STORY

Noah, a perfectionist middle schooler, comes home from school one day, feeling overwhelmed. She finds herself in a position where she has to face something she's been repressing for so long. 

Human interactions have always been the most inspiring and confusing aspect of life for me. For a young girl growing up, her relationship with her role models lies in the scope of the things it impacts. The world is full of question marks and it’s hard to steer the way if one feels lost. This is where I found the inspiration for Tiptoe. For my BFA thesis film, I'm telling the story of Noah, who struggles to connect to the two people she loves most.

CREW

Esen Arıkan | Writer, Director & Editor

Based in Brooklyn, Esen Arıkan is a filmmaker from Istanbul, Turkey who mainly produces and edits. She focuses on human relationships and cross cultural interactions in her storytelling, which is also influenced by her interests in linguistics, social justice and environmental sustainability. In the past year, she has produced five short films, including one she wrote and directed, and two music videos. She is currently a post-production intern at 88rising. You can find her work at vimeo.com/esenarikan.

Kathy Cutler | Producer

Katharine Cutler is a filmmaker from the Valley, now based in New York City. She makes work about female identity and relationships. She uses elements of slow cinema to bring feelings of realism and memory into her work. She's currently studying at Pratt Institute and is a Production Intern at StoryCorps. Her portfolio can be viewed at katharinecutler.com

Grace Zhang | Director of Photography

Grace Zhang is a narrative and experimental filmmaker currently studying at Pratt Institute. Born and bred in New York, her work interweaves superstition, myths, and the uncanny into narratives about personal and cultural identity. Previously, she’s worked as an editor at the media company 88rising.

Angie Nicholas | Assistant Camera

Angie Nicholas is a filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. With a passion for travel and a background in music, photography, and film editing, she is now pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film. She has produced a variety of narrative short films, music videos, and experimental pieces and has worked on multiple films as assistant camera. She has worked in several other areas of film production as well and hopes to focus on directing and post-production.

Anika Guttormson | Gaffer

Anika Guttormson is a gaffer from Houston, Texas who currently studies at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. During her freshman year, she found her love for bringing images to life through lighting design. She focuses on creating dynamic lighting schemes for every project she works on, and aims to light in a way that enhances the story. In her time at Pratt Institute she has gaffed multiple narrative short films and music videos.

Maryann Lonergan | Art Director

Maryann Lonergan is a New York/Connecticut based Director, Art Director and Editor. She’s a film maker who explores and combines both experimental and narrative films. She focuses on using art as a way to help tell the story. No things are left behind when she Art Directs. This means costumes, make up props, and setting are always thought through. Maryann has work on a multitude of short films and has directed short films of her own as well.

Cassidy Easton | Sound Recordist

Based in Brooklyn, Cassidy Easton is a filmmaker from upstate New York, with a focus on sound recording and writing. He mainly focuses on genre filmmaking, such as horror, fantasy, and science fiction. He has written and directed a handful of short films, but his main passion has been on other people's sets, doing sound or gripping. He is currently a full time student at Pratt Institute in his senior year. 

PRODUCTION

Your contributions will bring this film to life! All of the money we are raising with this campaign is going to be spent on necessary production costs, such as location and transportation fees, food for the cast and crew, equipment rentals and more. Here’s a chart for more information:

The miscellaneous bracket includes funds for film festival applications and some expected costs for the post-production process. Every penny counts! I would immensely appreciate if you share this campaign in your social media platforms, and help us spread the word!

Thank you so much for your interest! I greatly appreciate all of your help,

Esen & crew