INTRODUCTION:

I’m Going To Disney World is writer/director Josh Mayfield’s forthcoming graduate thesis film, to be shot in the New York Metro area in August 2025. I’m Going To Disney World is a film that interrogates the decaying nature of American culture and the strain that this creates in the minds and bodies of its citizens -- manifesting itself in the narrative as a struggle between different facets of nihilism.

This film is an extension of Josh’s interest in the morbid side of American culture. The character of the hitchhiker is influenced by the proliferation of lonely people in the United States and the ability to reach out to others online, yearning for connection or something different than everyday banality. The masked gang is the reverse of this mode of experience — they combat banality through nihilism. They choose to believe that nothing matters while trying to create their own reality through violence. The script is filled with allusions to American pop culture past and present - a motif of Hollywood music aurally represents the dream always being in the background, ever present, but out of reach, cutting itself off before letting the melody ever be realized.

COST BREAKDOWN:

By partnering with Fractured Atlas for our crowdfunding we have ensured that all of your contributions can be tax deductible.

Our budget is expected to be around $20,000. We need your help to raise $10,000. Thankfully, half of this cost is provided by Josh’s film program at The Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema. They contribute $10,000 in allotments of $2500 for each of the four key positions on the film: Director, Cinematographer, Producer, and Editor. The remaining budgetary needs will be self-funded by Josh and the production team, as well as private donors.

The money we raise will help us pay for:

Transportation: $1,600. As the production company and crew is based in New York, we will be transporting the equipment and a crew of 15 to locations within the New York Metro area. This money will go towards renting a cargo truck for the gear & passenger van for the duration of the shoot.

Food: $3,700. For the cast and crew of 20 people to eat three meals a day for six days.

Gear Rental: $4,000. We will be renting an Arri Alexa mini camera package and Zeiss High Speed lenses.

THE TEAM:

Josh Mayfield (writer/director) is a filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY currently pursuing an MFA in Cinema Arts from The Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema. His work is invested in interrogating and exploring the decaying nature of American culture.

Dylan Rizzo (Cinematographer) is a filmmaker and photographer from New York City. He received his MFA in cinema arts at Brooklyn College's Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema in 2025. He has directed and DP’d films that have screened at festivals internationally including, recontres internationales Paris/ Berlin, Palm Springs Shortfest, Asian American International Film Festival, and Rooftop Films.

Abyn Reabe (Lead Producer) grew up in Maine and is currently based in New York City pursuing an MFA in cinema arts from the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema. He has produced and directed films that have screened at Palm Springs Shortfest, Rooftop Films, Asian American International Film Festival, No Budge, The Downtown Festival, and Non-Films. He works as a programmer and social media coordinator at Spectacle.

Sebastian Moller (Producer) is a Danish-American writer, producer and amateur pool player based in Brooklyn, NY with roots in Basel, Switzerland. Having cut his teeth in production on majors like Bradley Cooper’s Maestro and Alice Birch’s Dead Ringers, as well on tier indies and pilots for Jack Huston, Zach Braff, A24 and Jax Media, he’s taken to producing and developing the visions of fellow daring filmmakers. He’s currently developing his first feature film and collection of short stories.

Jason Gotlieb (Producer/1st AD) is a producer, AD, and screenwriter based in New York City. He has produced award winning shorts, written features and pilots, and is currently pursuing his MFA in screenwriting from Brooklyn College. Before film school he worked as a computer programmer. Jason loves to cook and finds story inspiration while traveling on his bike and Amtrak.

Maya Parkoff (Editor) is an NYC-based editor currently finishing her MFA at The Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema.

Manuela Romero (Casting Director) is a filmmaker and theater maker from Bogotá, Colombia, currently based in New York City. She specializes in directing, casting, and creative development. Manuela earned a BFA in Drama and BA in Political Science from New York University and an MFA in Film Directing from the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema.