Hot Films in the Making

Espíritu follows Erika Sebastián Aguilar – Kostik Aguilar – as she guides us into the heart of Náhuatl traditions in San Miguel T ecuiciapan where the survival of land, culture, and community face mounting modern threats. Through this immersive, community-led narrative the film preserves endangered heritage while spotlighting the resilience and power of indigenous voices.

When a mysterious naked drifter stumbles into the backyard of a tough-as-nails Alabama matriarch and her restless daughter, the uneasy trio becomes entangled in a web of secrets, mistrust, and the search for a missing man in their small Southern town.

This film is produced by SheNYC Arts, a nationwide nonprofit that fights for gender equity in the arts and entertainment industry.

The Waiting Game is a powerful documentary that reveals an incredible battle between the NBA and a tiny not for profit working to gain full recognition for the men of the ABA – a colorful, exciting, rival league that arguably invented the modern game of basketball. It’s a fight for benefits the players of the ABA felt were promised, but never delivered.

While following an investigation of the legal trail of the ABA-NBA merger, key impact journalism and the advocacy for justice, the film reveals the lines that can stand between raw corporate interest and basic human dignity.

‘Through The Eyes of a Death Doula’ is a feature-length documentary that explores the complexities of death and dying in the United States. It focuses on the holistic approach provided by end-of-life doulas and aims to showcase the significance of human connection during the end-of-life journey through the scope of empathy and compassion.

Witnessing her recently widowed father slip into dementia; Phoebe is at a crossroads in her life. Inspired by young Latin teens dream of being a dancer she is reminded of her own childhood dream. Finally stumbling upon her father’s secret, Phoebe makes the bold choice to change her life path and help her elderly father do the same.

Dreams and dance heal this father/daughter relationship and the places we call home inspire the next generation of dancers.

In 1974, a group of young feminists from the local Austin NOW chapter, recognized a desperate need in their community for advocates, to help victims of sexual assault navigate the difficult experiences and emotions following their attacks.

Don’t Call Me Baby, is a documentary feature film that tells the untold story of how my mother, Victoria Worsham, and her friends, Laura Brookshire, Ellen Fisher, Patricia Davis, and many more, fought tirelessly and hard to change that.

Completely as volunteers, these female activists, founded the Austin Rape Crisis Center, which turned 50 years old in 2024. Now known as The Safe Alliance, it is still a beacon of hope and safety for their community.

A filmmaker chasing the mysteries of her sister’s brain injury, falls into the depths of survivors’ minds—journeying through surreal worlds of trauma, recovery, and her own forgotten past.

Students Catherine and Maryam could have never imagined the movement they would ignite by pitching some tents on the campus lawn of Columbia University. With threats of suspensions and a police raid, they risk everything to lead the pro-Palestine protests on their campus.

THE ENCAMPMENT captures the historic protest movement that unfolded inside Columbia University and ignited the rest of the world, told through the key activists who organized it all. With unprecedented access, this film utilizes over 60 hours of unseen footage to offer an intimate perspective on the movement that overtook the world.

In this intimate conversation, Sara Banyan and her former trauma specialist, Will Randle, LCSW, shine a light on the epidemic of childhood sexual abuse and how to end the cycle of shame. This conversation is a deep dive into the aftermath of childhood SA, how talking about the abuse is helping survivors, and ways that families, friends and mental health providers can help survivors attune after abuse.

In the northernmost settlements on Earth, Greenland’s subsistence hunters face growing restrictions creating a surprising tug-of-war between wildlife conservation and indigenous cultural heritage. This is the surprising story of what happens when an indigenous culture’s sustainable way of living in harmony with nature collides with global conservation imperatives.

When a young boy accompanies his mother on her overnight shift in a Texas hospital, a group of nurses band together to keep him hidden and his mother’s job safe.

In Manhattan’s Chinatown, a small but mighty organization is forging the future of a dramatically transforming neighborhood. Welcome to Chinatown is shaping the next generation of change of this historic neighborhood by uplifting legacy businesses, fueling entrepreneurship and constructing a first-of-its-kind innovation center.

Chinatown Futures is a multi-year documentary film that follows this group of young trailblazers and their journey from a humble GoFundMe campaign to an indispensable community organization. Through their work, we explore the stories that make up Chinatown: a 70-year-old gift shop, an old school Cantonese diner, and a multigenerational tofu maker.

Have you ever been in a global pandemic? Have you ever been labeled “radical” for standing up for what you believe in? How about that time you forgot to mute yourself on zoom? Well you’re not alone, Nairobi is experiencing the exact same things. She’s a student at a Performing Arts Conservatory in downtown Miami. Her world has drastically changed indefinitely and she’s far from the only one. Her story explores the complexities of the Black Lives Matter movement, the impact of systemic racism in higher education, and the diverse experiences of Black individuals. This whitty, modern, and relevant series will shift attitudes about generation Z from radical to innovators!

When caught in a disaster, who would you save? If you knew about the disaster before it strikes, who would you let die? What if the choices you make now determine whether or not you are worthy to pass The Test.

While Robert McCain and Richard LaBarbera serve their 41st year in prison for a brutal crime they claim they didn’t commit, a private investigator digs for answers and uncovers a trail of corruption throughout an entire region of Upstate New York.

Sentenced to life for crimes he committed as a child, Terrence Graham took his fight for freedom all the way to the Supreme Court and won. After twenty-one years behind bars, he is finally getting out – but is life outside just another prison?

DEBORAH JORDAN, a woman of faith and wife of a prominent pastor with a secret jaded past, is on a mission to save her stepdaughter from the negative consequences of being a lady of the night. The story unfolds as Deborah distributes Princess Bags filled with essential items, including toilet paper, and panties, to prostitutes on the streets. In rescuing her stepdaughter, Deborah faces the obstacle of revealing, a dark secret she holds about her past, which could jeopardize her marriage and ministry.

Fragments follows Jean O’Reilly, Ireland’s first supermodel, who spiralled into a world of drugs and vanished from the spotlight. Now, she’s emerged as an artist, turning broken pieces from Florence into exquisite art and travelling the world with her exhibitions, advocating for victims of sex trafficking and sharing her story.

Fragments is told through transcripts from an interview in Florence voiced over footage of her new life in South Carolina with her daughters and new fiancé where she creates art on top of the magazines of her model years in her garage. Her art featured parallels the broken fragments she has found with the events of her life she’s leading us through.

This is the journey of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)/Missing & Murdered Indigenous People(MMIP), exposing the complex political relationship in which the epidemic of violence against Native women is rooted, and the tribal grassroots movement for the safety of Native women.

A biography of Clemens Lemke, a US Army sergeant major and CIA officer who traveled undercover into Iran as part of the attempt to rescue the hostages during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.

When Maya reveals the years of sexual abuse she has endured, her life spirals into a vortex of sex, drugs, and alcohol, pushing her to the edge as she struggles to reclaim her shattered identity and find a path to healing.

A gifted child battles an ​unseeing education system ​after being wrongly labeled ​for special education.

This film tells the story of the life of an Iranian girl who is tired of life and intends to commit suicide, but then she finds herself in a situation where she understands the value of life and must try to survive for herself and her friends.
The film is in the pre-production stage and its script is one of the top 20 scripts of FromThe Heart company’s, as hot movies.

After receiving the deed to a house in his grandfather’s will, a young man discovers that the home is deep in a rural midwest town that harbors a dark history and realizes that this is more than a gift, but rather a chance to confront the shortcomings of his family’s past.

Artists and educators come together to provide transformative after-school theater programing in underserved communities across New York City.

Devin, a desperate mixed martial artist, grapples with an overwhelming opponent, as the scars of his upbringing threaten to unravel his life.

A mother in Iran, considers selling her organs to save her daughter, while in Canada, a doctor faces ethical dilemmas to save his daughter, revealing the complexities of organ trade.

With their water supply depleting, a southern black woman must overcome her own desires as she struggles to care for her elderly father’s open wound during the 2022 Jackson, Mississippi Water Crisis.

A restless, low ranking high school competitor is hellbent on receiving her first Speech and Debate award.

“A 500 Mile Journey to Santiago de Compostela: My Yes is Greater Than Any No.” is an
extraordinary journey of empowerment and transformation through the lens of Antonio Goodwin
in his short film documentary. This captivating film follows Antonio’s courageous footsteps as
he conquers 500 miles to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, defying the chorus of “no”
conversations and transforming limitations into boundless opportunities.

SUBTRACT NINE SUNDAYS short film is an impressionistic drama based on a literary classic, where a live-in immigrant nanny’s sense of self-worth is tested by her affluent employer when he calls her in to settle his dues. This adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s short story “The Wimp”, penned in 1883, is set in contemporary Texas. The narrative delves deep into societal dynamics and examines the concepts of power and personal agency. Additionally, it reflects on our increasing vulnerability and dependence upon the mercy of nature.

Tino, a homeless drug addict aspiring to be a ballet dancer, finds hope and peril in fellow addict, Trista, while battling for the approval of his estranged father, the rigid Police Commissioner in Philadelphia. His journey ignites a passionate clash of dreams, ambition, and family ties.

