Thank you for your interest in THEODORA AND THE WITCH! We are proud to be fiscally sponsored by From the Heart Productions. Any contributions to the film are tax deductible through their 501(c)3 non-profit status. "From the Heart Productions is dedicated to helping independent filmmakers with unique films that make a contribution to society." (See below.)  

At this point, funds raised will be used to towards development of the feature film, including legal expenses, and travel to Greece to meet with collaborators, and for location scouting. With your contribution, you'll be supporting me and my incredible producers, Lauren Bancroft and Dina Demetrius, as we take the next steps toward getting the feature film made. There is still great disparity in film and television, with very few women directors and producers, so your support will help us advance to a higher level. I was very much inspired by the female producers I was fortunate enough to work for when I was starting out-- we hope to do the same for the next generation coming up. 

You'll also be supporting a film about overcoming grief and depression in this folktale story, as an allegory of good vs. evil, light vs. darkness.  I struggled with depression for years, not even realizing how bad it was-- I just thought it was a normal part of grieving after my father passed away. I would not be making this movie right now if it weren't for my wonderful doctor, who found something medically wrong with me and helped me recover over the last four years. My labs were so bad, she asked how I was even functioning-- I told her, "I don't know... Through sheer force of will and by the grace of God?" I'll tell you all more about all that some other time... For now THANK YOU for supporting us and this project.

Sincerely, Lilly

Here’s more about the project:

Title:  Theodora and the Witch by Lilly Scourtis

Genre: Mystery thriller, folktale, folk-horror, gothic folktale.

Comps: Talk to Me, The Witch, Midsommar, Hereditary, The Conjuring, The Babadook.

Influences: The Ring, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Conjuring, The Omen.

Logline: Zakynthos, Greece, 1918. A grieving teenage girl must expose her new stepmother as a murderous witch.

Long Logline/Synopsis:  Zakynthos, Greece, 1918.  After her mother dies, apparently of the flu, aspiring scientist  Theodora Augustino, 17, grows increasingly eager to solve the mystery of the flu.  But when she finds occult objects in the house, she begins to suspect her new stepmother of foul play.  Demonic entities pursue Theodora as she follows one clue after the next, while otherworldly beings, including a “good witch” and an angel help her persevere.  Theodora and her allies must battle the witches in order to expose her wicked stepmother’s true monstrous nature.  Through this ordeal, Theodora learns that even in the darkest times we can choose to be a light in the darkness. 

Inspired by true events:  When I was very young, my grandmother told me the story of her real-life wicked stepmother, who married her father soon after her mother died in the flu pandemic. One day, when my grandmother was ironing her father’s clothes, she accidentally knocked over the iron and some very strange objects spilled out along with the coals – including a cutting from a donkey hoof and an iron nail.   She learned the items were used in Black Magic—to bind her father to his new wife.  This kernel of story, fused with my fascination with the occult, folktales and Ancient Greek Religion and Magic, became Theodora and the Witch.

Bio: Writer/Directress Lilly Scourtis is a Greek-American Los Angeles native. Her brand is "seeking the light in the darkness.”  Lilly is interested primarily in the exploration of psychology, archetypes, myth and folklore in storytelling. She is a member of Film Fatales and Film Independent, and is a BMC Producing Fellow. She lives somewhere on the desolate edges of Los Angeles county with her husband and two sons.  

MFA Film, Concentration in Directing, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY School of the Arts, NYC

BA Classical Civilization, thesis on Roman Epic Film, UCLA

HONORS for THEODORA AND THE WITCH:

WINNER - Best Screenplay in Development - Byzanfest International Film Festival

2ND ROUNDER - TOP 20% - Austin Film Festival (for both the feature screenplay and short)

QUARTERFINALIST - Killer Shorts 

TOP 16% of projects on COVERFLY, short screenplay

TOP 22% of projects on COVERFLY, feature screenplay

From our sponsor:

To Whom It May Concern:

From the Heart Productions, Inc., is honored to provide fiscal sponsorship for the film Theodora and the Witch. We carefully select the films we sponsor, and believe that this project will make a positive contribution to society and the field of filmmaking.

We have been successfully funding films since our inception in 1993 under the 501(c)3  Internal Revenue Code of 1954. We are also classified as a public charity under section 509(a) (2) of the Code. As such, any monetary donations to our Fiscal Sponsorship Program qualify as charitable contributions under the U.S. Tax Code.

Our IRS number is 95 444 5418 and, as a donor, you may use this number on your taxes with the donated amount for a tax deduction.

From the Heart Productions will administer any funds received in support of this project. As fiscal sponsor for this film, we will be closely monitoring its progress. We will contribute advice and feedback where needed on fundraising initiatives, trailers, rough cuts, festival submissions, distribution, and outreach strategies. 

Please make check donations payable to From the Heart Productions, and indicate the name of the film on the memo line. Mail your check to:

From the Heart Productions

1013 Harbor Ave. #53

Oxnard, CA 93035

If you have any other questions, please contact us at [email protected].

We are proud to endorse this project and encourage you to support it.

Best Regards,

Carole Dean

President

From the Heart Productions, Inc.

**For more about our fiscal sponsor, click here: