Hunger Pains
Matilda Corley Schulman
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LOGLINE
A Magical Realist, Modern Western Short
While burying their newest secret (a dead husband), two sisters find themselves forced to confront every secret and hungry desire between them in the middle of the California desert…
SYNOPSIS
In the dark, we hear the sound of what might be sex...but more likely a struggle...only to jump to a woman, rushing home to find her younger sister being attacked by her (the older sister's) husband. We meet this older sister, ARA, 30s, a tired battle of a woman, as she stares down at her now very, very dead husband, JACK.
Ara turns to face her younger sister, LACIE, normally a sunshine wrapped in a smile, eating a sandwich with potato chips in it. Did we mention Lacie's covered in blood and badly beaten herself? And yes, really made a sandwich after all this?
The pair drag Jack’s body to the garage, toss him into their pick-up, and drive out into the Mojave desert to bury him. Yet along the journey, Ara and only Ara is haunted by a not alive version of Jack (we don't use the term ghost round here- he sucks too much).
What follows is a tailspinning journey as our two sisters bury the body and the secrets of Jack with it.
WRITER’S NOTE
My sister is my best friend. I would do anything for her.
There is simply something fierce and wild and hungry in the love you have for your little sister. And the thought of someone ever hurting her. It feels very western, the truth that I would stand up to anyone, anything, any entity for her.
But perhaps find it much harder to do that for myself.
I see so many women bending ourselves out of shape in order to be loved until it’s too late, until we lose what we were in the beginning. And perhaps even lose our lives. So I wrote this story as a warning sign, an honoring and questioning of how brutal being a young woman can actually be.
I think we need to see more of that, especially right now.
-Matilda (your writer)
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
A woman would do anything to protect her sister, her mother, her own. HUNGER PAINS is first a film about the lengths two sisters will go to keep each other safe, while desperately longing to be seen as their truest selves.
Ara has spent her life protecting Lacie, and now must let go. Lacie has always used brevity as a mask, and is forced to face a hard truth: nice girls don’t always end up first.
Matilda, a long time collaborator of mine, has such an indelible capacity to capture girlhood and coming of age with all of the grit and nuance it deserves. HUNGER PAINS is the kind of film I want to be watching. As a survivor myself, seeing two young women take control over their own narrative revs my emotional engine.
This film will live in the pace and chaos of its mystery, while also being punctuated with Matilda’s biting humor and wit. It is a film that has earned its vast scope and I can’t wait to build this powerful, poignant world.
-Tessa (your director)
PITCH DECK
Tessa Slovis, Director.
Tessa Slovis is an Argentinian-American/Jewish filmmaker. Her directorial debut, PIZZA PARTY, a magic realist retelling of the night before the Larry Nassar trials, screened at more than 20 Academy Award-qualifying and international festivals, including Indy Shorts, Florida Film Festival, and Bentonville Film Festival, earning multiple jury and directing honors. Her subsequent films, including FALSIES and the romantic comedy AISLES, have continued to screen at prominent festivals nationwide. She is a 2026 Starz and Alliance of Women Directors' Creative Leadership Directing fellow and is currently attached to direct the feature comedy FALSE PROFITS. Beyond film, Tessa has directed acclaimed stage productions including Luis Alfaro’s bilingual adaptation Mojada at Cal State LA and actress Jen Ponton’s solo show Sugarcoated, which played at the Denver Fringe Festival and Off-Broadway at The Flea Theater. She is a film and theater professor at University of Southern California, Stella Adler Art of Acting Studio, and Cal State LA, where she co-founded the USC MFA Film initiative alongside Ahmed Best and David Warshofsky to support emerging actors and filmmakers through the production company Dramatic Narrative Design. She is a graduate of Barnard College (BA) and the USC School of Dramatic Arts (MFA).
Matilda Corley Schulman, Writer.
Matilda Corley Schulman is a Los Angeles-based writer and actor—and former NCAA Division I equestrian (yes, she’s a horse girl) — who loves telling stories that are a blend of rebellion, heartbreak, and just a touch of magic. As she puts it, she writes westerns (the one standing up to the many) in every font and hopes to amplify voices that have too often been told to quiet down—stories that help us all feel a little less alone.
Her plays, pilots, and features have been recognized by the O’Neill, Mazumdar, Stowe Story Labs, Cinestory, Austin Film Festival, Coverfly, Stage 32, ScreenCraft and more. She has multiple features in development and pilots looking for attachments and was named to the Coverfly x Tracking Board's The Next List 2024
And as you guessed it, if she’s not holed up in a coffee shop writing or memorizing lines, you can be sure to find her on the back of a horse.
Kianna Maynard, Producer.
Kianna Maynard is the Manager of Physical Production at Annapurna Pictures. She and her team oversee all aspects of production management for Annapurna’s vast slate of film, television, and animation projects. Most recently, she worked on Olivia Wilde’s third feature, The Invite, now playing in theaters. Kianna also works as a freelance producer and prides herself on bringing creative visions to life.
Prior to joining Annapurna, Kianna worked as the coordinator of production at Lionsgate, where she supported the motion picture group and oversaw production on films including White Bird, Joy Ride, and Miller’s Girl. When she’s not working, Kianna enjoys reading, traveling, and hanging out with her two cats, Mowgli and Noodle.
Cronin Cullen, Producer.
Cronin Cullen is an award-winning producer, actor and founder of Old Rogues, an independent production company developing shorts, features and pilots with a recurring cohort of creatives drawn to work rooted in community and lived experience. His work has premiered and received awards at numerous festivals including Tribeca, HollyShorts, Nashville Film Festival, SeriesFest, Fantasia, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival, among others.
Selected producing credits include IDYLL (International Premiere, Edinburgh International Film Festival), 12 Hours (HollyShorts, Nevada City Film Festival), and Camp Greenwood (Nashville Film Festival, Catalyst Content Festival, SeriesFest) . He is currently producing Mt. Mystic Rangers (Amplify Pictures) while developing three projects of his own. Old Rogues full slate of work can be seen at https://www.oldrogues.co/
As an actor, Cronin recurs as Bragdon on Mt. Mystic Rangers and recently played Biff Loman opposite Frances Fisher in Death of a Salesman at the Colony Theatre. Additional selected acting credits include This Is Us, Westworld, Blue Bloods, The Equalizer, and Netflix's The Half of It.
Cronin strives to be completely absorbed in what he's doing so everything, even work, can be considered play.
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