Further Review follows Julie — a woman feeling trapped in a job (and a boss’s grip) that keeps her small. When her daydreams start fighting back, she finally stops asking for permission… and starts rewriting her story.
In the film, we wrestle with our tendency to replay moments, second-guess ourselves, and imagine “better” versions of the past. Through action, comedy, and absurdity, we follow a woman reclaiming her strength and worth, while advancing our mission of uplifting female voices in film.
Further Review is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Further Review must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Our main crowdfunding campaign is live on Seed&Spark, where we’re rallying our creative community, sharing behind-the-scenes updates, and building momentum to bring this story to life. Funds raised here through Fractured Atlas will be applied directly to our Seed&Spark campaign total — helping us reach the greenlight goal while also making us eligible for future grant opportunities through Fractured Atlas.
Your contribution here not only supports the making of this film but also strengthens its future — helping us access additional funding and expand our impact beyond this campaign.
The Story
Further Review, narratively speaking, is a story of a woman who's ready to stop asking for permission and do the dang thing. We explore the themes below as our hero, Julie, (through experiences both real and imagined... and the encouragement from an unexpected ally) goes from under-appreciated, over-qualified, and wayyy over-thinking, to... confident, independent badass? Maybe? Help us fund our story so you can watch and find out!
In this punchy, fast-paced, action-driven film, we jump back and forth between fantasy and reality (regularly) to work out our problems, like a misogynistic boss at an unfulfilling job, in real (and not so real) time. It might keep you a little off-balance... but in a fun way.
This is a French phrase that means "the spirit of the stairs" or, philosophically, "staircase wit." Once upon a time, the philosopher Denis Diderot found himself speechless after a comment during a dinner party at the home of statesman Jacques Necker. He didn't come up with the right response until he was back downstairs (leaving the party). Denis later explains, "a sensitive man, such as myself, overwhelmed by the argument leveled against him, becomes confused and doesn't come to himself again until at the bottom of the stairs."
We've all been there, Denis. In fact, there's a phrase for this in most languages. We see someone taken advantage of, and we know it's wrong, but we're just not sure how to step in in the moment. We're verbally (or physically) accosted, but we don't hold our ground, even though we're sure we're a strong person. We're taken aback in the moment, and so badly wish we could have a redo later, when we've finally got the perfect response. Oh man, what if I'd just...
Some of us take that to extremes. Seeing the moment replay in our dreams, rewriting the moment dozens of times... sometimes YEARS later. Does this habit help? Can we learn from it? Does the "perfect" version of us in our imagination ever reach us in real time?
1) In a moment when self-reflection and accountability seem increasingly rare, this film insists they’re essential — pushing back against complacency and reminding us that our choices matter.
2) It's funny... when you're an actor, people are always telling you to create your own work, and usually the response is something like, "Oh, I'm not a writer! I bring other people's words to life." Meanwhile, we're always saying dumb things like "I work in TV & Film... when they let me."
As Logan started working with the highly empathic, curious, and smart director, Kate Forsatz, not only did the story become refined in a really enriching way, it became increasingly clear that the character of Julie had given the actor Logan permission... to stop asking permission... and do the dang thing.
PROJECTED TIMELINE
September 2025: (Currently) wrapping up casting, locking script
October 2025: Solidifying our crew and locations
November 2025: Nailing down permits and insurance
Late November-Early December 2025: Full shoot to take place over 4-5 days in NJ/NY
Late December 2025: Post-Production
January 2026: Starting festival submissions!
2026 & 2027: Festivals and (then) Distribution
*Note: Many festivals have policies against sharing a film publicly before screening at the festival. To ensure that we aren't unintentionally blocking ourselves from participating in festivals, all distribution will be after the festival run (likely 2027). We have a number of incentive levels that will include a private, password-protected, and time-restricted link to the film at a point earlier than general public distribution, but in accordance with the festival policies. Thank you for understanding.
CROWDFUNDING
Even if our project weren't governed by SAG-AFTRA minimums, we are governed by a moral code that doesn't believe in asking people to do their work for free. Funding for this film will allow us to pay our cast and crew a reasonable daily rate (and it's still not what we'd prefer to pay), secure locations, permits, insurance, supplement costumes (most of this will come from our closets, some things can't), make our locations look like actual places (with set dressing and props), hire an editor, sound mixer, and (hopefully!) composer, pay our director, feed people, take this film to festivals so that people all over can see our story... and honestly so much more.
Here's a basic breakdown of our goal, but you can see more on the Wishlist page :) dream. board (7).png1.11 MB$43,250 The Pipe Dream — This amount allows us to pay our cast and crew a reasonable daily rate, cover post-production, festivals, and distribution.
$37,600 Dream Fulfilled — This amount allows us to pay our cast and crew a reasonable daily rate and cover post production.
$30,080 Doing the Dang Thing — This is the absolute minimum we need to raise for Seed & Spark to greenlight our project & release your pledges to us (80% of our "Dream Fulfilled" goal).
Aside from our personal "why" for making the film, we also just want to shout out how important indie films are. Indie films bring fresh perspectives, take creative risks, and tell stories that don't necessarily fit into mainstream formulas. Let's be real, we're sure there are some major benefits to having a studio produce your film, but not having that means we get to make the film we want to make (and we think you'll wanna see).
