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20 Weeks, The Movie

A couple is faced with some tough decisions after their 20 week scan.

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20 Weeks, The Movie

20 Weeks, The Movie

20 Weeks, The Movie

20 Weeks, The Movie

20 Weeks, The Movie

A couple is faced with some tough decisions after their 20 week scan.

A couple is faced with some tough decisions after their 20 week scan.

A couple is faced with some tough decisions after their 20 week scan.

A couple is faced with some tough decisions after their 20 week scan.

Leena Pendharkar
Leena Pendharkar
Leena Pendharkar
Leena Pendharkar
2 Campaigns |
Los Angeles, United States
$20,172 USD 150 backers
40% of $50,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
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Highlights
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20 Weeks is a romantic drama about love, science and how prenatal and genetic testing impact everyday people.

The Story

A Los Angeles couple, MAYA CLOSSON and RONAN BAINES, 30s, must decide on whether or not to move forward with their pregnancy after their baby is diagnosed with a serious health issue at the 20-week scan.

Their doctor advises them of their options: they can terminate by week 23 or continue with the pregnancy. But before making any further choices, they are advised to undergo genetic testing to see if the issue is associated with any genetic syndromes.

The couple can’t think straight. While they're in love with their baby, they're divided on what his quality of life will be, and immediately, there is a huge wedge in their relationship. What follows is a roller coaster of highs and lows, and a very difficult set of decisions that have to be made.

The Movie, Style and Tone

20 Weeks will use intimate, subjective shots to tell the story from Maya’s point of view. It also integrates abstract, scientific images of the fetus to show Maya's anxiety about the baby. The film will be shot using loose camera movements that will allow the actors freedom in movement and some improvisation. 20 Weeks also will have a surrealist feel with beautiful locations and a unique color palette.

The Cast

ANNA MARGARET HOLLYMAN AS MAYA

Anna Margaret Hollyman is an indie film powerhouse with two movies in the 2016 South by Southwest Film Festival including Clair in Motion and Before the Sun Explodes. She’s been in numerous independent films, and was recently in the hit movie, Sleeping with Other People.  In her starring role as Suzanne in Zach Clark’s White Reindeer, Anna Margaret received notice from The New Yorker for her “poised radiance” and a “calmly dominating performance…that brings a hint of a young Kathleen Turner,” the Village Voice for her “virtuoso lead performance,” and the Los Angeles Times for a “quietly brave, revealing ride of…genuinely unforced and unexpected emotion.” As Sarah in Small, Beautifully Moving Parts she earned praise from the Village Voice for her “understated sensitivity” and from Roger Ebert for her “lovable screen presence…(and) the sort of charm we felt from the first films of Sandra Bullock or Greta Gerwig.” Her other  film credits include Mojave, Summer of Blood, Social Butterfly, Funny Bunny, Seven Chinese Brothers, Gayby, The Color Wheel, Somebody Up There Likes Me, The Outfit, The Mink Catcher, Woman of the World, Movement and Location, Adelaide, and Anna.

AMIR ARISON AS RONAN

Amir Arison is widely known for his extensive film and television work. As an actor, Amir is currently a series regular as fan favorite 'Aram Mojtabai' on NBC’s hit series The Blacklist, opposite James Spader.  Notable recurring roles in television include HBO’s hit show Girls, the Emmy Award-winning Homeland, Zero Hour, Law & Order: SVU, Dallas, and State of Georgia.  Notable guest star appearances include American Horror Story, ABC’s Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Major Crimes, The Mentalist, Marvin Marvin, Medium, Undercovers, NCIS, Law & Order: CRIMINAL INTENT, and more. Recent film credits include Jane Wants a Boyfriend, Before the Sun Explodes, Big Words, Tom McCarthy's The Visitor, and many more. Amir is also a prolific theater actor and has been featured in numerous off Broadway hits.

