“Our Weird Selves” is an introspective love dramedy short film.

The story begins as a man is getting his wife back home after she spent over a year at the hospital only for the doctors to give up on her case. She notices a brochure about euthanasia slipping out of his jacket’s pocket and confronts him about it. Together, they have to make a tough decision.

This film explores the influence the people we surround ourselves with have on the way we handle things, especially when times are rough. The plot comes from the idea that no matter how much we prepare ourselves for the worst, it’s only when it’s right there in front of us that we can know how each different person will react to it.

Aakash Subramaniam: a cinematographer originally from Mumbai, India, with a passion for creating meaningful stories through visuals. Growing up in a city known for its vibrant culture and thriving film industry, he developed a fascination for how powerful images and stories can connect with people on an emotional level. His journey with filmmaking started when he first picked up a camera in high school, and since then, he has been committed to honing his craft.

Over the years, he has worked on a variety of projects like short films, music videos, commercials, and documentaries, which have helped him grow as both a creative and a technician. He draws inspiration from real-life events and is currently invested in projects that challenge him to push beyond his limits.

He is currently pursuing an MFA in Cinematography, sharpening his skills and expanding his creative vision. His goal is to collaborate with like-minded people, push the boundaries of storytelling, and turn what was once a dream into reality.

"Our Weird Selves" is Aakash's MFA thesis project and he will be its Executive Producer and Director of Photography.

Marco Felipe: the director for "Our Weird Selves."

For the last 5 years since he started working with filmmaking, Marco has written over 70 commercials and directed over 20 films - 11 of which were short films and gotten over 100 awards in the IMDb circuit.

His passion for making films relies on the possibility to explore how trapped in our heads we can be as human beings, and tell stories that not only explore its consequences.

He is also currently getting his MFA, but in Filmmaking, and is developing his first feature film.

Rafaela Goncalves: the producer for "Our Weird Selves." 

Rafaela Goncalves is a trilingual actress and producer who grew up in Brazil and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 17 to get her BFA in Acting. During her time in college, she was able to not only improve her performing skills but also tap into her filmmaking skills, and so she went on to get her MFA degree in Producing. Rafaela graduated with experience on over 20 projects, including short films, music videos and feature films. She has currently two projects of her own in post production, including the proof of concept for her first original feature which is loosely based on the book she published in Brazil at the age of 15. She recently co-produced her first feature film, "Blow for Blow," alongside big names such as Rigan Machado and Paulo Costa, and is working on another two feature films to be shot in 2025 and 2026.

Rafaela's productions have the goal of featuring diverse talent, deconstructing stereotypes, and telling stories about self discoveries and life transitions.

In order to make "Our Weird Selves", we are asking for $3,000 that, in addition to grants and personal funds, will go specifically towards:

- renting of shooting location

- all permits, insurances and general liability

- renting of equipment for the shoot as well as the truck to transport it

- production design, props and costumes

- good food for everyone on set!

In return, we are offering 6 cumulative perk options as our appreciation tokens to you! Don't forget to check them out!

The Entertainment Industry is no easy Industry to get into - and especially coming from a different country! All three of us (and most of our beloved, talented crew) come from outside of the USA. We all had to choose between living with our family, friends and culture, and living our dream of becoming filmmakers! And the only way we can make that dream come true is by making films and putting them out there so we can continue making more (and bigger) films.

In addition to that, our beautiful Los Angeles is right now being burned down by the tragic fires. Many productions are being shut down or moved to other states, many filmmakers are being forced to leave. Now, more than ever, is the time to support local productions in Los Angeles to keep the independent cinema alive! We are the next generation of filmmakers and we want to stay. Help us stay!

CREW'S EXPERIENCE ON A STUDENT FILM LEVEL:

Fortunately, the three of us have worked together for 6 projects so far, getting more and more in tune with each other every time, growing together and honing our craft. All of us have over 5 years of experience on making films and we’ve been more and more selective with the people who work with us, not only professionally, but even more so behaviorally. We don't see a student film as "just a student film." Student film or not, we see it as a FILM and we give our all to it - and therefore we make sure to work with people with the same mindset.

A SHORT FILM’S EXPOSURE AND REACH:

Even though short films don’t tend to get distributed by major companies so that it can reach bigger audiences, we will go through an extensive film festivals circuit, taking it to as many countries as possible. Fortunately, our director has already had his short films presented in over 15 countries, including the USA, India, Brazil, England, France and Italy. But, as important as that, a short film is a great format for all of us to be able to show our work to our industry so that we can take the next step into making feature films.

We completely understand that some people just can't contribute financially, but that doesn't mean you can't still help us!

If you believe in our film and in us as filmmakers, please share our Indiegogo campaign page on social media or word-of-mouth! Any kind of help is greatly appreciated.