This project is also (proudly!) women-led. The number of films with female writers and directors is definitely trending upward, but we're still far from equally represented. Supporting women behind the camera means supporting more diverse stories, authentic characters, and representation that reflects the real world. Your support not only brings this film to life, but also contributes to a stronger, more inclusive future for storytelling.
Where does your money go? TOTAL BUDGET (2).png40.64 KB Funding for this film will allow us to pay our cast and crew a reasonable daily rate (not what we want to pay, but somethin'), secure locations, permits, insurance, supplement costumes (most of this will come from our closets, some things can't), make our locations look like actual places (with set dressing and props), hire an editor, sound mixer, and (hopefully!) composer, pay our director, feed people, take this film to festivals so that people all over can see our story... and honestly so much more.
BUDGET BREAKDOWN
Cast: 19.9%
Crew: 36.6%
Physical Production: 18.1%
Contingency: 4.2%
Post-Production: 8.1%
Festivals & Distribution: 13.1%
HOW TO SUPPORT
The most immediately effective way of supporting our film is through financial support. Any pledge is immensely appreciated. Once we reach 80% of our goal, Seed & Spark will release funding to us and we can get to work!
Pick any incentive on the right of this page (these are exact preset dollar amounts)!
You can also Pledge ANY amount at the top right of this page, and we'll thank you at the commensurate incentive level.
Follow our journey. You can follow the campaign on this site, and we also hope you'll come hang out with us on instagram @furtherreviewfilm and/or Facebook.
We know that monetary gifts are not an available option for everyone. If you still want to support, we ask that you please share with your community! Tell folks why you think this film is important or special, and send them to this page or https://seedandspark.com/fund/further-review
If there's an item on our Wishlist you're in a position to LEND us, rather than sending money, we are THRILLED to accept loans as well! It's a huge help, and we can assign a monetary value to that gift that will be contributed to our overall goal.
THANK YOU FOR ANY AND ALL SUPPORT AVAILABLE TO YOU!!!
Rewards
Embarrass Me, Why Don'tcha
Donate $100.00 or more
Amount is fully tax-deductible.
In the spirit of the film, Logan (our writer and lead actor) will share an embarrassing story from my own life live on social media (don't worry, she can handle it).
Plus:
Film "credits" reel on socials
Personal Thank You card in the mail
*if you don't want to embarrass me, I can do the 3-line rewrite for you instead (see Rewrite My Life incentive)!
Secret Screening Society
Donate $150.00 or more
Amount is fully tax-deductible.
We're takin' this puppy through the festival circuit, so it'll be a while before our film can be seen publicly, but at this level, we'll send you a private screener link!
Plus:
Embarrass Me live story OR Rewrite My Life 3-line scene
Film "credits" reel on socials
Personal Thank You card in the mail
*Note: Many festivals have policies against sharing a film publicly before screening at the festival. To ensure that we aren't unintentionally blocking ourselves from participating in festivals, all distribution will be after the festival run (likely 2027). At this level, we will send a private, password-protected, and time-restricted link to the film at a point earlier than general public distribution, but in accordance with the festival policies. Thank you for understanding.
Virtual VIP Club
Donate $250.00 or more
Amount is fully tax-deductible.
Invitation to a virtual screening with a live Q&A with members of our team!
Plus:
Early exclusive screener link (in case ya can't make it!)
Embarrass Me story (or Rewrite My Life 3-line scene)
Film "credits" reel on socials
Personal Thank You card in the mail
*Note: Many festivals have policies against sharing a film publicly before screening at the festival. To ensure that we aren't unintentionally blocking ourselves from participating in festivals, all distribution will be after the festival run (likely 2027). At this level, we will send a private, password-protected, and time-restricted link to the film at a point earlier than general public distribution, but in accordance with the festival policies. Thank you for understanding.
Big Apple Back(track)er
Donate $500.00 or more
Amount over $15.00 is tax-deductible.
Invitation to an in-person screening in NYC with the team (travel and lodging not included)!
Plus:
Your name in the credits (like the actual credits... of the film)
Exclusive early screener link (in case you can't make it!)
Embarrass Me story (or Rewrite Your Life 3-line scene)
Film "credits" reel on socials
Personal thank you card in the mail
*Note: Many festivals have policies against sharing a film publicly before screening at the festival. To ensure that we aren't unintentionally blocking ourselves from participating in festivals, all distribution will be after the festival run (likely 2027). At this level, we will send a private, password-protected, and time-restricted link to the film at a point earlier than general public distribution, but in accordance with the festival policies. Thank you for understanding.
Scene Stealer (Rewrite My Life LIVE)
Donate $1,000.00 or more
Amount over $15.00 is tax-deductible.
Like Rewrite My Life, send us a (zero context) one-liner from a moment your wish you could rewrite in your life, and Logan will create a short form video and enact the 3-line scene she's made up.
Plus:
Invitation to an in-person screening in NYC with the team (travel and lodging not included)!
Your name in the credits
Exclusive early screener link (in case you can't make it!)
Film "credits" reel on socials
Personal thank you card in the mail
*Note: Many festivals have policies against sharing a film publicly before screening at the festival. To ensure that we aren't unintentionally blocking ourselves from participating in festivals, all distribution will be after the festival run (likely 2027). At this level, we will send a private, password-protected, and time-restricted link to the film at a point earlier than general public distribution, but in accordance with the festival policies. Thank you for understanding.