SUJATA DAY AS RUBY

Sujata Day is a pioneering South Asian actress in the world of comedy. She plays CeCe in the popular Shorty Award-winning web series, Awkward Black Girl, and will also be part of Issa Rae Presents upcoming ‪#‎HBO‬ series, #‎Insecure‬. Sujata is a multi-talented performer/writer who hails from the black  ’n yellow suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA. She produces, writes, and stars in the comedy sci-fi web series, Larry & Lucy. Sujata also produces, writes, and sings in the music videos of her indie band, Naked Hipster Project. She is a graduate of the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre improv program. Recent TV/Film credits include Hello Again, The Grinder, and 9 Rides. Sujata is repped by 3 Arts Entertainment, TalentWorks and Myman Greenspan.

MICHELLE KRUSIEC

Michelle is best known for her starring role opposite Joan Chen in the romantic comedy Saving Face, directed by Alice Wu. The role garnered her a Best Actress nomination for the Golden Horse, the Chinese Language Oscar. On stage, Michelle starred in the International Broadway tour of David Henry Hwang’s play Chinglish (Berkeley Rep/South Coast Rep/Hong Kong Arts festival). Michelle wrote and performed her tour-de-force solo show Made in Taiwan, which premiered at the 2002 HBO Aspen Comedy Arts Festival, the 2003 LA Women’s Theatre Festival, the 2005 New York Asian American Theatre Festival, and the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival and Fringe Encores. Michelle’s selected film credits include The Invitation, Saving Face, Far North, A Helping Hand, Henry Poole Is Here, Knife Fight, Nanking, Nixon, Pumpkin, Sweet Home Alabama, What Happens in Vegas, Zoom Hunting (Taiwan). In TV, Michelle starred in the series One World and Travelers, and she currently recurs on Hawaii-5-0.  Other appearances include MacGuyver pilot, Getting On, Longmire, Damien, Blue Bloods, Community, Dirty Sexy Money, Fringe, Grey’s Anatomy, Mind of the Married Man, Monk, Nip/Tuck, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Touch, and Weeds. You can find her online web-series Nice Girls Crew. Additional info can be found at www.michellekrusiec.com

The Crew

Leena Pendharkar, Writer/Director
Leena recently wrote/directed the short film, Dandekar Makes a Sandwich, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and was selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick. Her feature screenplay, Days with Dandekar, was workshopped in the FIND Screenwriter’s Lab, and awarded a Tribeca All Access grant. She also directed the feature film, Raspberry Magic, which played in over 30 festivals, and is on Starz TV, as well as on Amazon, Hulu and a number of other platforms. She has also worked extensively in new media, and started the YouTube channel So Natural TV. Her short films and sketches have been featured on Hello Giggles, Funny or Die, Comediva and many other places. She also teaches film production at Loyola Marymount University.

OTHER WORK FROM WRITER/DIRECTOR LEENA PENDHARKAR

Dandekar Makes a Sandwich, Vimeo Staff Pick


Jane Kelly Kosek, Producer
Has produced a number of shorts, including Dandekar Makes a Sandwich and The Frolic, and feature films including Pitching Tents, Straight Line, Tennessee, Not Since You, Take Me Home, and The Diary of Preston Plummer. She has also been a producer on several documentary features, including Industrial Light and Magic, Citizen Hearst, and The Imagineering Story. She was also a producer on the documentary short Pipe Dreams, which was shortlisted for an Oscar. Her films have screened in numerous festivals and aired on TV via Starz, Netflix, Hulu and more.

Renuka Pullat, Executive Producer

A serial entrepreneur, Renuka has been involved in both movie production and distribution of Bollywood films. She has played key roles in raising financing, planning shooting schedules, fulfilling shooting requirements and coordinating the post-production of numerous films. She has an extensive background in the development of feature films, having produced and distributed many major commercial Indian films including Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav, Sarkar, and Dus. She has founded two companies - Kria Entertainment in the US and Siren Media Company in Cambodia.  She is the Executive Producer of Miss India America, an independent film produced in California and released theatrically in 2016 and the drama/short film Dandekar Makes a Sandwich which released in 2015. She is currently involved in two tech start-ups and is also planning a live-action film with a diversified cast that will have worldwide appeal. Renuka graduated from the University of Bombay with a BA in Economics and Statistics and has an MBA from Seton Hall University.

