All donations are completely tax deductible! Scroll down for details.
Thanks for taking the time to learn more about Burning Child! I've taken my time putting this film together, and it has been a labor of love every step of the way.
Now that BC is in post-production, I am reaching out to you in order to be able to complete my vision. Filmmaking is a collaborative art, and having people who believe in your art enough to support it are vital to any project's survival - I cannot thank you enough for your faith.
- Kelsey S Brewer
The Story
Burning Child follows Theodore on the night of his son's death. Upon the discovery of his son's broken wind up doll, he becomes possessed with the desire to fix the toy, and therein "fix" his situation. As he tries, his world becomes increasingly surreal, forcing him to confront himself. (Inspired by a passage from Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams, Freud's essay "The Uncanny," and E.T.A. Hoffmann's short story, "The Sandman.")
Our Goal
We want to be able to make
a gorgeous and meaningful film and share it far and wide. Below are a few specs to give an idea of what contributions will be helping with, but you can also click here to see our full actualized budget. All contributions will go directly back into the project!
Production Costs:
- Equipment - $900 for camera gear, $200 for lights = $1100
- Transportation - $600 for truck, $200 for minivan = $800
- Location - $200 per night for 3 nights, plus $200 security = $800
- Production Design - $150 for props, $950 for set dressing = $1100
- Craft Services - $350 for meals, $200 for craft = $550
Post-Production Work:
- Sound mixing - $200
- Coloring - approx. $200
Festival Fees (just to give an idea):
- Sundance - $55
- Slamdance - $45
- AFI Fest - $50
- Vail - $40
- Cinequest - $40
- Atlanta - $25
Our Cast
Kurt Benjamin Smith (Theodore) and
Trae Tellam (Theo) make up our brilliant cast.
Kurt has just wrapped up three months of acting for The Williamsburg Foundation in DC, playing a vagabond actor by day and Scapin of Moliere's Scapin by night.
This fall, Kurt is shooting an independent feature called Reverie Lane, playing opposite his wife Michelle, and acting in a new series called Ringer$. Trae is a confident, multi-talented teen who's great attitude and constant perseverance make him a dream to work with. Burning Child was his first acting gig, and he turned out a fantastic performance. He also gained a little internet fame this spring via Humans of New York! We are so proud of them both.
Trae says: "I had an awesome time working on this movie! Kelsey is totally amazing and the whole crew was really cool -- I am dying to see the finished film!"
Kurt says: "Burning Child was one of those projects that just clicked. I was drawn into the character when I first read the script; luckily, Kelsey was brave enough to hand Theodore over to me. She was very giving in the freedom she allowed within our journey with these characters. I'd roll with her on any future production! "
Our Team
Kelsey Brewer - Writer/ Director
Kelsey is interested in a character's subjective experience and how that can be related to an audience dynamically through strong, often surreal visuals, plot, and great acting. Things she's done in her life include building the mechanical doll prop for Burning Child, winning awards for her artwork starting at age 5, and lugging a red leather armchair through multiple NY boroughs, in and out of subway stations, and up/ down a total of seven flights of stairs over the course of nine months.
![]()
Adrian Anaya - Assistant Director/ Producer
Adrian is a Junior at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts studying Film and Television and minoring in Business of Entertainment, Media & Technology. During his time at Tisch, Adrian has participated in over 50 different film productions, accumulating more than 2,000 hours on set. Adrian’s quick and decisive mind helps him produce and assistant direct films like Burning Child.
Bernard Zeiger - Cinematographer
Bernard is a recent graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with a double major in Film and Television and Economics. He likes painting with light, but is terrible at painting with anything else. Burning Child provided him with another chance to explore his undying love of storytelling, and his bottomless need to ratchet strap large objects to the roofs of vans.
Matthew Puccini - Editor
Matthew is a New York-based filmmaker with a strong passion for editing. Recent editing projects have included music videos for Cibo Matto and Kiah Victoria, an industrial video for Google, a behind-the-scenes video for Saturday Night Live, and a multitude of NYU student films. He currently works in script development at 20th Century Fox. In his spare time, Matthew enjoys watching horror films and catching up on much-needed sleep. Sometimes those two interests are at odds with each other.
![]()
How Tax-Deductable Donations Work
Through Burning Child's partnership with NYWIFT, all donations to our campaign are completely tax deductible! Here's how to receive your tax deduction:
-
For contributions over $250: NYWIFT will personally send you a thank you not on our behalf, in addition to all of your perks. This thank you note will include all the information you need to be able to get your tax deduction.
-
For contributions under $250: We love you, too! Although NYWIFT can't send out thank yous to every one of our contributors, as a part of BC's thank you to you, we will make sure you have the information you need to get your tax deduction. Basically, just keep a record of the email confirmation you get from Paypal for your donation, and submit it with your taxes.
- You can also donate directly by sending a check made out to NYWIFT to: 6 East 39th Street, Suite 1200, New York, NY 10016. Just put Burning Child in the memo line.
If you have any further questions on this process, do not hesitate to reach out via the questions section on this campaign page, or check out
NYWIFT.
Burning Child's Bright Future
Burning Child has already secured:
- A place in The Film Maker's Cooperative's archive - the largest archive of independent and avant-garde films in the world.
- A screening hosted by Italian film critic Giovanni Bogani in Florence, Italy.
- A screening at Reed College hosted by April Kaplowitz.
Early praise for Burning Child:
"I'm impressed with how
beautiful it looks - casting, location, doll, lighting, camera - all terrific.
Out of that emerges a powerful mood around grief and denial… It is beautiful.
Will be strong mediation on loss.” – Nick Tanis
"I felt your inspirations from Tarkovsky in the dream sequences...Very strong." - Chitra Neogy
"To come across the "found object" in which I can glimpse the familiar yet unfamiliar mirror image of myself, is a rarity... Burning Child, is that found object." - Andrew Moon
