POSSUM
Daisy Rosato and Sophie Sagan-Gutherz
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LOGLINE
When the leader of a vegan contact improv residency kills the possum that’s been eating their cauliflower, the residents come to a shocking consensus.
SYNOPSIS
When the leader of a vegan contact-improv residency kills the possum that's been eating their cauliflower, the residents are forced to make the impossible decision of what to do with its carcass. Artist resident Pinecone commits theriocide [the killing of a non-human animal by a human] when he loses his mind and pummels The Possum to death. In true slasher film fashion, The Possum’s demise is both gruesome and entertaining. A shameful Pinecone brings the corpse to the other residents. Supported by snappy editing and camera whips, they process what to do with the kill and how to punish Pinecone. Through unanimity, and sidebars into the politics of class, gender, and disability, the residents come to a shocking conclusion.
The Why. Writer & Director Statement
The world is shifting and we are moving towards a more equitable culture. However, many of us have become obsessed with not being canceled, eager for the simplicity of "us vs. them" thinking. We are interested in the potential for a productive way to deal with moral ambiguity -- to normalize people we label "good" acting badly and "bad" people being good.
We both have had separate experiences in which we had to remove ourselves from toxic theatre environments. We want to make a short film together to interrogate the complexity of these creative spaces, artists' obsession with being "pure," and the privilege and hypocrisy that uphold these structures.
Making a short film is a known vessel in the film industry. Daisy has professional storytelling experience in roles such as cinematographer, director, and writer. Sophie has experience working as a film actor and playwright; as a writer, they often explore similarly comedic and provocateur themes akin to POSSUM. Through the cacophony of this character-driven, ensemble film we will bring our 10+ years as experimental theatre makers into a new medium.
LOOKBOOK
TRAILER
Daisy Rosato. Director, Co-Producer
(she/her) Raised in New Orleans and living in Brooklyn, Rosato is drawn to creative work that rewards collaboration. Storytelling is how she forms and shapes community. Her writing reflects a cinematic fluency based on deep technical understanding, pulling from work as a scenic carpenter and work in production as an assistant cameraperson. With a BA in Theatre/German from Bard College and a propensity for re-wiring lamps, she is tapped into a natural curiosity for understanding the world around her that informs her collaborations. Last year, she attended Stowe Sidewalk Narrative Lab with her feature screenplay, "Dancing Soldier". She is in pre-production to direct "POSSUM", a bitingly absurd horror short about a vegan-only contact improv residency in the Berkshires. Rosato is currently pursuing a Cinema Arts MFA at Brooklyn College.
Sophie Sagan-Gutherz. Writer, Actor ‘Blaze’
(they/them) Soph/ie is a genderqueer, crippunk, storyteller. Recent: POSSUM advanced as a quarter-finalist in the HollyShorts Screenwriting Competition; Faultline Theatre (writer/actor); t4t, c4c (Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, writer/actor/EP). Current: Greenhouse Lab (Orchard Project). Honors: Resident (Fresh Ground Pepper), Resident (The Barn at Lee). Finalist placements: Williamstown J. Michael Friedman Fellowship, Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, The Civilians R&D Group, New Georges The Jam, The Public Emerging Writers Group, and EST Youngblood. Two-time semi-finalist for NPC/The O'Neill. Select performer collaborations: Lincoln Center, Ars Nova, TFANA, The Public, and Williamstown. sophiesagangutherz.com
Jackie Monoson. Producer
(she/her) Jackie Monoson is an independent documentary and fiction filmmaker and producer based in Brooklyn, NY. Jackie’s recent projects include producing the surreal tragicomedy pilot PALOOKAVILLE, which received the Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Slamdance Film Festival. She also produced the short horror-comedy film YOU’RE MY BEST FRIEND which premiered at the 2023 Berlin Final Girls FilmFestival. Among other things, she is inspired by Jewish folklore, her grandmother,Gilda, unreliable narrators, and the horrors of puberty. When Jackie is not at work, she is busy making music videos about her cat, Lentil, and rewatching the Sopranos. Jackie received her BFA in Studio Art from New York University.
Amanda Centeno. Production Coordination
(she/her) Amanda Centeno is an actor and writer based in NYC. She wrote, produced,and starred in her first short, Disaster Panties, in 2021. It screened at Cucaloros and the Asian American International Film Festival, where she wasnominated for Best Screenplay in the shorts division. She is a frequent collaborator of Soph’s in the theatre world. In addition to POSSUM, she is also producing a social horror short on the white male/Asian female dating trope called Vanilla. She received her BFA in Drama from New York University.
Zach Sky. Director of Photography
(he/him) Zach Sky got his start making movies in high school filming his friends ride BMX in his hometown of Boston, MA. In 2010, he decided to pursue his love for movies in full by working at a documentary production company as their full-time camera operator. There he shot 3 feature-length docs acquired by Netflix and PBS, and shown at multiple major int'l festivals. Today, he shoots for clients such as A24, Steven Soderbergh, Rosalia, Chanel, Nike, Adidas, Puma, Nordstrom, and DKNY.
Leah Shapiro. Casting Director
(she/her) Leah Shapiro is a NY-based freelance CD for TV and Film. She’s worked with offices such as Shayna Markowitz, Ellen Lewis, Laura Rosenthal, and Estrin/Bergstein. She most recently finished working under Markowitz on Bradley Cooper’s feature MAESTRO (Netflix/Amblin). Other recent TV/Film: THE GIRL FROM PLAINVILLE (HULU), INVENTING ANNA (NETFLIX), DASH & LILY(NETFLIX), Sony’s feature A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN directed by Denzel Washington, Amazon’s feature GOODNIGHT MOMMY, and the upcoming PLAN B/MGM feature LANDSCAPE WITH INVISIBLE HAND, directed by Cory Finley which premiered at Sundance '23.
Poly ester. Costume Designer, HMU
(he/they) 100% synthetic and completely man-made, Poly ester is a drag performer and the illegitimate traggot son of David Cronenberg. They aim to explore the queer horror tradition of monstrosity as liberation, the grotesque as beauty, and transformation as sex. He’s thrilled to join the team at the helm of makeup, hair, and costumes for POSSUM.
Gilbert Sanchez. Actor ‘Hadley’
(he/they) Gilbert is an actor and cabaret singer based in Brooklyn, New York. He has produced many of his own shows, including The 4/20 Show, Cats: The Other Cats Musical, and Me & My Good Judys at Good Judy. Off-Broadway: Showgirls the Musical. Regional: Ritchie Valens in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story at Bucks County Playhouse. TV: Law and Order: Organized Crime, New Amsterdam, Bull and The Path.
Michelle Davis. Actor ‘Tilly’
(she/her) Michelle Davis is an actor, writer, and comedian based in New York City. Michelle is currently writing on the sketch/variety series ZIWE (A24/Showtime) seasons 1 & 2 and starred in multiple sketches that she wrote. Michelle wrote for season 3 of the HBO series, A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW, for which she received a 2022 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series. She is Black, graduated from NYU with a double major in Acting and Politics, and her favorite cycling instructor calls her “fun!” (He also sometimes calls her “Mikaela” and she is too polite to correct him).
Misha Brooks. Actor ‘Pinecone’
(he/him) Misha is an actor living in New York City. He’s a co-founder and member of the performance art group Subtle Pride. His work can be seen on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and most recently in the Paramount Plus comedy, “Players". He has a BFA in Drama from New York University.
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