BIG NEWS! The New York State Council of the Arts has awarded our project $10,000 Artist Support Grant to help us bring this story to life! Make a donation to keep our momentum going strong!
Filmmaker’s BLOG: “Animating Buttercup”
Get exclusive behind-the-scenes insight about our film’s progress and my own personal journey exploring this new (to me) medium of animation. It’s been fascinating!
Check out the blog, and follow us on social media to stay updated, @buttercupslament!
NEW - Pitch Deck
Check out the pitch deck for our project below. We are sharing it with potential collaborators — including you! — so everyone involved can get a feel for what the film will be like. The pitch deck showcases our creative vision for the film alongside concept art created by our Art and Animation Director, Kendra Williford, and Casa Cocuyo. You can learn more about our artistic team below the gallery. Click through the slides first, then make a tax-deductible contribution to our efforts on our fiscal sponsor’s website!
About the Film
Two New York City cats, Buttercup and Henri, are stuck inside with their human Mom, Reena, during NY’s lockdown. Reena is a young singer who is determined to stick it out in New York. She has never interacted with her neighbor Michael, an aging, Black torch singer who has already been a recluse for years following the loss of his life partner. The clueless felines go on a quest for treats but when they realize that Mom may be in danger from a monster outside, they have to prioritize protecting her above their taste buds. Through their antics, the cats inadvertently bring these two lonely souls together and learn a life lesson of their own.
On the day I went to NYU Langone to be tested for Covid, March 24th, 2020, nobody I knew had ever had the test. As I left my building in Chelsea, I learned that one of my neighbors had died the night before — a young lovely human being — a terrible loss. And then I was sick for what felt like an eternity. I saw no one. My neighbors became my new best friends. They dropped food at my door and ran away as fast as they could. It seemed that one by one everyone was getting it or had become insanely fearful that they’d be next. The isolation, the apparent coma that New York City was in — all of it was horribly depressing and seemingly interminable.
So — I had to write. What else could I do? Beau, my beautiful ginger tabby cat, was my faithful companion and I wondered what he thought – was it weird – or even irritating – that he NEVER got any alone time. Especially time to eat the forbidden plant?
From this “I’ll be damned if I’ll die this week” moment came Buttercup’s Lament, the play. It was produced on zoom by several theaters and an enthusiastic friend said – “Shouldn’t this be an animated short?”
Me – animation?? Well — apparently the answer is YES!!
I want this film to serve in part as a historical record of the pandemic and how people, especially New Yorkers, came together to persevere. We think their experience is universal regardless of a person’s identity and background.
The US Surgeon General has recently announced that we are in the midst of a new pandemic of isolation and loneliness. I see hope for us all through connecting with one another but sometimes that can feel impossible. In my experience, our pets are an easy way to begin a conversation with a stranger, and any pet owner can relate to Reena’s life with these cats. Michael and Reena’s connection and new friendship is what we hope will inspire our viewers.
Artistic Team
Julie Weinberg - Director, Screenwriter, Producer - Julie’s plays include Bad Daughter, Face it, and Amor Platonicus. Julie received the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for Comic Playwriting for Bad Daughter. You're Not the Type, based on a short story by Edna Ferber, was featured in the Five by Ferber Festival at New Jersey Repertory. Is It Cold in Here? won the short play division of Bechdel Test 2.0 in Arizona and was a finalist in Short & Sweet Hollywood. Zoom productions include Buttercup’s Lament, produced by Open Eye Theater and the Quarantine Theater. Bad Daughter also received an all-star reading at Create Theater starring Tony Award nominees, Mary Testa and Frank Wood and is currently being adapted as a feature film. She has been produced/developed by The Actors Studio, ATHE and the Warner Theater Festival among others. Julie is a graduate of Lesley University, a Kennedy Center Guest Artist and a proud member of Dramatists Guild of America. Explore the rest of this website for more about me!
Justin Chapman - Producer, Assistant Director - An arts manager and producer focused on improving the overall health of small organizations through marketing and fundraising. He positions his partners for sustainable success and growth as part of a long term strategy of building relationships with audiences. He received his MFA in Arts Leadership and Cultural Management from the University of Connecticut. He is CEO of ArtZapp, an innovative education and information app for the arts created by artists. He is also an accomplished actor, singer, and designer, performing professionally for over a decade. Visit Justin’s website to learn more about this and other projects.
Kendra Williford - Art & Animation Director - A native of North Carolina and resides in Hickory, NC. Kendra’s career in art spans across animation, illustration, and graphic design. She has worked on animated shorts, commercials, documentaries, web series, children’s books, and music videos. Kendra holds BAs in Studio Art and Music and an MFA in Animation and Visual Effects from Academy of Art University. She is an extremely passionate artist who finds inspiration across genres. A link to her previous work is included with this application. Check out more of Kendra’s work!
Casa Cocuyo is an award-winning 2D animation studio in Mexico founded by women who create artisanal animation, mixing traditional and digital media. We were particularly drawn to their work with watercolor backgrounds and the success they have had with crowdfunding campaigns for similar work in the past, particularly with Fantasmatico, seen in the work sample section. Learn more about their work on Casa Cocuyo’s website!
Fernanda Muñoz - Animator, Concept Artist - born in México City with a BA in Animation from Tec de Monterrey. She has also studied digital design from VFS. Currently she works as a concept artist and background designer at Casa Cocuyo.
Elena Saborío - Illustrator & Animator - born in Mexico City. She studied a B.A. in animation at Tec de Monterrey and has studied at SCAD and Gobelins. In 2017 she co-founded Casa Cocuyo and works as art director, animator, and mixed media illustrator. Her art has been shown at international venues.
Stephanie Chaiken - Grant & Fundraising Specialist - leads arts, education, performance, and service organizations through community outreach, grant writing and fundraising, strategic planning, and marketing. In New York, she served as the Program Director of the Huntington Arts Council in Long Island.
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Buttercup’s Lament is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Buttercup’s Lament must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Buttercup’s Lament is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Educational content is presented in partnership with Toon Boom, the global leader in pre production and 2D animation software.