Restoration

Hi everyone! My name is Lauren Washington, and I’m currently in pre-production for “Restoration,’ a short film I wrote that was awarded a $2k grant from the MultiCultural Film Collective at Northwestern University. My team is a diverse, Black women-led production with my producers, Sheyda Tribble and Kyra Brands, and my DP, Kamiah Singh. I look forward to updating with even more diverse crew and cast updates this month on our socials @filmrestoration at Twitter and Instagram! I’m currently a junior at Northwestern studying Film with a minor in Entrepreneurship & Innovation. I’m the co-founder of Project FILO, a creative hub and artist incubator, alongside my brother, Brandon Washington. I am also extremely passionate about storytelling with all of the creative endeavors that I pursue and with this project, it’ll be my first time directing a narrative short, although I’ve directed documentaries and creative directed photoshoots/music vids in the past. Head over to my website to see more of my work + who I am! You can also donate directly to my Venmo  + Cashapp @laurenmwash or PayPal @laurenwash.

THE PROJECT:

During 2020 I felt immense grief and saw it all around me but as a Black woman, the layers of sadness and invisibility felt inescapable which is something I had to really sit with. ‘Restoration’ is an exploration of the complicated web of grief we’ve all definitely experienced recently, that I’ve witnessed indirectly or directly, and as a Black woman & Black person, it’s exposing a sort of intersectional weight. It’s commenting on this expectation that healing is a linear process while also exploring alternative forms of dealing with trauma when tech, corporations, & exploring alternate futures are involved. The film encompasses all of these issues and propels the protagonist to the forefront through an uncomfortable journey to try to understand what it’s really like to heal and if she even can. I am inspired by sci-fi, drama, dark comedy thrillers, or futuristic stories that explore elements of new technologies in the vein of Black Mirror, Mr. Robot, Get Out,  Parasite, & Atlantics. The dystopian, sci-fi drama follows Tisch Davis after a sudden passing, as she must face her grief at a new healing center picked as the go-to for when trouble arises or when the pain is simply too much to bear in this near-future society. 



WHY DONATE?

This film can resonate with anyone. We all experience grief even if we don’t realize it or know what to do with it and that’s ok. There is no right answer for how to best navigate that and it is truly an ongoing journey of healing and love. As I reflected upon events in my own life, the pandemic, and the summer of 2020, grief felt inescapable, and “Restoration” was my way of processing all of my questions, thoughts, and observations through a dystopian lens. It is important to me as a filmmaker to center narratives from my POV as a Black woman and to do so intentionally. I am pleased to say both of my producers are Black women, Sheyda Tribble & Kyra Brands, and my DP is a Black woman as well named Kamiah Singh. My hope is to continue cultivating a space where my crew is predominantly BIPOC and to pave the way for other Black filmmakers studying film or wanting to be in film but not knowing where to start. Community is huge and I will always rely on that as a multifaceted artist and creative entrepreneur, so I plan to be very transparent with my journey as this project is made and afterwards! It can be difficult studying film at a PWI as a Black student and it would mean the world for this production to have immense support in addition to the grant we were gifted already to fulfill our plans.

REWARDS

Everyone will be thanked publicly for their contributions but there are more exclusive rewards up for grabs if you donate certain amounts! Check out the tiers below:

If you donate $50 and under: 
-A personalized thank you shoutout on social media

If you donate $50-100:
-A “Special Thanks” in the credits
-Personalized thank you shoutout on social media

If you donate $100 - $300 
-A “Special Thanks” in the credits
-Personalized thank you shoutout on social media
-Print of the restoration film poster signed!

If you donate $300 - $400 
-A “Special Thanks” in the credits
-Personalized thank you shoutout on social media
-Print of the restoration film poster signed!
-Free 30 min portrait photoshoot scheduled with Lauren Washington 

If you donate $500 - $1,000 
-A “Special Thanks” in the credits
-Personalized thank you shoutout on social media
-Access to the script via pdf and a breakdown of how it went from script to scene
-Print of the restoration film poster signed!
-Free full-day photoshoot scheduled with Lauren Washington and free prints 
 
If you donate over $1k 
-A “Special Thanks” in the credits
-Personalized thank you shoutout on social media
-Print of the restoration film poster signed!
-Access to the script via pdf and a breakdown of how it went from script to scene
-Free full-day photoshoot scheduled with Lauren Washington and free photo prints 
-Handwritten thank-you notes!
-Exclusive link to film after a festival premiere
-An exec producer credit + early access to the NFT director's cut & Restoration collection and a scene from the film!

CAN'T FUND?
You can still help! If you support our film, we'd love for you to share this page and check out our social media @filmrestoration on IG + Twitter + FB to follow our progress as there will be BTS footage, teasers, cast intros, ‘Restoration’ NFT collection, and more. Anything helps, thank you!

Risks + Challenges:

We’ve already received a $2k grant to make this film but are seeking $3k more. This money will go towards buying props, securing our few locations, COVID PPE, festival fees, costumes, and with any extra money, my aim is to save up towards FILO FILMS that my producers and DP are both a part of, as well as Project FILO. Our minimal crew and cast will be under strict COVID-19 guidelines complying with our university and crew + cast members will be tested prior to film weekends.