My name is Melissa Sullivan. I am an actress, singer-songwriter, and film director.

My father served in Korea and Vietnam. After he passed, I felt like he was talking to me. I looked at my life and had the inspiration to go back to school and start working towards getting my Masters in Filmmaking.

My short film is about a woman whose life is turned upside down when she discovers her daughter whom she thought died 35 years ago, is actually alive. While fleeing home, she crosses paths with an Afghanistan veteran - street musician, who is walking across the country to raise money for 9/11 first responders battling cancer. They spend the night locked up in a hardware store. Through their unexpected connection she finds the courage to go to Mexico to find her daughter.

I have an incredible creative team, including Academy Award-nominated Director of Photography, Eric Adkins (Marcel the Shell With Shoes On) at the helm. Eric and I are good friends from CalArts.

My amazing cast includes 3-time Emmy award-winning actress and Lifetime Member of the Actors Studio, Barbara Bain Mission Impossible, Space: 1999 who will be playing Loretta my mother. Rene Rivera as Eduard; graduate of The Juilliard School and Co-Artistic Director of The Actors Studio, Josiah Jack; former comat medic to Iraq and Afghanistan, he portrayed Shane Courville in The Outpost, Afghanistan's most heroic battle, the amazing Glenn Plummer; South Central, Colors, Showgirls and the wonderfully talented Amol Ramani and Rafaela Gonçalves!

My project is a SAG-AFTRA student film contract. I will have full coverage insurance through my school, New York Film Academy and I will get all the permits needed.

We are fortunate enough to have Keslow Camera , a well-known and respected cinema camera rental house onboard, donating a high-end camera package towards the making of Magdelena.

Our overall dream is to fully finish with $8,000. However, to ensure we can hit our greenlight goal and launch principal photography, we have set our initial campaign baseline to $6,000. Your contribution will go to locations, art design, equipment, insurance and catering. Principal photography is  Nov 12-15, 2026. We have a very short window to raise the money.

Any amount that you can contribute will go a long way towards bringing Magdelena's story to life.

I can’t believe I am this close to graduating.

Your support and contributions are greatly appreciated. xo Mel

There are some perks which will be delivered when the film is finished in Jan! Thank you for reading and watching. Thank you for your support, xo Mel