MARY MEET GRACE

Thriller, Drama

Film Short

Los Angeles, California

When Grace, a troubled young woman, gets a phone call from a mysterious stranger, she ends up accompanying him to spread the ashes of the birth mother she so desperately wanted to meet.

5 Days, 17 Hours Left

$13,270 of $16,000

for PRE-PRODUCTION

176 supporters

183 followers

Enter the amount you'd like to pledge:

The Story

Mission Statement

Our mission is to explore the underrepresented subject of adoption and how it affects one's identity, while pushing the boundaries of the thriller genre. I want to tell stories by and for this incredible team of creative, powerful women that I'm lucky enough to have with me on this project.

About The Project

I have felt divinely driven to make this movie. I feel led. Obsessed. It has been a crystal vision from day 1.

The story follows Grace, who has suffered the recent loss of her father, as I just have. She is numb, vulnerable and craves family and connection. Considering herself a Charlie Brown type, the one who always gets the empty fortune cookie, she can't seem to get out from that dark cloud. Out of nowhere a stranger calls, telling Grace that the birth mother she never knew, Mary, has died.

He proposes to meet up, wanting to tell Grace about Mary and give her some of her personal items. When they meet in a local Los Angeles Park, he is shocked at the resemblance to Mary and immediately feels a connection. He asks if she would want to accompany him to the desert to spread Mary's ashes and along the way promises to tell her all about the woman she so desperately wanted to know.

As an adopted kid myself I yearned to discover where I came from and tried to imagine the woman who grew me. I love being adopted. Growing up I felt lucky and special, but I also felt a certain sadness and a disconnect to my lack of biological heritage.

For Grace, her eager desperation blinds her to danger. She so badly wants to unlock these secret missing peices of herself that she can't see the warning signs right in front of her.

After fundraising we are ready to go right into production. Our crew is assembled, our locations are scouted, our actors are rehearsing. On set covid safety guidelines will be strictly followed.

I'm excited to get into post production, which is a completely other art form. A beauiful beast of a thing, that blows my mind everytime. Once we have a final cut of MARY MEET GRACE, which is expected to run about 10-12 minutes, we will submit it to many festivals. I expect the next year to be busy. Stay tuned!

We're so excited to bring this fun, suspenseful and sinister story to light.

Incentives

$10

A Family Hug

$10 support will immediately get you a social media SHOUTOUT and a big ole THANK YOU in the credits. It's a wink. It's a high five. It means something to us. And will certainly make a difference.

$25

Welcome To The Family

Receive a photoshopped picture of yourself in place of "Mary", along with the caption "YOUR NAME helped Mary, Meet Grace!"

At this support level, you'll get:
*A sharable photoshopped picture of yourself in the above portrait.
*All previous incentives

$50

The Family Crest

Why is the skate bloody?! WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS MOVIE?!

At this support level, you'll get:
*A custom 'Mary, Meet Grace' enamel pin of a bloody rollerskate
*All previous incentives

(Pin design by The Tiny Witch)

$100

The Family Business

Join us in rehearsal as we gear up to shoot! How do Clint and Faryl get to the core of these characters? How do they create a safe space to feel at risk with each other? Why does Grace go with Dom? What does Dom really want from Grace? Join us for a virtual rehearsal via a private Zoom link sent dircetly to YOU! At this support level, you'll get:
*A private zoom rehearsal link
*All previous incentives

$250

Family Secrets

GET IN ON THE PROCESS. What do ideas look like as they come? See early notebook ideas, read an early draft of the script, get the latest script, check out the lookbook. (Spoiler, it's lovely!) We will email you a folder of all these things plus other gems, like prop pages and wardrobe pics. This is a major inside look at how we are making Mary, Meet Grace. At this support level, you'll get:
*A 'Mary, Meet Grace' process production pack
*All previous incentives

$500

Family Reunion

Get invited to a private Zoom conversation between Faryl and her birth mother, who appears as "Mary" in the film. Listen to them as they describe the first time they met in 2005, as well as fears and expections surrounding that life changing event.

At this support level, you'll get:
*A private zoom conversation with Faryl and her birth mother
*All previous incentives

$1,000

The Family Silver

Good photography makes for good lives. Recieve a 16" x 20" framed print of a behind the scenes photograph taken on set, signed by the cast. There will be several stunning pictures to choose from, post shoot.

At this support level, you'll get:
*A framed BTS signed photograph
*All previous incentives

$5,000

A Family Affair

BE AN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER! Your name will appear as you want it to in the credits and on IMDB. This is obviously a huge gift and would get us so much closer to telling this story.

At this support level, you'll get:

*TO BE AN EXCUTIVE PRODUCER
*All previous incentives
Wishlist

Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.

CAMERA & CREW

To call: "LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!" We need lights, cameras and YOUR ACTION!

$8,000 to go

costs $8,000

×
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$

Location Location Location

Spoiler: Dom takes Grace to a creepy trailer in the desert. We need to rent one!

$1,100 to go

costs $1,100

×
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$

Covid Compliance

Safety is paramount. We'll take all precautions on set, including having a Covid compliance officer.

$1,200 to go

costs $1,200

×
How much would you like to pledge?
$

Craft services

Feed the workers!

