging careers in filmmaking and are setting out to make the short film of their dreams.

Wunderkind will mark Casey, Kyra, and Sarah’s fourth film collaboration, after Unturned (written/directed by Kyra, script supervised by Casey) Gone by 5 (written by Kyra, directed by Casey, assistant directed by Sarah), and A Shot in the Dark (written/directed by Sarah, starring Kyra.)

Through this partnership with Seed&Spark, we are crowdfunding to raise $12,000 that will go towards the making of this short film. Anything you can give will be much appreciated!

With a total budget goal of $18,000, our fundraising plan depends on support from the Hingham and greater South Shore communities. From connecting with budding artists to working with local organizations that make our hometown so special, the only way to make this movie is through collaboration.

Growing up in suburban Massachusetts, film –as a form of storytelling, creative expression, and as an industry– felt inaccessible and far away, in nebulous Hollywood. We each discovered it on our own, in distinct ways, as undergraduates. A goal of Wunderkind is to offer an exclusive look into the filmmaking process and the power of cinema to community members, especially young people.

Making a movie, no matter the length, is not cheap. With your generosity, all donations will go toward maintaining a professional production– one where people’s needs are met, everybody feels safe and heard, and there is plenty of room for FUN! We’re asking for your support to help cover travel costs, crew labor compensation, nourishing sustenance for our hardworking team, film equipment rentals, set design & decoration, and more. No amount is too small.

Now more than ever, our world needs original, independent art made by real and passionate humans who strive to do good. By donating to our short film, you are investing in the careers of emerging artists– and that is something to celebrate.

FOLLOW! SHARE! PLEDGE!

There are so many ways for you to support this project, most importantly by spreading the word. Tell your family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, & students! Thank you!