After her boss at an environmental nonprofit asks for a standard background check, a young, anxious Malian goes to great lengths to keep her and her family’s immigration status a secret.

POST is a story of postpartum depression and the subtle and not so subtle forms it can take for a new mother.
EMMA is a new mother in denial about her postpartum depression. She is struggling with the challenges of being a new mom and coming to terms with her traumatic birth, loss of identity, and hormonal changes. When Emma’s husband leaves on business she is left with her nanny NOVA. They seemingly do not have anything in common. However, they’re able to bond over their shared experience of  motherhood and the trauma that all mothers face. Through this unlikely pairing, Emma is able to come to terms with her feelings and realize she is not alone and that no mother is.

In a psychological horror, a camera left by a mysterious man haunts a young female taxi driver, fuelling relentless stalking, surveillance and paranoia.

A professional Jazz musician and her old lover, both haunted by grief, struggle to reconcile on the day of a life-changing performance.

On a vibrant spring day in Austin, Texas, Nan, a spirited widow, hesitantly explores a senior living facility with her daughter, Shelley, and granddaughter, Natalie. Nan grapples with the idea of parting with her home of 47 years meaning memories attached will fade with them. Amidst laughter and tension, mishaps occur, but Shelley and Natalie’s promises of reverence through small acts of goodwill unite the three generations in a touching display of love, like strokes of paint on a canvas.

Marnie, a recent college grad, struggles to find work in her field and desperately accepts a position at a peculiar diner, but she begins to notice a connection among the staff, locals, and unsolved disappearances.

A shy and timid rural woman who has a domineering husband and constantly follows her husband’s orders decides to Rebel. She wants to strengthen her hand to be able to slap her husband.And this relates to the earthquake that occurred in Iran thirty years ago, causing a village to completely disappear in a second. Some said it was the work of aliens, while others claimed that a mountain had collapsed vertically onto the village in a matter of seconds.
In this story, we see the tale of the woman who is constantly under the dictatorship of her husband, but now she is striving to strengthen her hand and stand up to him. For her, standing up to him is like a sentence of a great revolution.

A lady(85s) has to get rid of a live chicken left by her dead husband after his funeral.

Saltwater – After the death of their mother, two Caribbean American children embark on a weekend trip to Barbados to mourn with family. Tensions simmer beneath the surface as 18-year-old Kam and her younger brother Tashawn grapple with their mother’s absence, their father’s emotional distance, and the pressures from their grandmother Martine, and her traditional values. Against the backdrop of the island’s beauty, the children navigate their own journey of self-discovery, connection and are forever changed by their time in Barbados.

A House With Many Rooms tells the story of Stacey and Kevin Bryce’s journey into the American foster care system. Their expectations are transformed, their patience is pushed to the limits, their strength is challenged, their love is tested, and their hairs are grayed. The story takes them down roads they didn’t expect and through both painful and joyful experiences they couldn’t have imagined. They find themselves desperate to bring stability to children lost in an unpredictable world. It’s an honest undertaking of what it means to welcome children who have experienced trauma into your home. Ultimately, it is a story of family: broken but redemptive, and messy but beautiful.

Embark on a journey of healing and transformation as three courageous families confront chronic and autoimmune diseases, uncovering unexpectedly unconventional paths to wellness.

“Alive and Well” is a poignant documentary that follows the remarkable journeys of three courageous families as they navigate the challenges of chronic and autoimmune diseases. Through intimate storytelling and heartfelt interviews, the film delves into the holistic healing approaches embraced by these families, revealing the profound impact of nutrition, movement, emotional healing, and mindset on their well-being.

A diverse cast of visionary teenagers and intriguing characters, stirring public protests, private threats, criminal charges, and profanity-laced school board meetings: this is the world of the explosive new feature documentary, Banned Together. The film pulls back the curtain on two of the most controversial issues in America today: book bans and curriculum censorship in public schools.

Banned Together follows three young women in Beaufort, SC during their senior year of high school as they fight hostile community members and school board officials to reinstate 97 books that were banned from school libraries, then we expand to show what’s happening at the national level.

Shelley Fillipoff has been searching for her daughter for eleven long, heartbreaking years.

Barefoot in the Night: The Search for Emma Fillipoff, is an in-depth exploration of facts in the disturbing and puzzling disappearance of Emma Fillipoff. A case that has baffled Canadians and true crime communities for over a decade. The six-part series will highlight the ongoing search for Emma, and will include new details and never-before-seen footage.

This is Shelley’s story, in her own words, and in the words of those closest to Emma, and to the investigation.

