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Logline

In pursuit of a perfect showcase monologue, an insecure 17-year-old risks her mental and emotional wellbeing to win the approval of her demanding, but respected drama teacher.

Synopsis

Marie, a sheltered but ambitious 17-year-old girl goes to a performing arts school where everyone has big dreams and big personalities. The hallways hum with monologues, sonatas and gossip. In Marie’s acting class, it feels like your world can change with one perfect monologue. And it can with showcase auditions fast approaching. Her best friend Joanna is already the prized pig of the grade and Marie wants to finally wow the masses. In the classroom, esteemed drama teacher Mr. Johnson is God to his dutiful disciples. Seeking a new protege to mold, Mr. Johnson agrees to help perfect Marie’s showcase audition. Marie resolves to do everything Mr. Johnson asks of her, though his ‘exercises’ push her to her psychological limit. Outside of these classroom walls, will she lose herself in pursuit of success?
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Khana Tillman – Writer/Director
A Southern California native, Khana Tillman is an MFA candidate at USC for Film Production. She is focused on telling female-centric, coming of age stories which range in genre and time period. In 2018 she graduated with a BA in Theater and a minor in History from UCLA. Since then, she’s worked as a director and producers’ assistant for the upcoming A24/Film 4 Love Lies Bleeding, a production assistant for Showtime’s L-Word: Generation Q, and as an intern at the Oscar award-winning documentary company Tremolo Productions. Currently, Khana is editing multiple USC thesis’ while developing her own project (and subject of this fundraising campaign), For Mr. Johnson. She hopes to be a force in challenging the damaging, superficial media representations of women. Khana highlights complicated women in her films, emphasizing the spectrum of female experience. She is a nature lover and a rock climber (but is certainly not annoying about it) and frequent Sunday night trivia-r.

Tola Omilana – Producer
Hailing from Palm Desert, California, Tola Omilana is the son of Nigerian immigrants, the eldest of three children, a rambler, a Black man, a poet turned filmmaker. At Harvard College, Tola studied biomedical engineering with a minor in nonfiction/ethnographic filmmaking. Inspired to explore the spiritual relationship between humans and their perceived environments, Tola chose to pursue screenwriting shortly after graduating. After years of penning shorts, he completed his first feature screenplay in 2021 with UCLA and now attends USC for his Film Production MFA. Beyond filmmaking, Tola finds inspiration in autobiographical literature, cathartic music, and communities of practice.

Coleman Weimer – Producer
Coleman was born in the great plains of Iowa, but his parents’ work in coffee and teaching lead them to Thailand where he grew up in an international community. He studied at George Fox University in Oregon where he was awarded Outstanding Graduate of Cinematic Arts and is now enrolled at USC in the Television Production MFA. Films he directed have screened at festivals like Tacoma Film Festival and won best student film at the McMinnville Short Film Festival. Coleman also enjoys tinkering with poems and taking long walks in the woods with a yo-yo.

Harlow Brooks – Producer
Harlow Brooks has found her footing through the stories she has collected throughout her life. She was raised in Healdsburg, California, a small wine town in Northern California where the connectedness of her tight-knit community became the inspiration for her specific yet wide-reaching narratives. Harlow focuses on creating and producing projects with strong female leads, because it is what she knew growing up with a single mother. Her debut short film, A Touch of Sexual Assault, has been shown in conferences globally dealing with the issue of violence against women, along with reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers online. During her time at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Harlow has had the opportunity to work with many talented faculty and peers, as well as receiving the John Huston Directing Scholarship. She jumps at the chance to support any female driven pieces, and works to create diverse teams in front of and behind the lens. She tries to rescue every stray dog she sees and cries when she watches Juno.

Miley Luo – Cinematographer
Miley Luo, coming from China, female director and cinematographer, MFA Film & TV Production candidate (‘2025) at USC School of Cinematic Arts. She believes filmmaking is a social language, focusing on telling women’s stories and exploring feminine themes. Coming from a commercial and fashion background, she’s collaborated with celebrities and top brands in China. With a background in photography, she’s adept at using visuals to convey delicate and subtle emotions. Her photography work has been exhibited in different countries. You can learn more about her at: mileyluo.com

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.