About this project
I Believe In Unicorns
$20,266
323
I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS is an independent feature film about an imaginative teenage girl who gets in over her head when she runs away with an older boy and not even unicorns can save her now.
We premiered at the SXSW Film Festival and need your help to continue the journey!
The Story...
Davina is an imaginative and strong-willed teenage girl who often escapes into a beautifully twisted fantasy life. Having grown up quickly as the sole caretaker of her disabled mother, she looks for salvation in a new relationship with an older boy. Davina is swept into a whirlwind of romance and adventure, but the enchantment of her new relationship quickly fades when Sterling’s volatile side begins to emerge. I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS takes us on a road trip through the stunning and complex landscape of troubled young love.
This is a deeply personal film. I grew up taking care of my mother who has been in a wheelchair since I was two years old. For my debut feature, I returned to my childhood home so she could act in the film alongside a talented young actress playing a fictionalized version of my younger self. I believe it is important to tell stories with strong female protagonists and wanted to create a character who is raw, vulnerable, and acts based on impulses that she does not yet fully understand.
Through an honest yet artful portrayal of a complex young couple in a volatile relationship, I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS hopes to validate alternative experiences and show young people that they are not alone.
The Journey So Far...
We recently wrapped production on I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS, including an elaborate fantasy shoot and extensive stop-motion animation shot one frame of 16mm film at a time. From underwater acrobatics to displays of fireworks, each day of shooting brought a new adventure. We carried dolly track over a mountain, built a circus in a windstorm and drove a muscle car leaking mysterious green fluid along expansive highways. We are currently deep in post-production, putting the finishing touches on a beautiful film which we cannot wait to share with all of you.
We have an incredible team, including executive producer Allison Anders, producer Heather Rae, rising stars Natalia Dyer, Peter Vack, Julia Garner, Amy Seimetz, and dozens of talented crew members who have contributed their time and energy to bring this heartfelt story to life. We hope to welcome you into the Unicorns family as we gear up to release this magical film into the world.
I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS is an official fellow of the Tribeca All Access Labs, IFP Emerging Narrative Labs, IFP Narrative Finishing Labs, Edit Center program, US in Progress Paris program and New York Film Festival's Emerging Visions program, with additional support from San Francisco Film Society, the Tribeca Film Institute and the Adrienne Shelly Foundation. We have had amazing opportunities and industry support thus far, but we need your help to get us to the finish line!
Here's Where You Come In...
We are raising funds on Kickstarter to finish I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS in the best possible way before releasing it into the world.
Your donation will help us complete the sound mix, color correction, and musical soundtrack for the film as well as all festival deliverables.
Please help us finish I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS and make our dreams come true!
The Team...
Lead actress Natalia Dyer is an exciting and dynamic actress who has quickly blossomed into one of Hollywood's most promising young stars. She recently completed filming the sci-fi drama AFTER DARKNESS starring starring Kyra Sedgwick and Tim Daly as her parents. Other credits include THE BETWEEN and BLUE LIKE JAZZ (SXSW 2012).
Peter Vack plays a lead role in the upcoming Amazon show MOZART IN THE JUNGLE, directed by Paul Weitz and written by Jason Schwartzman, Roman Coppola, and Alex Timbers and also starred in the independent feature CONSENT and was the lead on Doug Limon’s cult dramedy series I JUST WANT MY PANTS BACK on MTV.
Supporting actress Julia Garner recently shot SIN CITY 2 opposite Joseph Gordon Levitt and stars in Jim Mickle’s WE ARE WHAT WE ARE (Sundance 2013) and Rebecca Thomas’ ELECTRICK CHILDREN (SXSW 2012). Her first film was MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE which premiered at Sundance in 2011.
Amy Seimetz is a series regular on AMC’s THE KILLING and was named an “Actor to Watch” by Variety following her lead performance in UPSTREAM COLOR. She recently starred in Ti West’s THE SACRAMENT and Megan Griffith’s LUCKY THEM, both of which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.