$800 to go

costs $800

×
How much would you like to pledge?
$

MAKEUP & WARDROBE

Well we can't be naked! (Or can we...?)

$1,000 to go

costs $1,000

×
How much would you like to pledge?
$

Festival Entry Costs

We want Mary, Meet Grace to be the belle of the ball at festivals across the globe.

$900 to go

costs $900

×
How much would you like to pledge?
$

POST!

Last looks, baby. Editing is magic.

$3,000 to go

costs $3,000

×
How much would you like to pledge?
$

$10

A Family Hug

$10 support will immediately get you a social media SHOUTOUT and a big ole THANK YOU in the credits. It's a wink. It's a high five. It means something to us. And will certainly make a difference.

$25

Welcome To The Family

Receive a photoshopped picture of yourself in place of "Mary", along with the caption "YOUR NAME helped Mary, Meet Grace!"

At this support level, you'll get:
*A sharable photoshopped picture of yourself in the above portrait.
*All previous incentives

$50

The Family Crest

Why is the skate bloody?! WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS MOVIE?!

At this support level, you'll get:
*A custom 'Mary, Meet Grace' enamel pin of a bloody rollerskate
*All previous incentives

(Pin design by The Tiny Witch)

$100

The Family Business

Join us in rehearsal as we gear up to shoot! How do Clint and Faryl get to the core of these characters? How do they create a safe space to feel at risk with each other? Why does Grace go with Dom? What does Dom really want from Grace? Join us for a virtual rehearsal via a private Zoom link sent dircetly to YOU! At this support level, you'll get:
*A private zoom rehearsal link
*All previous incentives

$250

Family Secrets

GET IN ON THE PROCESS. What do ideas look like as they come? See early notebook ideas, read an early draft of the script, get the latest script, check out the lookbook. (Spoiler, it's lovely!) We will email you a folder of all these things plus other gems, like prop pages and wardrobe pics. This is a major inside look at how we are making Mary, Meet Grace. At this support level, you'll get:
*A 'Mary, Meet Grace' process production pack
*All previous incentives

$500

Family Reunion

Get invited to a private Zoom conversation between Faryl and her birth mother, who appears as "Mary" in the film. Listen to them as they describe the first time they met in 2005, as well as fears and expections surrounding that life changing event.

At this support level, you'll get:
*A private zoom conversation with Faryl and her birth mother
*All previous incentives

$1,000

The Family Silver

Good photography makes for good lives. Recieve a 16" x 20" framed print of a behind the scenes photograph taken on set, signed by the cast. There will be several stunning pictures to choose from, post shoot.

At this support level, you'll get:
*A framed BTS signed photograph
*All previous incentives

$5,000

A Family Affair

BE AN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER! Your name will appear as you want it to in the credits and on IMDB. This is obviously a huge gift and would get us so much closer to telling this story.

At this support level, you'll get:

*TO BE AN EXCUTIVE PRODUCER
*All previous incentives
Updates
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The Team

Current Team

About This Team

Hi, I'm Faryl Amadeus, the writer and director of Mary, Meet Grace. I'm a native New Yorker who now happily calls LA "home".

Everyone connected to this project I've met through fantastic people. Julia and Clint have worked together on muliple projects over the years. Nell, who I know from our days at NYU's Tisch school of the Arts, has also worked with Julia a wild amount and describes her as her "work wife".

Everyone involved with Mary, Meet Grace is sincere and obsessed with storytelling and beauty. There is an optimistic energy that surrounds all of us and a palpible respect for one another. I'm so eager to collaborate with all these wonderful, creative people.

Clint Jordan "Dom"

Clint Jordan is a savagely talently, soulful actor. He's a visual artist and a musician and gives all he has to whatever part he's playing.

Julia Swain - DP

Julia Swain is a cinematographer known for her emotion-driven imagery and ability to portray the human experience on screen. During her time earning an MFA in cinematography from UCLA, she won the Women in Film Cinematography Fellowship and the American Society of Cinematographers awarded her the very first ASC Vision Scholarship. She lensed the feature SPEED OF LIFE, starring Ann Dowd, for director Liz Manashil that traveled to dozens of festivals worldwide including Atlanta. GOODNIGHT GRACIE, a horror short written and directed by Stellan Kendrick, premiered at SITGES. Most recently, her fifth feature film, LUCKY, for director Natasha Kermani and Epic Pictures Group, starring Brea Grant, was selected for a SXSW 2020 premiere. Her work ranges from dramatic narrative to commercials and music videos for artists like Hozier, Quinn XCII, Kelsea Ballerini and more. She is based in Los Angeles and is represented by WPA.

Nell Teare - Producer

Nell Teare is a force. She describes herself as "a story teller, a farmer’s daughter, and a philosopher." She is a director, a charmer, a producer, and anything she puts her mind to is a done deal.

Beth Goodman - Art Director

Beth grew up and went to school in NYC with a stint in London at art school. At age 28 she started a lingerie company which was highly recognized by buyers and media for its innovative designs. Moving to LA to work for a large lingerie company she dreampt of designing for film. Eventually she started styling photo shoots and commercials. After 10 years of styling, she started her current passion, Marie Turnor, a leather handbag and accessory business, well known for its classic ‘Lunch’ bag.
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