Sisyphus is a hybrid narrative-documentary about a film crew trapped refilming the same scene in pursuit of perfection. What starts as frustration becomes a story about collaboration, creativity, and the beauty of trying again. We’ve completed 80% of filming and are raising $40,000 to finish post-production — editing, sound, and final polish — to bring this film to festivals and audiences worldwide.

THE STORY

Sisyphus follows a small filmmaking crew stuck refilming a single, pivotal scene of the movie they’re trying to make. What begins as a routine shoot unravels into a cycle of repetition, tension, and discovery — until the line between the film they’re creating and the reality they’re living starts to blur. Through a mix of vérité documentary and staged fiction, Sisyphus becomes a story about the people behind the camera: their hopes, frustrations, and the strange beauty of trying again and again to make something true. At its heart, the film is about community — how a group of artists come together, fall apart, and ultimately find meaning not in the perfect take, but in the act of creating itself.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

I found Sisyphus after years of working on film sets—places where days stretch into nights and the same moment is repeated over and over in pursuit of something just out of reach. I used to think that rhythm was unique to filmmaking. But the more time I spent on set, the more I realized it wasn’t. It’s the same rhythm that shapes our lives: trying, failing, adjusting, and showing up again the next day. The film was born from that realization. It follows a crew stuck refilming one scene, but it’s really about all of us—about what it means to dedicate yourself to something bigger without any guarantee that it will work out. It’s about the quiet faith that keeps people moving forward when the outcome is uncertain, and the unexpected community that forms when they do. Sisyphus draws from the real experience of creating something together — the exhaustion, the laughter, the small moments that make the effort worthwhile. To me, it’s less a film about filmmaking and more a reflection of how we all keep pushing through the repetition of everyday life, searching for meaning in the act of persistence itself.

That’s what this project represents: a belief that process matters, that art can grow from failure, and that connection is what makes the climb worth it.

- Tinbete Daniel

THE ASK

Sisyphus has been entirely self-funded to this point — no institutional or university support, no grants, no studio backing. Every frame has been made possible through the dedication of our cast, crew, and personal resources. As we move into post-production, we’re turning to our community for help finishing the film.

We’re raising $40,000 to complete the final 20% of Sisyphus. These funds will directly support the editing, sound, color, and finishing work needed to bring this project to festivals and audiences.

Every contribution — whether $10 or $1,000 — goes directly into the creative and technical work that completes this film. Your support doesn’t just help us finish Sisyphus; it proves that independent cinema can thrive through community and shared belief in the process.

The Crew

Tinbete Daniel is a Tigrayan American filmmaker from the Bay Area, California. He has produced films that have premiered in Europe, Asia, and North America. Before joining NYU, Tinbete worked as a freelance filmmaker out in California splitting his time between the Bay area and Los Angeles and as an associate producer for an independent production company. He received a BA from the University of Santa Barbara, California where he studied Film and Media studies, Psychology, and Economics. He is the 2024 recipient of the Robert Oberman, Gregory Pickert and Media Services Producing Award.

Kansas Ballesteros is a Filipino American Filmmaker. With a strong technical background, Kansas is passionate about creating visually stunning stories that spark conversations about a world at odds with itself and those attempting to understand it. Ballesteros has pursued a Master of Fine Arts at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, where she is currently finishing her thesis. After receiving her undergraduate degree in Theater at Virginia Commonwealth University, Ballesteros left for New York City. There she worked her way up from Production Assistant to IATSE Local 600 Camera Assistant. Her credits include commercial work, Severance Season 1, Jurassic World 4, and Saturday Night Live. Her work has screened regionally, nationally, as well as internationally. Kansas Ballesteros, is, in fact, from Kansas. 

Sarah Greenbaum | CINEMATOGRAPHER

Classical training in painting lay the groundwork for Greenbaum’s sensitive and incisive approach to cinematography. She studied film at the Kanbar School of Film and Television at NYU, where, among other accolades she was awarded the Volker Bahnemann ARRI Award for Outstanding Cinematography, and the Christopher B. Smithers Grant for outstanding documentary. Greenbaum has collaborated on numerous commercial and narrative film projects in the United States and abroad. Her work has been screened at festivals including SXSW, Palm Springs Shortfest, Hollyshorts, Seattle International Film Festival, Film at Lincoln Center and others. She is based in New York City.

Charlie Barker Theobald is a filmmaker from Fort Collins, CO. He holds a BA from Colorado College (2017) where he graduated with a distinction in Film and Media Studies and later completed his MFA at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Film program (2024). He has produced numerous films, including narrative, documentary, and commercial projects across the US. He looks forward to collaborating again with Kansas Ballesteros after co-producing her short False Start with Tinbete Daniel.His graduate thesis, Heirs, was the recipient of a Reise Production Grant and won top prize at New York University’s King Awards. It was also recognized at NYU’s First Run Festival for producing, production design, and ensemble cast. Prior to graduate school, he was an Associate Producer for shows on A+E and Nat Geo WILD.