THE PROJECT
Roxë15 is a next-generation science fiction
short film that gives this genre a new face, a new voice and a new view
of technology.
I'm Celia C. Peters, and I wrote/directed this film. I'm
hopelessly in love with the craft of filmmaking...AND I'm a
total science/math/sci-fi geek, so making science fiction film was
pretty much inevitable.
Join us in bringing a new voice to science fiction and indie film!
WHY/inspiration
This story was inspired by something a machine
spit out at me. In 1999/2000-ish, many an afternoon/evening found me at the huge internet
café that was on 42nd Street in Times Square. Vending machines sold computer time on tickets with printed log-in codes.
One day, the log-in code on my ticket was ROXE15. I looked at it and immediately
thought, ‘this is so sci-fi.’ (No doubt being
surrounded by computers helped.) I was
already a screenwriter, so my mind started inventing a story. Now that story has finally come to life. (And I still have that ticket somewhere.)
I made this film is because I wanted -- no, needed -- to
present a
fresh black female character. American
media has a legacy of being overloaded with highly distorted, highly
problematic depictions of black women, many of which are still alive and
well. I know
I’m not alone in wanting to see a different representation of women,
particularly women of color, onscreen and at the center of a
story. Not a maid, a pissed-off baby mama, a subjugated victim, a tricked-out jump-off
with a heart of gold, an uptight prig nor any other simplistic projection of someone
else's fantasy. I want girls and women (as well as men and boys) to see a
different variation of who we are....an authentic representation in all of her quirky
realness. Balance is critical and the character who has been unrepresented is the memorable woman of color
who is smart, strong, flawed, confident, lovely to look at, focused,
vulnerable, driven and most of all, on her own journey. A human being ---
at the center of a story.
WHAT/synopsis
NYC, 2051. The City is a stark, even more
stratified place where natural resources are sparse and technology is
the new currency. Roxë
is a brilliant, hungry virtual reality programmer developing a
game-changing educational software called Mind Expansion for research
she's doing with her
mentor, Dr. Elliot Robinson. They're bound by a mutual need for success,
but it's hard to tell who needs it more: Elliot is fighting to stay
relevant in the cutthroat tech world but Roxë is counting on this project
to get her out of a dead-end job and a home where she's no longer
welcome. The corporation bankrolling the project cuts their
deadline back and at the 11th hour, a brutal virus appears
invades Roxe's software. And then
the virus comes after her.
Our inspirations, both thematically and aesthetically, include Blade Runner, Gattaca, 2046, Sleep Dealers, Code 46, and eXistenz.
What We Need & What You Get
We've finished shooting, but we must finish the film at a
level that does justice to this groundbreaking project. We need to raise $6,000.
The money we raise will pay for:
- video editing
- computer graphics
- a sound mix
- music licensing
- festival submissions and marketing materials that'll get this film to audiences.
The perks we're offering give our backers a piece of this film. We want those who support Roxë15 to have a piece of it for their own --- whether it's a memento featuring original artwork or access to an experience that brings you together with the people who made this film happen.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
The originality and imagination of American
independent film can bloom magnificently when the right elements come
together. Supporting this project will make you a part of a movement to
bring a new voice to the indie film conversation. Science fiction is not
the domain of any particular demographic. It's high time science
fiction film reflects the real world....a world where
people of all kinds, colors, creeds and genders are doing all kinds of
things to explore the complexities of mind, machine, science, time,
space and technology. The narrow vision of yesteryear is obsolete!
No more same old, same old: the time for the future is now.
Other Ways You Can Help
If financial giving doesn't make sense for you right now, please share this campaign with anyone and everyone who you think will be into kick-ass, cutting edge sci-fi!
(You can even use Indiegogo's share tools to do it!)
