From The Heart Productions
Fiscally Sponsored Indie Films and Projects
From the Heart Productions Fiscal Sponsorship Program
is designed to carry out our mission to help independent filmmakers who have unique projects that make a contribution to society, get their films funded.
Working with our 501(c)3 non-profit, fiscally sponsored filmmakers can offer donors tax deductions for their donations. Our “boutique” program sets itself apart by offering hands-on personalized attention, support, and film funding advice from our board members and staff.
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The Road to Record Documentary Series
Documentary Film
The Road to Record is a documentary project that includes several films and book that digs into the world of recording studios and the people who own and run them. Stories that dive into the past, present and look to the future as the recording industry has seen so many changes in the last 40 years. Since the 1950s recording studios have long been the lifeblood of the music business. But with the home studio revolution and digital recording, a major shift has occurred with many cases of dying facilities, aging engineers, and a revival of analog tape, consoles and vinyl records.
The Root
Short Film
Bethany, a young woman, decides to work on a secluded farm for the near future at the suggestion of an acquaintance. As she meets the others that reside there, she discovers that they are a group of like-minded individuals who, through therapeutic exercises, expel information from their guests. They decide she needs to get to the root of her problems, whether she wants to or not.
The Search for The Lost Gold Patecte of Ecuador
Documentary Film
An investigative team goes in search of pre-Columbian treasure.
The lost gold Patecte of Ecuador is more than a piece of metal. Its symbols represent the identity of Latin America.
Synopsis:
Chordeleg, Ecuador, 1869. A treasure hunter discovers a pre-Columbian royal tomb. Its riches include a mysterious gold relief -- the Patecte.
Suddenly, the Patecte vanished.
Stolen? Hoarded?
Destroyed for its gold content?
Mislaid in a museum? Lost at sea?
The only proof the Patecte existed is an oil painting commissioned by Heduvides Serrano, the legendary tomb raider who discovered the Patecte.
The rest of the story is paved with double and triple-bottomed boxes
The Show
Short Film
Logline: To accept duality is to earn identity....
Synopsis: Maestro Oliver Webb is the greatest pianist of his generation. When an amateur journalist afflicted with nervous ticks arrives at his home to interview him, he tries to throw her out but ends up relaying a story from his childhood and how he resolved his anxiety through the music of Joseph Haydn and magically uncovered his artistic genius.
The Steward - Quest For The Sword
Narrative Feature
The fate of civilization is uncertain as rumors spread across the land of an ancient evil king and impending war. Upon hearing such news, many leave their homes in search of a mythic sword wielded long ago by a hero known as the STEWARD. But the sword has been lost for centuries and the Steward of old has also faded into into myth and legend.
The Strait Guys
Documentary Film
Whatever happened to that monumental dream to finally connect the USA and Russia across the Bering Strait? Ask the passionate team of seniors known as the “Strait Guys”, who have been fighting for decades to convince international governments, corporations, and indigenous tribes to greenlight their $100 billion railway project which promises to become the Panama Canal of the 21st century. As they struggle to keep their “peace, progress, and prosperity” project alive, the Strait Guys leave us wondering: What is really preventing us from being connected?
The Test
Narrative Feature
The Tiny House Movie
Narrative Feature
The Water Cell
Documentary Film
"How a Maverick Inventor is Bringing Light and Power From Water to the World"
A 40 year quest for the unusual and "impossible" renewable energy source lands on a simple solution. One that was hidden in plain sight, this series will open the eyes of people of all ages and backgrounds to further innovation with the technology. It has the potential to replace solar panels and batteries with a non-toxic, regenerative fuel cell. Unlike solar panels and wind turbines, there is no end of life solid waste. As will be demonstrated in the series, it can be scaled from a single LED to household size.
Join us as we travel the World, sharing "The Gift of Light Equality"
The Weight of Honor
Documentary Film
The Weight of Honor is the first comprehensive documentary to chronicle the lives of families caring for their catastrophically wounded returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Over the course of five years we follow the arc of what happens when some of America's best and strongest volunteer to protect our nation, but return home physically and emotionally broken and disillusioned. What happens when they return is not only a personal journey but also that of their family caregivers who have no training other than the love for their wounded.
The Weight of Honor tells the stories of strength, exhaustion, conflict, and even humor as these families chart a course through the unknown.
The Winemaker
Short Film
These Stones
Web/TV Series
When her mother is killed, a wayward daughter is drawn into the secret program her mother tirelessly maintained, in the interest of giving hope and help to others. Though the daughter struggles to believe in God, she finds herself amid an expansive supernatural program—matching mysterious visitors from the past to people facing present day challenges. It’s all this daughter can do to keep up the appearance of living a normal life while seeking redemption for her past mistakes.
This Boy's Vida (made in america)
Short Film
Based on true events, this coming-of-age story follows Little Joe, a first-generation American Latinx boy growing up amidst extreme poverty and violence. Forced to navigate the underbelly of America to keep food on the table for his family, will Little Joe become another statistic or achieve the American dream?
Three Times A Lady
Narrative Feature
TIME
Short Film
Tin Hill No.9
Short Film
Midwest — 1961. On his last shift before Christmas, MARION (30s) finds himself trapped in a collapsed tunnel with three fellow miners. He scribbles a farewell note to his wife and children on the inside of a cigarette package, unsure that help from above will reach their ill-fated group in time. The stillness is broken by an eerie, monotonous knocking that echoes from deep within the mine. While the others try to ignore the tone, Marion investigates. Above ground and miles away, Marion’s daughter TINA (9) practices her cursive at their local church. When she hears the same mysterious knocking, their joint pursuit of the sound cosmically intertwines them.
Topping Out
Documentary Film
A rock climber from a sleepy town challenges himself to ascend to greatness on the world stage. