What is it?

Cuttlefish is a coming-of-age thriller shooting in Cleveland, Ohio. Brought to life by a team of NYU students, the film is the feature debut of director Arman Taheri. The film follows Gil, a struggling teenager who seeks to better his life in college. When he meets a group of wealthy students, he betrays who he is, and sacrifices everything he loves to become a part of them. The film is an allegory for the college experience, systemic racism, and class differences.

Why should I care?

Having grown up in Kenya, Kamande experienced firsthand the pressures to conform to society in America. In college, he was given a choice: become like everyone else and give up his values, or stay true to himself and forge his own path. Kamande made the right choice and built his network around people who valued him for who he was. Gil makes the wrong choice, sacrificing the people that truly accepted him. 

We all know what it’s like to stick out. In pursuit of belonging, we tend to give up many things we hold close. Oftentimes, that golden horizon isn’t all it is made out to be, and ultimately does more harm than good. This film shows how betraying your roots can only lead to hardship and negativity. In a world where we are constantly injected with images of a better life, “Cuttlefish” serves as a cautionary tale to the pursuit of an unattainable future, and reinforces the dangers of trying to get to the top.

Who's behind the project?

Director: Arman Taheri

Arman Taheri has been working as a filmmaker for over 10 years. Since 2019, Arman has received over 50 official selections at festivals around the world. Of the festivals that have recognized his work, selections include the Montreal International Film Festival, Prague Independent Shorts, Cleveland International Film Festival, Golden Lion Student Film Awards, Student World Impact Film Festival, and Chennai World Cinema Festival among many others. Outside of the narrative production world, Arman works as a videographer, creating promotional videos for corporate clients and recording live events. Currently, Arman is attending NYU Tisch School of the Arts for Film and TV production. 

See Arman's previous work at: www.taheristudios.com

Writer: Kamande Muigai

Kamande Muigai is an independent writer and filmmaker from Nairobi, Kenya. His first short film, "Duara," garnered over 40,000 views and was featured in the prominent newspaper, The East African. His most recent short film, "Undercurrent" was featured in Medium magazine and WhoWhatWhereKenya. In 2024, the Nairobi fashion label Solo Nairobi commissioned Muigai to create a short film to highlight the brand's cultural roots. The final project amassed 50,000+ views within 24 hours of release and was featured in the Kenyan Art Magazine “Tangaza.”

Currently, Kamande is a student at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, majoring in Film and Television. In addition to his studies, Kamande is a junior writer for Al Is On Productions, the company behind the short film "Shuga," starring Lupita Nyong’o. His role at Al Is On Productions allows him to collaborate with industry professionals and further enhance his writing and filmmaking abilities.

See Kamande's previous work at: kmnde.net

Producer: Carmen Cicerini

Carmen has been working in the film industry for over five years. She is the founder of Cici Images, a media production company based in Cleveland, OH. Carmen has written, directed, and produced several short films that were selected for various festivals including the Cleveland International Kids Film Festival and Kids Film It Festival, where she was awarded the Nikki Audience Award.  

Currently, Carmen is attending NYU Tisch School of the Arts, majoring in Film and Television with a minor in Producing. She is currently working as a creative intern for American High, a non-profit production company that specializes in teen comedies. 

What We Need & What You Get

We are crowdfunding to cover additional costs of production. As a contributor, your money will go to:

- Food for cast and crew

- Lodging and transportation for cast and crew

- Equipment rental

- Location rental

- Costumes, wardrobe, makeup, and props

- Editing/post-production finishing

- Music rights clearances

- Film festival submissions

- Marketing costs

If our goal isn't met, we will allocate funds primarily to Food and transportation/lodging, as those are necessary for the film to come to life.

What you get:

As a donor, you get access to perks that offer exclusive access to the film. Each higher tier includes perks from previous tiers!

Perks range from a Special Thanks in the credits, DVD copy, and Early Screener, all the way up to having your voice featured, tickets to the premiere, and visiting our set in Cleveland!

Check out our exclusive perks in the Perk tab!

Risks & Challenges

Making a feature film in any capacity is an extremely hard task. Making it on a micro-budget is even more challenging. Luckily, we have a few safeguards in place to make our job easier.

- Crew is entirely sourced from NYU. We have all worked on each other's sets and know how to get the job done. Each department has specifically chosen the team they work best with to come onto the project. Our crew is dedicated to the project and is not motivated by money, but rather a genuine hope for success.

- Most films shoot with one camera. We have three. This saves us countless hours on set, as each setup can yield us 3X the number of shots, leading to quicker shoot times and more complete every day.

- Sometimes, it can take hours to light a scene. For this film, our lighting setups will be minimal, relying on natural light and using bounce boards to shape it around our actors faces.

- Our script was written with Cleveland in mind. Arman and Carmen are Cleveland native, so we have access to many of our locations through family and friend connections. This saves us time and money in transportation.

- Our script is 88 pages. We're shooting over 12 days, which gives us roughly 7 pages per day to shoot. With multiple cameras and minimalist lighting, this will easily be achieved, along with one day allotted for contingency in case anything needs to be rescheduled.

How else can I help?

Thanks for looking at our campaign! If you want to help us out even more, check out our Instagram @Cuttlefishmovie. Spread the word around your local community, see us at your local festival, reach out and connect if you'd like to help us with in-kind donations, and most importantly, watch the film!