Librarians tell a new colleague of the book that burned so many, using motion graphic animation for the true tale-within-a-tale, in this overdue dark comedic film where the witches get to burn back. A little Princess Bride, a dash of Drunk History, all to reclaim the narrative.

For nearly 400 years one book served as a tool to torture and murder 100,000+ women, yet the fact that it was created as a sexually frustrated rage post wasn’t taken into account. BURNED shall remind us to question sources and finally take the quill back from one of the first trolls.

Yu, a 14-year-old girl from a wealthy family, flees with her parents to a resort due to a major earthquake. While everyone around her indulges in the artificial beauty, Yu struggles to uncover the calm surface.

Healing Trauma – The Resilient Soul” is an upcoming feature-length documentary by filmmaker Jan Becker, exploring the transformative journeys of four trauma survivors. Utilizing innovative healing modalities, from therapy to plant medicine and many others, the film delves into personal stories of resilience and recovery, aiming to inspire and educate on mental health. Featured experts from renowned organizations and various support groups enhance this profound exploration of healing and hope.

A group of American women make menstrual hygiene kits to strengthen relationships and build community among diverse people in Seattle and Cameroon only to hit roadblocks as tension and division arise around and among them.

A trans punk rocker is forced by his gruff record label CEO father to write an unlikely comeback hit for a disgraced trans pop princess. They hate each other, and then they fall in love.

The poignant and inspiring rebirth of the mesmerizing dancer Fakhra Younas, as she emerges from the shadows of a ghastly acid attack at the vengeful hand of the man she once loved.

Fakhra emerged as the first woman to assert her rights and combat acid attacks in the Muslim world, becoming an icon. Her story encapsulates the ordeals of numerous women who have endured humiliation and oppression in patriarchal societies but demonstrate resilience and find the courage to hold their heads high. Tehmina Durrani, First Lady of Pakistan and a social activist, stands as her ally fighting for women’s right. Through dance, emotions are expressed, captivating viewers in a powerful narrative.

A boy named Everett discovers a jackalope at his birthday party, and he becomes obsessed with catching the uncatchable horned rabbit.

I’m trying to raise the necessary funds to complete the animation at Fablevision in Boston.

In the shadows of Music City, unhoused individuals and their fierce advocates battle local legislators as they pass the harshest anti-camping law in the country. This in-depth documentary closely examines systemic processes that have failed those most in need, and how states across the nation are gearing up to follow suit.

Some people wait for a chance; others take one. Born of a boycott of the pro men’s league, a coalition of women in Austin attempt to professionalize their beloved sport of Ultimate Frisbee to form the Premier Ultimate League. But can the team remain sustainable and keep their dream alive?

After a tough second season, the Torch nearly hang up their cleats. But with 3 weeks to go before the next season begins, the irrepressible women on the Austin Torch recommit to their dream and decide to compete for another year in the professional league they helped launch. With a focus on social advocacy as much as on sport, the Torch is more than a team; it’s part of a movement.

A youthful Neo-noir story set in New York City.
And a love letter to music icons of pop culture.

Benny Farro is an electric and charming – but out of control – young punk from the East Village, who never quite recovered from his orphaned childhood. Any sense of purpose in his life always eluded him. He is also a dysfunctional gangster. Feeling especially destructive on his 27th birthday— Benny decides to rebel against his adoptive crime family as a tribute to his favorite rock stars, bewildering friends and enemies alike. As a manhunt breaks out, his icy best friend Spook sets out to save him.

Unwanted, the documentary poses the question. After the advocates fight for the mother’s right to choose. After the pro-life advocates fight for the unborn fetus not to be aborted! Who fights for the unwanted? What happens after the unwanted grows up? Unwanted, is an inside look into the lives of unwanted children after they were forced to be born.

Ayanna, a corporate marketing coordinator, walks into work. The unimaginable happens, her boss fires her due to her hair not meeting the company’s professional standard for clients. Upset, Ayanna talks to her best friend, Eesha, who suggests that Ayanna apply for a job on Urban Uptake. At first Ayanna hates the idea because Urban Uptake is a knockoff of Craigslist, but job hunting isn’t fun. She finds a job posting on Urban Uptake and submits an application. To Ayanna’s surprise, after submitting an application, she enters into a digital world called Urban Uptake, which is a place for women like her. Little does she know how close her ties are to the digital world.

Kamsi is connected to the water; neither she nor her mother, Nkechi, knows how. On the brink of her 18th birthday, she discovers her mystic identity.

I recently wrapped principal photography on this project in Montana and I’m looking for support for my post production work.