Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program opens the door to nonprofit funding for independent filmmakers and media artists. Donate today and help bring Water Dog to life.
 

Logline

A disillusioned millennial man bumps into an old classmate and meets his new wife – a disembodied head. Questioning his sanity, the man brings his girlfriend to dinner with the couple.

Synopsis

In a shaggy dog costume, Guy drinks alone in a dive bar on Halloween. He is annoyed to find Dan, his misogynist old classmate from graduate school, has spotted him. Dan now lives above the bar and invites Guy to meet his wife Harriet. Once inside the sparsely furnished apartment, Guy has a hard time pinpointing where Harriet’s voice is emanating from, only to realize she’s a disembodied head. But everyone acts as if this is normal. Making his excuses to leave, Guy meets his girlfriend, also named Harriet, at a Halloween party. She chastises him for being late, and he relays running into Dan and meeting Harriet, leaving out the fact that she’s a floating head. The next day, Dan invites Guy over for dinner and Guy decides to bring his Harriet as an extra set of eyes. At dinner, the Harriets get along swimmingly. Dan asks the group why no one is saying anything about his Harriet; then Dan announces she is pregnant. The conversation turns to parenthood. Guy is further baffled: how is Dan going to be a father? How is Harriet going to have a baby? Afterward, Guy’s Harriet is clearly upset with his rude behavior at dinner. They walk home in silence as Guy ponders how Dan has been able to grow as a person and he – a theoretically enlightened man – hasn’t.

Meet the Filmmakers

Christina Kelly Holmes – Writer/Director
Christina Kelly Holmes is a 2020 graduate of the screenwriting program at The American Film Institute Conservatory. She is the recipient of both the 2020 Russo Brothers’ AGBO/AFI Development Grant, and the 2021 AFI Writers’ Room Ready Award. Her identity as a first-generation Romanian and mixed-race woman, and her experiences as a third-culture kid, influence her storytelling. Christina was born in New Jersey, raised in London, and received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Colorado College. After working as a strategist for various startups in the tech industry and in publishing, she redirected her career toward writing. She was most recently the Writers Assistant on Amazon’s Citadel.

Roxanne Griffith – Producer
Of Iranian-Canadian origin, Roxanne graduated from the American Film Institute Conservatory in 2020 with an MFA in producing. Since graduating, Roxanne has produced multiple award-winning short films, including Spaceship, Why Don’t You Like Me?, and How to Cry on Command. Roxanne also worked as an Associate Producer on Blippi, a children’s YouTube channel with over 18 million subscribers. Roxanne is currently producing a vertical web series and is in development and pre-production on multiple projects.

Amanda Ferrarese – Cinematographer
Amanda Ferrarese is a Los Angeles-based cinematographer by way of Baltimore. Her background in darkroom photography and creative writing led her to film where she found a footing in the camera department. Her portfolio as a cinematographer comprises a range of narrative, commercial, music video, and experimental pieces. Previous story-based works include: Stan Behavior (Frameline, Miami Film Festival), Brooding (NYC Indie Theater Film Festival), Copper & Wool (Panavision/Micheaux Best Cinematography Nominee), COMMUTERS (EnergaCAMERIMAGE Student Etudes Official Selection, Cinegear LA Expo Official Selection, UFVF/KODAK VISION Award, ASC Student Heritage Nominee), & Yours to Bury. Amanda holds an MFA from the AFI Conservatory in Cinematography and a B.A. in Electronic Media & Film from Towson University. In 2018 and 2021 she was selected as an American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Student Heritage nominee at both institutions.

Esmé Cruz Jackson – Production Designer
Esmé Cruz Jackson is dual-card member of the ADG Local 800. She works as both a Set Designer and Assistant Art Director. She has spent 3 years traveling through space and time on For All Mankind, but is happy to be earthbound with her recent work on Physical S3. In her spare time Esmé is still in production designing shorts and music videos. Her recent short Spaceship was nominated for a Student Academy Award, while Hallelujah premiered at Sundance. Esmé graduated from the American Film Institute with an MFA in Production Design.

Make a donation to Water Dog.

Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.