GENESIS             01 THE STORY

 





GENESIS follows Hazel, a repressed queer Catholic teenager, who suddenly believes she must exorcise her debaucherous best friend in order to save their friendship. 

The year is 1999—this devout schoolgirl has yet to blossom into the young woman her friend is becoming. 


GENESIS                                           02 DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT






GENESIS is a coming-of-age psychological thriller about a devout Catholic teenager who must face the consequences of repressing one’s true self.

My goal with GENESIS is to show how my protagonist’s religious, repressive environment and her controlling nature push her deeper into a delusion, causing her to make a dark decision that she cannot take back. 

GENESIS explores teenage girls discovering their sexualities, freedom, and the death of adolescence in a hyper-religious, conservative environment in the 1990s. It’s about the lengths someone will go to to keep a friendship that has already ended.





Visually, as Hazel falls deeper into her delusion, we’ll move from a naturalistic, handheld shooting style to a more controlled, stylized look. Colors shift from warm and natural into vibrant and stark. Hazel’s meek and mousy performance will grow into one that is disheveled, unhinged, blinded by faith, and driven by a desire to be in control – evolving into someone who will do whatever it takes to save her best friend…

GENESIS                                           03 WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT










          This project is a heartfelt collaboration between an all-female creative team from diverse backgrounds, representing the most ambitious work we’ve created so far - but we need your help to see it come to life. To bring this vision to the screen at the level it deserves artistically, we need to raise $40,000.

      These funds will go directly towards production - horror-specific set design, camera equipment rentals for working with traditional film stock, and supportive working conditions for our cast and crew. We also have an extensive post-production process that would require funds for a professional colorist, sound designer, a composer, and visual effects.

      By contributing, you are not just helping us make a film that tells an important story close to our hearts, but you are also supporting emerging female filmmakers in an industry where our voices are still underrepresented, particularly in the horror genre.        








GENESIS                         04 TEAM


JORDAN  PFEIFER

DIRECTOR & WRITER is a director, writer, and producer originally from Austin, Texas, but has spent the last 10 years residing in Los Angeles. She has a BA in Film Production from Loyola Marymount University and is currently in her 2nd year of the Master's in Directing program at the American Film Institute Conservatory.          

She has directed 15 narrative short films that have won awards in the festival space, including Necromantic, Strawberry, and Call Earl. She has produced many other projects, including the award-winning feature film Meltdown. Her focus is telling authentic stories about women and the queer community through the lens of genre films.        

PAMELA  PATTON

WRITER is a writer, filmmaker, and actress with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Social Science from Brigham Young University. Before AFI, she wrote for National Lampoon Inc. and recently served as head writer and producer for a live-comedy diversity show, Unrequited, at Pack Theater, selling out each show five months in a row.         

She also recently produced and performed in an all-black women show on the Groundlings Theater Mainstage directed by Lyric Lewis, a historical show never before done at the theater. Patton’s background includes production work with Hallmark Christmas Channel, collaborating with the writers behind Unorthodox on Netflix, and performing at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe and 2025 Edinburgh Improv Festivals. Her narrative storytelling focuses on character analysis and often features women of color with great internal strife, indecision, and bravery. She enjoys homemade ice cream and makes a mean ratatouille.        

TATIANA FENNER

PRODUCER is a producer, filmmaker, and native New Yorker with a degree in Theatre Management (BS) from Syracuse University. She is currently in her 2nd year at the American Film Institute, completing her MFA in Producing. Most recently, she has worked as a producer on numerous documentary television series that have been featured on HBO Max, Paramount+, Showtime, and Outside TV.          

She produced the narrative short film Ella’s Suite, which earned a nomination for HBO Max’s “Best of Fest” award at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. She is a development-minded filmmaker championing subversive, diverse, and boundary-breaking storytelling through film and television.        

MAHSATI MOORHEAD

CINEMATOGRAPHER is a recent graduate from Spelman College with her B.A. in Photography and Anthropology. Her work highlights the role of adornment in self-presentation and celebrates cultural heritage and autonomy. During her junior year of college, she had her short film, Auspicious Return, featured at BlackStar and the Maryland Film Festival in 2024.          

She has worked on a number of projects, including assisting Tribe7 Lens, Telfar, and Loophole of Retreat in the Venice Biennale. She is currently a 2027 MFA candidate at the American Film Institute as a Cinematography Fellow.        

IRINA SUN

PRODUCTION DESIGNER is a production designer and filmmaker from Nanjing, China, currently completing her MFA in Production Design at the American Film Institute Conservatory. With a background in visual storytelling, spatial design, and digital world-building, she uses color, texture, architecture, and atmosphere to translate characters’ inner worlds onto the screen.          

Her recent work includes designing narrative short films across coming-of-age, fantasy, and sci-fi genres, where she has developed a strong interest in subjective spaces, emotional realism, and stylized visual transformation.          
Irina’s creative practice often explores identity, memory, desire, and the tension between reality and imagination. She is passionate about building cinematic environments that feel intimate, psychologically layered, and emotionally immersive.        

YUFEI YANG

EDITOR is a media artist, designer, and editor, currently an Editing Fellow at the American Film Institute Conservatory. She graduated with High Distinction from the University of Toronto, earning an HBA in digital media.          

Bridging her background in game design and filmmaking, Yufei’s creative vision centers on crafting immersive and engaging audience-driven narratives. She is dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices, continuously working on stories that explore queerness and the Chinese diaspora.          

Yufei's editorial work on the short films A Necessity and Birthday won multiple awards at the 2024 and 2025 UTM Film Festivals, including Best Editing and Best Overall Picture.        

GENESIS                                          06 CREDITS PERKS









$5,000+
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER CREDIT
$2,500
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER CREDIT


MATCHING GRANTS
     If you work at a mid to large size company, ask them about matching grants! They can offer to match the amount of your donation, doubling the impact for our fundraising campaign! It's a tax-deductible contribution!

SPECIAL THANKS
       A donation of any size gets you a mention in the credits of the film in the special thanks section.

TAX DEDUCTION
        As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the American Film Institute participates in many corporate matching grant programs and is eligible for a tax deduction.