ACTUALIZATION
Jaina Cipriano
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LOGLINE
Psychological Thriller Short Film
When Billie, a woman tormented by a lifelong phobia of vomiting, discovers she’s pregnant, she’s thrust into surreal confrontations with her mother, brother, and childhood teddy bear, where grotesque family rituals force her to face the horror she’s avoided all her life.
SYNOPSIS
Billie has lived in terror of vomiting since childhood. When a positive pregnancy test shatters her fragile stability, she is drawn into a surreal confrontation with her neglectful mother and antagonistic brother, led by her worn-out childhood teddy bear.
Through grotesque rituals of birthdays, holidays, and family meals warped into nightmarish visions, Billie relives the dismissal and abandonment that shaped her phobia. At last, she faces the fear that has ruled her life, discovering that survival doesn’t mean erasing it, but transforming it into a new way forward.
Director’s Statement
Actualization is a surreal short film about one woman confronting her greatest fear: vomiting. Through handcrafted sets, raw performances, and an immersive visual style, this film turns an invisible phobia into something tangible, visceral, and cathartic. Emetophobia affects millions, but almost no one talks about it. I have had this fear since elementary school but it wasn't until my early 20's that I realized there was a name for it. And a name meant treatment, it meant understanding. It meant there was hope. I want anyone suffering with this to know there is hope.
PITCH DECK
TEAM
Jaina Cipriano. Writer & Director
Jaina Cipriano is a filmmaker, photographer, and experiential designer whose work delves into the emotional complexities of religious and romantic entrapment.
Jaina writes and directs award-winning short films that navigate the challenging path of healing. Her second short film, Trauma Bond, a dreamy coming-of-age thriller that explores the allure of quick fixes for deep wounds, won the grand prize at the Lonely Seal International Film Festival. She was selected for Stowe Writers Retreat 2025 for her feature film, Heaven Can’t Be Better Than This.
Jaina’s photographic works are fabricated by hand in her Lowell studio. She studied at the New England School of Photography and The Griffin Museum. She has shown at Leica Gallery Boston, The Griffin Museum of Photography, Boston University and Kingston Gallery, among others. Her work has been published over 200 times and selected for the top 200 of Critical Mass 2024.
Jaina is currently developing two immersive experiences. What Are You Afraid Of blends ritual with performance for a solo experience through facing fears. Odd One is about memory and empathy. Jaina plans to take them public in 2026.
Jaina is the owner of the Arlington International Film Festival and the founder of Finding Bright Studios, a design company building narrative experiences based in Lowell, MA. She has collaborated with GRRL HAUS, Boston Art Review, The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, and was a Boston Fellow for the MassArt Creative Business Incubator. Jaina was a finalist in EforAll Merrimack Valley in 2022 and a 2025 recipient of New England Foundation for the Arts Public Learning Fund.
Carley Byers. Producer
Carley Byers is a filmmaker based in New Bedford, Massachusetts—a whale-obsessed creative hub in the SouthCoast region. She strives to produce films with unique perspectives pushing boundaries emotionally and creatively.
Carley is a 2025 Stowe Producers Lab Fellow and a receipt of the Tarkovski Grant. She’s an active member in the New England film community, serving on the board of Women in Film New England and New Bedford Film Festival. Through these organizations she creates educational opportunities for those eager to break into the film industry. Since graduating from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2021, she's worked on a wide variety of projects from short films to commercials finding her speciality in producing.
Her most recent short film, Don’t Fall From Grace screened at notable genre film festivals such as Boston Underground Film Festival and the BFI Future Film Festival. She recently wrapped working in the production office of the upcoming A24 film, Tony broadening her production experience. Carley strives to lead projects with kindness. She aims to foster inclusive and collaborative on set environments that make for impactful storytelling from set to screen.
“I’m incredibly excited to produce Actualization because it's a bold, surreal exploration of emetophobia that pushes the boundaries of visual storytelling. The script transports you to an otherworldly dimension where fear is both abstract and hauntingly personal, offering a rare, immersive look into a phobia that’s often misunderstood. I'm thrilled to work with Jaina as a director. I admire her work that is both deeply personal and visually powerful.” - Carley Byers
Alecia Orsini. Producer
Alecia Orsini is an award winning and multi-media professional with 18 years of experience working in the film industry. She is currently working as a Line Producer for the New England region, but has spent time as a Director, Production Designer, Radio Engineer, and Camera Operator.
Alecia is a prominent voice in the region's film community as President Emerita of Women in Film and Video of New England. She also devoted time to Save MA Film Jobs, working behind the scenes for the grassroots organization supporting the Film Tax Incentives in the state of Massachusetts. She's a staunch advocate, utilizing her experience and platform to amplify the voices of the underserved within the film industry such as women of color and members of the LGBTQI+ communities.
In 2012 she was named one of the Cape & Plymouth Business 40 Under 40 for her volunteer work & entrepreneurship and in 2019 she was named an Imagineer for her service to the film industry by Imagine Magazine. Aside from her professional work Alecia is a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts, can drive a stick shift and is the proud mother of two rambunctious boys.
“If you asked 19 year old me why I got into filmmaking, I probably tell you it was to work with artists like Jaina. People who are unafraid to be authentic to their voices. Making films that are thought provoking, issue driven, visual feasts. Films that make you scratch your head, jump for joy, cry with a much needed release, or hopefully make you feel seen as a viewer. For me, working with someone like Jaina and the rest of the team is going back to something that’s been buried for a while in my personal storytelling journey. Hopefully you’ll want to join us and go on your own artistic journey of exploration!” - Alecia Orsini
Ben Phillippo. Director of Photography
Ben Phillippo is a creative director, designer, and filmmaker based in Boston, Massachusetts. From writing and directing, to shooting and editing, to production design and visual effects, he employs a wide range of skill sets to bring his concepts to life.
Ben's commercials for clients such as Bank of America, Adidas and Verizon have aired nationally. His projects have screened at festivals worldwide and earned accolades from Cannes Lions, Vimeo Staff Picks, Berlin Music Video Awards, and the New England Emmy Awards, among others.
“I’m a huge fan of Jaina’s style and sensibility, and super excited to help capture that world on camera. Beneath the surface, she is crafting a story that’s rewarding to unpack and interpret, and I’m looking forward to offering that same experience to viewers.” - Ben Phillippo
Jordan Potash. Composer
Jordan Potash is a composer and musician hailing from Massachusetts and currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Over the years he's contributed his signature brand of melodic and textural stylings to a wide range of works, from film scores to live theater productions. As an instrumentalist, he's played guitar, piano, and other instruments in groups spanning genres from pop to classical to punk to funk, including touring with established artists across the country. He has also released music as a solo artist and as a part of various other projects, including the alt-rock/hip-hop duo 5 Day Weekend.
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