Indiegogo is committed to accessibility. If you have difficulty using our site, please contact support@indiegogo.com for assistance or view our accessibility notice by clicking here
Funding
Funding
Funding
Funding
Funding

Ay, Dios!

Ay, Dios!

Ay, Dios!

Ay, Dios!

Ay, Dios!

A young man struggles to save face with his friends and family after an accidental revelation.

A young man struggles to save face with his friends and family after an accidental revelation.

A young man struggles to save face with his friends and family after an accidental revelation.

A young man struggles to save face with his friends and family after an accidental revelation.

Dylan Bierman
Dylan Bierman
Dylan Bierman
Dylan Bierman
1 Campaign |
Austin, United States
$850 USD 18 backers
34% of $2,500 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
15 days left

This coming-of-age dramedy explores themes of religion, family, and identity. The film follows Jaime, a rebellious young adult, as he navigates a church gathering after accidentally revealing that he’s begun questioning his faith. 

¡Ay, Dios! aims to explore what it’s like to lose a part of oneself, specifically when belonging to a community that’s centered around one system of beliefs, and if it’s possible to maintain the relationships built around that system. 

This film, more than anything, is a story about growth. The kind of growth that many experience in their formative years, shaping them into the person they’d one day be proud of.
 

WRITER/DIRECTOR

Eduardo Meza-Roquebert

Eduardo Meza-Roquebert is a fourth year Radio-Television-Film and Journalism major at UT Austin. He has been passionate about filmmaking from a very young age and aspires to one day work as a writer/director in the film industry. He has worked various roles on student film sets, the most recent of which includes producing the advanced narrative project Curita. This will be the second major project he’s written and directed, and he can’t wait to work with his team to bring ¡Ay, Dios! to life!

 

PRODUCER

Dylan Bierman

Dylan Bierman is a third year Radio-Television-Film and Communication Studies major at the University of Texas at Austin. Since coming to college, he has discovered his passion for filmmaking, particularly in areas of screenwriting and producing. Dylan has worked on various student film sets during his time in college, and has also helped produce shows such as Down To Film and Late Night Live With Lyle Lenny for Texas Student Television. He is excited to help bring ¡Ay, Dios! to life, and can't wait for the world to see it!

 

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Brianelly Flores

Brianelly Flores is a fourth-year Radio-Television-Film major at UT Austin. Storytelling has been an innate passion for them for as long as they can remember; a passion that has flourished and transformed into filmmaking. Brianelly specializes in cinematography and camera operation. They have most notably worked on the grad pre-thesis film, Echoes & Secrets, as 1st Assistant Camera, and advanced narrative short, Cicada Song, as Director. As an Indigenous filmmaker, Brianelly takes inspiration from the natural world around them to influence their cinematography and create emotional connections between the characters and audience. Brianelly is excited to work with Eduardo on ¡Ay, Dios! to make his vision come to life!

 

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Sasha Tavassoli

Sasha Tavassoli is a third year RTF major at UT. She has a passion for producing and assistant directing. Sasha worked on two thesis films last year where she associate produced Claire-A-Pillar and assistant directed There’s A Klansman In The Trunk. Telling personal stories that will emotionally resonate with others is very important to her. Sasha is excited to be the assistant director for this undergraduate thesis film!

While we are grateful to the resources that the University of Texas at Austin provides, these resources alone are not enough to accomplish our vision for this film. Short films are expensive to make, and we want to ensure that we have ample funding in order to create a finished film of quality.

We are asking for $2,500 for our film to cover the costs of filming equipment, production design, location expenses, meals for our cast and crew, and other additional expenses that may arises during the production process.

Here is a breakdown of our budget:

Meals and Crafty: This encompasses the largest part of the budget, and is the most important expense of this film. We want to make sure our cast and crew are properly fed with good food to thank them for helping on this production. The money will be used for meals, snacks/crafty, and eating utensils. A happy stomach makes for a happy set!

Equipment: While UT provides an expansive amount of equipment, we may desire additional equipment not provided by UT to accomplish the vision of this film. Equipment rental funds can be expensive, so we are allocating a part of our budget to cover them.

Production Design: The production design is an extremely important factor in ensuring the right look and feel of a film. We want to create the look of an authentic Latino household and confirmation party. The funds acquired for production design will be used to obtain high-quality props and set dressing to accomplish this.

Locations: Our film mostly takes place in the large backyard of a household, which is not easy to find in the city of Austin! We will need to rent out an Airbnb to shoot in, which this section of the budget will help cover.

Contingency: Accidents happen, and we want to make sure we are prepared for them. These funds will be used to cover things that happen outside of our control, as well as any additional costs that might have been missed.

This is a story that I’ve given a lot of thought to over the past year. Religion and my relationship with it is something that has followed me through most of my life, especially growing up as a Latino man. As I got older I started to question my faith and lost a sense of direction with my life. When I eventually gained the courage to talk about these feelings, I was treated differently by those around me. I’ve been ridiculed, lectured, and felt alienated from my community all because of my complex relationship with God and religion. This journey was certainly tough, but the experience has shaped me into the person I am today. 

With this film, I hope to show the world that people like me aren’t different, or strange, or something to be scared of, but normal people going through changes. To those that have experienced the same feelings, I hope this story serves as something to find comfort in.
 

Want to keep up with the production? Follow our Instagram!

@aydios.shortfilm

Looking for more information? Check the project FAQ
Need more information
Let us know if you think this campaign contains prohibited content.

Choose your Perk

Social Media Thank You

$5 USD
0 claimed

Special Thanks in the Credits

$10 USD
3 claimed

Signed Script

$25 USD
3 claimed
Ships to United States of America

Thank You Letter

$50 USD
6 claimed

Thank You Video

$75 USD
1 claimed

Early Access to the Film

$100 USD
0 claimed

Signed Set Piece

$150 USD
2 claimed
Ships to United States of America

Executive Producer Credit

$250 USD
0 claimed

Jesus Cake

$500 USD
0 claimed
Up Caret