Writer/director Leah Meyerhoff is a New York based filmmaker who has won several high profile grants from IFP, the Tribeca Film Institute and the Adrienne Shelly Foundation. Her award winning short films TWITCH, LIKE OUR FATHERS, ETERNAL FLAME and TEAM QUEEN have screened at hundreds of film festivals worldwide, been shortlisted for the Gotham Awards and Student Academy Awards, and aired on IFC, PBS, LOGO and MTV. She was one of ten filmmakers chosen to participate in Emerging Visions at the New York Film Festival, is a Tribeca Film Institute mentor and recently won the 2013 Adrienne Shelly Director’s Director’s Award. She holds a BA in Art-Semiotics from Brown University and is a Dean's Fellow in Graduate Film at NYU.
Producer Heather Rae has worked for more than twenty years in the film industry. She produced the Academy Award nominated film FROZEN RIVER which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. Additional films she has produced include TRUDELL (Sundance 2005), IBID (SXSW 2008), THE DRY LAND (Sundance 2010), MAGIC VALLEY (Tribeca 2011), MOSQUITA Y MARI (Sundance 2012) and ASS BACKWARDS (Sundance 2013). She is Cherokee and mother of three.
Executive producer Allison Anders won a Peabody Award and three Independent Spirit Award nominations for her film THINGS BEHIND THE SUN. Previous films include BORDER RADIO (Spirit Award nom), GAS FOOD LODGING (Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals), MI VIDA LOCA, GRACE OF MY HEART, SUGAR TOWN and a segment of FOUR ROOMS, produced by Quentin Tarantino. She executive produced LOVER GIRL and THE PACIFIC AND EDDY and her television credits include SEX AND THE CITY, THE L WORD and SOUTHLAND.
Co-producer Katie Mustard has overseen the production of 25 features including THE MISSING PERSON (Michael Shannon and Amy Ryan), MADE IN CHINA (Best Feature SXSW 2009), THE GREATEST (Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandon), THE SON OF NO ONE (Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, Ray Liotta, Channing Tatum), NIGHT CATCHES US (Sundance 2010) RESTLESS CITY (Sundance 2010), A CASE OF YOU (Evan Rachel Wood, Sam Rockwell) and WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS (SXSW 2014).
Cinematographer Jarin Blaschke is an alumni of the Sundance Labs whose previous film credits include BOMB (Sundance 2007), THE DAWN CHORUS (Sundance 2007), CRAZY BEATS STRONG EVERY TIME (Sundance 2008) and BABYGIRL (Tribeca 2012). I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS is his fifth feature film.
Katherine Rusch collaborated with Leah Meyerhoff previously on the Joan As Police Woman music video ETERNAL FLAME. She also was the production designer on the feature films NOT WAVING BUT DROWNING, HAPPY NEW YEAR, KILL ME LATER and art director for KALAMATI, BUZZKILL and ACHCHAMUNDU! ACHCHAMUNDU!
Costume designer Emily Batson’s film credits include THE LIE (Sundance 2011), TREATMENT (Tribeca 2011), FOOTSTEPS, HAPPINESS RUNS, BENEATH THE DARK, SAN SABA, CARELESS and SCHOOLED. She has also worked in the costume department of several television series including DEADWOOD and FIRST DAY.
Composer Sasha Gordon has scored dozens of short films and several independent features including DEAR LEMON LIMA, TRUE BROMANCE, OUR SCHOOL and the documentary CAMP VICTORY AFGHANISTAN. She recently received an MFA from New York University.
Michael Taylor recently edited LOVE IS STRANGE directed by Ira Sachs (Sundance 2013), HATESHIP LOVESHIP directed by Liza Johnson and starring Kristen Wiig and Guy Pearce (Toronto 2013), PRICE CHECK starring Parker Posey (Sundance 2012) and THE COMEDY starring Tim Heidecker (Sundance 2012).
Unicorns Online...
Official website: www.unicornsthemovie.com
Facebook: facebook.com/unicornsthemovie
Twitter: @unicornsmovie
Risks and challenges
I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS has already been shot, edited and sound designed so there is almost no risk to your donation. Please help us put the finishing touches on this magical film!
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Funding period
- (30 days)