Support "The Phoenix"
"The Phoenix" was inspired by director Regina Pigsley's upbringing in a turbulent household. As a young girl, her only friends and role models were in books and movies, and like Charlie (the film's protagonist), she desperately wanted superpowers. While she never got "superpowers," Regina believes her power is her voice and ability to create mass positive change through film. We hope this story will inspire young women to rise above their own challenges and to let go of what they cannot control.
Your donation will go towards supporting emerging young talent in film. The core team of "The Phoenix" is composed primarily of women, and 60% of our crew identifies as BIPOC.
Update: March 2022
We’re thrilled to announce our first official festival selections and world premiere at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival! While we're continuing to submit “The Phoenix” to festivals around the world, the festival fees are stacking up, at an average of $70 per festival. Along with festival fees, your contribution will help us with the post-production expenses, such as visual effects, animation and marketing. If you'd like to help us towards our goals, please consider making a tax-free donation through our fiscal sponsor, From the Heart Productions.
Any donation, no matter how small, helps us to share this film with the world.
Festivals & screenings
Upcoming Screenings:
Film Invasion Los Angeles
When: Sunday 6/12 at 3:30pm
Where: The Whitefire Theatre, 13500 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Virtual Screenings: Sunday, June 12 to Sunday, June 19
Tickets: $15 at this link
New York City Independent Film Festival
When: Thursday 6/16 at 10:10pm (Shorts Block 4)
Where: The Producers Club, 358 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036
LA Women in Film Festival
More info coming soon.
Festival Selections:
San Francisco Independent Film Festival - Official Selection / WORLD PREMIERE
Alameda International Film Festival - Official Selection
Los Angeles Women's International Film Festival - Official Selection
California International Shorts Festival - Official Selection
New York Independent Film Festival - Official Selection
LA Women in Film Festival - Official Selection
Film Invasion Los Angeles - Official Selection
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The story
Inside a working class home in 90’s America, eight year old Charlie wants nothing more than to be a superhero. Her overworked parents are drifting apart, and their arguments just keep getting worse. Charlie’s only escape is her dream of being super. Eventually, the toxicity around the house boils over, and Charlie watches as her mother throws a frying pan at her father. BAM! Charlie freezes time, her arms outstretched in a gesture of protest. She has finally unlocked her super power! Instinctively, Charlie discovers that she can not only stop time, but turn it back. Immediately, Charlie turns back time just before her parents' most recent fight and tries to avert it through her innocent, eight year old diplomacy.
What unfolds is Charlie’s growth to realizing that her powers may not be the solution to solving the problems of her broken home, but rather the answer to finding that her strength to rise above hardship, lies within herself.
director's statement
When I started writing this story, it wasn’t meant to be autobiographical. But I had my own story to tell, and writing this script was hugely therapeutic.
The protagonist’s story mirrors my own upbringing closely. My parents constantly screamed at each other, at me, and fights would often escalate into threats or thrown objects. The only friends and role models I had were in books and movies, and I was terribly lonely. Like Charlie, I desperately wanted superpowers—I wanted to save the world! I wanted to save my parents! I never wanted anyone to feel the same way as I did.
I never got ‘superpowers,’ but continued to try and help my parents, always to no avail. As soon as I helped my dad clean the house and throw away the things he’d hoarded, it would revert back to disaster within weeks. No matter how many ways I helped my mom, or how many times she would apologize for her actions, she would always revert to calling me a useless bitch. It wasn’t until after college, after a series of particularly bad incidents, that I finally realized that no matter what I did, I could not save
them. I could not save them, because their actions were never my fault. And thus, the heart of The Phoenix was born.
Though I no longer wish for a physics-bending magical transformation, I do still believe I have the power to create mass positive change. My superpower is my voice. My superpower is my drive, determination, and hard work to create stories that inspire and uplift.
Regina Pigsley
Directer & Writer, "The Phoenix"