Daud Sani, Director of Photography

Born in Pakistan and raised in the US, Daud Sani brings a personal touch to everything he shoots. With a bachelor's degree in film, Daud has shot short films, commercials, music video, features, and reality content for networks such as Style, PBS, E!, and Bravo. Passion for telling stories in the visual medium helps Daud strive to cultivate his talent while always looking for innovation in an ever-progressing film industry.

Adri Siriwatt, Production Designer
She began her career production designing independent films and commercials.  She has been awarded Best Production Design for her film One Small Hitch and nominated for a Sports Emmy for Best Production Design for her NBA Draft Commercial.  She is a member of the ADG 800 and IATSE 476. She has worked in all areas of the Art Department and is known to make the impossible possible. Her most current project was as an Art Director for Southside with You, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year.

Rachana Sukhadia, Costume Designer
Translates her fascination with storytelling by connecting the audience to the characters in unique and believable ways. She enjoys the subtlety in detail and collaboration process with the actors and film crew in narrating the true authenticity of the characters. Rachana has traveled and studied indigenous textile designs while working alongside marginalized artisans in India. With her rich cultural roots and experiences she brings an unconventional perspective to costume design in the film industry. She has worked as a costume assistant and designer on a number of independent films, commercials and television shows.

Mariyam Mahbub, Associate Producer
Earned her MFA in Film Production at Loyola Marymount University in 2014 where she honed her storytelling abilities and mastered her editing skills by cutting several sitcom pilots as well as promotional spots for the university. Her thesis film, Be Your Hero is her first mockumentary short and homage to her favorite romantic comedy TV shows. She is a prolific short filmmaker with a varied portfolio of projects, including various genres such as silent films, The Librarian, family dramas Remember Me Still, and romantic comedies, Be Your Hero. Mariyam is passionate about independent filmmaking and has been working at IM Global, a leading independent film sales agency and production company since finishing her graduate degree. She is currently developing a web series, Meet Cutewhich will begin principal photography in Fall 2016.

The Inspiration

In the summer of 2014, when I was pregnant with my second daughter, you can imagine my and my husband's surprise when the doctor came into the room and told us that our baby's mandible bone wasn't measuring correctly. We were  honestly confused because it just didn't seem right.

And while the doctors knew her mandible bone wasn't measuring correctly, they told us there was a range of what her exact issues could be. We had to undergo genetic testing, and we were forced to come in and do sonograms every couple of weeks to make sure her growth was on a typical curve. It was a very difficult experience.

In October of 2014, my daughter was born with a serious, but treatable health condition called Pierre Robin Sequence. Going through this experience, I was struck by the marriage of science and ethics, and how fragile the balance really is. Sitting in the room, looking at a sonogram, the doctors ask you to make decisions that are tough, that have you question what's right or wrong, and for which you need to go on faith to move forward. It was this experience that inspired me to tell this story. 


In Partnership With

We have partnered with Make-a-Wish Greater Los Angeles to help raise money for families in need as we raise funds for our feature film, 20 Weeks.

Make-a-Wish Greater Los Angeles grants the wishes of Children with Life-Threatening medical conditions. By contributing to our campaign, you will help grant the wish of a child as we will donate a portion of every dollar we receive to Make-a-Wish Greater Los Angeles. Our goal is to tell moving stories while also giving back to our community.

The Costs

We believe in the power of independent cinema, and movies like ours couldn't get made without the support of contributors like yourself. All of the funds will go towards making the movie. Raising these funds will allow us to go right into post production.


Help Us

Independent films can only be made with the support of backers like you. Here are several ways you can help us out:

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