OVERVIEW
Khana Tillman is a writer, filmmaker and recent UCLA grad, and next year she'll be starting the MFA program at USC for Film Production.
WESTWARD, HO! is a short film she and some dear friends and collaborators are putting together to shoot this June, before Khana heads off to grad school. The project is a true labor of love; it is being developed by a group of young filmmakers, many of whom are alumni from UCLA’s School of Theater Film and Television, and all of whom share a passion for making movies for themselves, by themselves.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
WESTWARD HO! is a character-driven surreal tragicomedy, largely inspired by such films as 20th Century Women, Y Tu Mama Tambien, and Ingrid Goes West. Throughout my life I have always been fascinated by the dynamics of friend groups and the toxicity we often endure for the sake of companionship. This is what WESTWARD, HO! mainly explores.
Through this short, I am also seeking a type of truth, which comes from an honest representation of these addicting, but fraught relationships. Where do they stand in our grand personal histories? And at what point does one decide a friendship hurts more than it heals?
I want to be part of a new era of independent filmmaking that prioritizes collaboration, inclusivity, and pushing the needle forward, not just on screen but also off. Although I am still in the early stages of my career, I am determined to foster that environment now. I am elated to say that our cast and crew reflects that ethos, being a majority of female and non-binary artists.
The only large, fortified wall preventing us from actualizing this dream are those pesky dollars. Which is why I am here today, in that classic NPR fundraising drive way, to ask if you would contribute to our funding and help bring this film to life.
-Khana Tillman
STORY PREMISE
Poppy, a semi successful influencer, reunites with college friends in the desert to scatter her cat’s ashes. As the night unfolds, suppressed memories resurface and the group is forced to confront a troubling betrayal from their collective past.
CAST
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