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Rahma: A Short Film

A hero rises from the sands of legend.

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Rahma: A Short Film

Rahma: A Short Film

Rahma: A Short Film

Rahma: A Short Film

Rahma: A Short Film

A hero rises from the sands of legend.

A hero rises from the sands of legend.

A hero rises from the sands of legend.

A hero rises from the sands of legend.

Naomi Rivas
Naomi Rivas
Naomi Rivas
Naomi Rivas
1 Campaign |
Orange, United States
$8,890 USD 25 backers
29% of $30,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Rahma is the thesis film of a team of MFA students at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

Our titular character, Rahma, is a young woman who was born into a society, which shuns her and fears her super powers. She is one of the last remaining “Birth Weepers,” a long line of women with super powers who have died fighting for their freedom. In our story, Rahma faces the ultimate test when she must decide between staying safely hidden and using her powers to help those in need.

Our short film will tell Rahma's super hero origin story. It is the story of a strong woman of color. Every day more and more super hero stories are told where the hero is of diverse gender, ethnicity, and/or skin color. Rahma's story contributes to this wonderful trend. 

Mood Reel


How You Can Help

It takes many individual elements working in sync to make a movie, even a short one. Your contributions will go towards:

  • Hiring a casting director to help us find top-notch talent to portray the roles in this dramatic tale. 
  • Hiring a stunt coordinator to help us safely film our climactic scene.
  • Location rentals and permit fees.
  • Set dressing for authentic interiors.
  • Practical effects to make Rahma's powers come to life.
  • Special camera, grip, and electric equipment.
  • Makeup and wardrobe.
  • Transportation for cast.
  • Meals for cast and crew.
  • Stock footage for authentic exteriors. 
  • Hard drives for our footage and for visual effects.
  • Film festival entry fees. 

All funds we raise will go towards the making of the film, even if we do not reach our goal or if we exceed our goal.

    In return for your support, we have some exciting perks to offer, including:

    • T-Shirts
    • Rahma poster prints
    • Behind-the-scenes Polaroids with a caption from a cast or crew member
    • Hand-made, original Pyrographic artwork inspired by the movie


    The Impact

    We are combining our love for epic tales with our desire for more diverse representation in media. We hope to convey characters people will relate to despite the characters' extraordinary circumstances. We want to inspire our audience to research legends from all cultures.
    Our movie is about empowerment. We hope to contribute to the growing amount of stories about great women and hope that female super hero popularity will continue to grow.

    Risks & Challenges

    We will have a limited amount of time and resources to make our movie, but that is part of the fun. Our time at Dodge and our past experience making short films have prepared us to face this challenge. We are currently preparing in earnest and look forward to sharing our journey with all of our supporters.

      Other Ways You Can Help

      Even if you cannot donate, you can show your support by sharing this page with people you know. Use the links below the teaser trailer video to share this campaign with others!

      The Team

      Rakan Sindi - Director


      Rakan Sindi was born and raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and has been fascinated by the art of filmmaking ever since. He started his filmmaking journey by completing his Bachelors of Arts degree in Visual Communications with a minor in Cinema Studies at American University in Washington D.C. and is currently finishing up his M.F.A at Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. He has made several short films, including The Yellow Attic, which was accepted into the Noor Iranian Film Festival this year. He's been inspired by super hero stories ever since seeing Batman as a child. His favorite movie is The Dark Knight. He is driven to carry the cinematic art back to his home country to entertain, educate and motivate the lives of millions of people.

      Naomi Rivas - Producer

      Naomi has been in love with stories ever since she learned to read. She is a self-proclaimed nerd, with an acute affinity toward stories with magical elements. After completing her Bachelor of Science in Telecommunication Production and minor in Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Florida, she decided to delve further into the art of storytelling through motion pictures. As an MFA Producing candidate at Chapman University, she has had numerous incredible opportunities, including producing two short films, attending the Sundance Film Festival as an audience member, and completing a TV development internship at Lionsgate. In the future, she hopes to continue telling stories about amazing female characters and the magical worlds that they inhabit. 

      John Manning - Cinematographer

      John graduated from Mount San Jacinto College with Associate Degrees in Humanities, Social Behavioral Sciences, and Liberal Arts; and Humboldt State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre, Film and Dance. John is currently studying for his Master of Fine Arts in Cinematography at Chapman University in Orange, CA, under Bill Dill, ASC, and Johnny Jensen, ASC.
      John shows stories, drawing on his social science background, depicting real characters in their real time and place.

      Roger Bacon - Editor

      Roger Bacon fostered an early love for film in his home town of North Providence, Rhode Island. He was one of eight members of the 2012 graduating class of the University of Rhode Island to triple major, a feat accomplished in just four years. Upon graduation he moved to Southern California and was one of 15 students selected for the Editing Emphasis of Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Art MFA Program. Upon gaining his masters he hopes to continue to work towards his goal of editing feature films.

      Lauren Israel - Production Designer

      Lauren was born in Long Beach, California. She graduated from UC Berkeley in May 2013, and will be receiving her MFA in Production Design at Chapman University in 2015.  Lauren hopes to combine her love of art and film in her career in the art department in the film/animation industry.

      Youning Gao - Sound Designer

      Youning Gao was born in Qingdao, China. She studied at the prestigious Communications University of China where she got her foundation in the various disciplines of filmmaking. She sharpened her chops working on short films, TV shows, advertisements, and documentaries. She moved to the United States soon after, to focus on editing and sound design.

      Jon Milano - First Assistant Director

      Jon Milano was born and raised in New Jersey.  He has been drawn to different cultures and enjoys telling their stories through film. He is also a life time member of The Women in Film Foundation. He has been working in the Film and Television industry since 2006 and holds a B.F.A in Film Studies and is currently a M.F.A Candidate at Chapman University's Dodge College.

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      Choose your Perk

      Production Assistant

      $5 USD
      Thank you so much for your help!
      0 claimed

      Publicity Intern

      $10 USD
      Public thank you on the movie's social media pages.
      Estimated Shipping
      November 2014
      0 claimed

      Costume Designer

      $25 USD
      Official Rahma the Movie T-shirt + social media thank you.
      Estimated Shipping
      March 2015
      2 out of 100 of claimed

      Video On Demand

      $50 USD
      Link and password to view the movie right after the Dodge College premiere + social media thank you.
      4 claimed

      Distributor

      $100 USD
      Your choice DVD or Blu Ray of the movie + social media thank you.
      Estimated Shipping
      March 2015
      1 out of 100 of claimed

      Above-the-Title Billing

      $250 USD
      Rahma poster print + T-Shirt + DVD or Blu-ray + social media shout out.
      Estimated Shipping
      March 2015
      1 out of 100 of claimed

      Original Negative

      $500 USD
      Framed Polaroid. A single moment in time from our set captured forever with clever caption from cast or crew. + All of the above.
      Estimated Shipping
      March 2015
      1 out of 50 of claimed

      Concept Artist

      $1,000 USD
      Original handmade pyrographic artwork inspired by the movie. (The smaller work of art in the pictures to the left.) + Polaroid + Poster + DVD + Link +T-shirt + Social media shout out.
      Estimated Shipping
      March 2015
      2 out of 5 of claimed

      Hero

      $2,500 USD
      One-of-a-kind, large handmade pyrographic artwork inspired by the movie. + Polaroid + Poster + DVD + Link +T-shirt + Social media shout out.
      Estimated Shipping
      March 2015
      0 out of 1 of claimed
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