DIRECTOR’S NOTE “Isn’t swimming supposed to be fun?” I said these words after being frustrated when my dad was teaching me how to swim. It was an eye-opening moment for both of us. My dad was still learning how to be a supportive figure in my life and I was going through growing pains. I think that all fathers and sons go through this and that’s what I want to explore. This film takes those experiences and adds a violent element to it. The father and son in this story are two forces who go up against each other and do not back down. Don’t worry, my dad and I are not like these characters, but I used those experiences to create the backbone for this short film.

SYNOPSIS  In the early 1960s, Roman attempts to teach his son how to swim so he can join the swim team when summer is over. But Jack struggles and tries to abandon the daily lessons. After a particularly irritating lesson, the two are greeted by the exotic and sultry Michelle, an actress from France. She provides Roman with a sense of calm and Jack sees her as a maternal figure. But how long can they ignore the rising tensions between them?

CAST

Hunter McCracken would play Jack, a young boy with the a penchant for anger, in the vein of his father. Not a very loud personality, he spends a lot of the film observing and reacting.

Berenice Bejo would play Michelle. She has a foreign beauty that would

help us understand the tension between Jack and Roman. Michele can stand on her own with Roman.

Michael Fassbender would bring a very strong presence to the role of Roman while also maintaining a feeling of fragility. Roman’s hard shell will be very honest and real.

Mihai Malaimare Jr. is the director of photography on this project. Having already shot beautiful scenes for The Master, he knows how to capture the “white hot” feeling of the beaches. He actually smokes cigarettes.

Amaal Mustafa is the director of this short film. What he provides is a personal experience with the thematic material of the project and a unique sense of humor. He does not actually smoke cigarettes.

The Master, 2012

Locations

Roman’s House, Newport Beach

The house was found on California’s film production site. They rent out houses to crews for a flat rate. We would be renting it out for SIX days. It provides us with a balcony, an open beach without many variables and a spacious interior with large windows. This helps give the story a larger scope and lets the beach come alive as a character in the story.

SCHEDULE

Bonechill will premiere at the NYU First Run Festival. Then we will submit the film to these festivals:

Tribeca Film Festival Sundance Film Festival

Seattle Film Festival Los Angeles Film Festival

Toronto Film Festival

Cannes Film Festival

South by Southwest Film Festival

New York Short Film Festival Vancouver International Film Festival

BUDGET Now, of course, this film would be impossible to make without a budget. To the right is the projected budget of the film as of now. What being an NYU student does is help lessen the cost of the production. The cost of the film will actually be around 10 to 11 thousand dollars. This is based on deferrals that were provided to other films that NYU students have produced.

WHY SUPPORT THIS PROJECT? I hope that this short film celebrates film and the era of the 1960s. It wasn’t long after World War II; the world was a little more peaceful and the way of life had a very relaxed mood. Not long after the setting of this film, the US got into the Vietnam War and sent a man to the moon. By supporting this film, we would set out to not only put incredible visuals on the medium of film but introduce the finished product to the festival circuit. If you cannot donate money then any in-kind donations to lower the cost of food, props and cast are appreciated. I hope to create a film that can bring attention to the idea of the post war family, to the creative artist that I am and the cast, crew and producers who helped make the film a possibility. All producers on this project will receive a DVD copy of the film, a link to the project online and invitations to Bonechill events. Donors of larger amounts will receive the Executive Producer credit on the project.

CONTACT: Amaal Mustafa 425.248.8175 sam916@nyu.edu