As a Black pregnant woman suffers from medical complications and vicious hallucinations, she fears the visions are a warning of her and her unborn child's untimely demise. 

Dr. Shalon Irving

Kira Dixon Johnson

Amber Rose Isaac

Dr. Chaniece Wallace

These are the names of just a few Black women who passed away from issues related to childbirth. Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women, according to the CDC. While lack of healthcare access and underlying conditions contribute to this higher rate, it’s also largely driven by implicit bias and structural racism in the healthcare system. Black Maternal Health is a crisis that has gone under the radar. Using the genre of horror and suspense, Mason brings viewers directly into the experience that Black mothers are facing across the country. 

Recommended Readings:

Why the Black Maternal Health Crisis Is an American Health Crisis

Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality

Racial and Ethnic Disparities Continue in Pregnancy-Related Deaths

Birthing While Black: Examining America’s Black Maternal Health Crisis

We are fundraising to cover costs for production. Our total budget is ~$18,000 for a 3 day shoot in mid-October. We have already secured $5,000 from a Northwestern Production Award which will cover the crew rates. The funds we are raising via crowdfunding will help cover equipment and food costs for the October shoot. We will be applying for additional grant funds for post-production. 

We will be having a 3-day shoot in October with the goal of finishing the film in the winter. From there, we will be applying to various film festivals and hosting local screenings. Ultimately we hope the film will also be used as a discussion starter for the Black Maternal Crisis.

Our core audience is lovers of horror films. Within that target, we hope to reach Black people who love horror and/or people who like horror film with a message (i.e. Get Out.) Much like Jordan Peele, we hope people come in with their standard expectations of the genre but leave with more interest in researching this widespread issue. 

Sharena Sigmon (Writer/Director)

Sharena Sigmon was born and raised on the southwest side of Chicago where she was introduced to the arts at an early age. In 2012, Sharena graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Fiction Writing where she exclusively adapted novels to screenplays during a semester in LA. As a recent MFA graduate from Northwestern University’s Writing for the Screen and Stage program, her thesis screenplay won first place in Northwestern's RTVF Screenwriting competition. 

Since then, she has been featured in Northwestern’s Dialogue Magazine, Harness Magazine, 13Horror Screenwriter Competition, and Chicago Film Office’s Social Justice Screenwriting Competition. She's volunteered with Chicago International Film Festival, has been an instructor assistant at Chicago Filmmakers, a Writing tutor at City Colleges of Chicago, and has closely assisted film directors and visual artists. She continues to immerse herself in the world of writing, and seeks to explore the visibility and representation of Black women, often through the horror lens on screen.

Angellic Ross (Producer)

 Raised in Milwaukee, Angellic Ross (she/her) attended Northwestern University where she studied Performance Studies and Film & Media Studies. Her first short film was revoLUZion which won first place at the My Hero Festival. Following that, she produced the short film Down the Rabbit Hole which was nominated for Best Picture at the Single Take Film Festival.

Her most recently completed project is a multimedia documentary piece, A Journey Through Time, for her sorority's 100 year anniversary. Currently, Angellic is producing her first narrative feature, Go to the Body, which won Pitch Day at the Chicago International Film Festival. 

Additionally, she is an Advisory Board Member of Sisters in Cinema and was a part of the inaugural class of Full Spectrum Features and the Chicago Film Office's Chicago Independent Producers Lab. In addition to her film work, Angellic is an Associate Director of Media Strategy at an advertising agency.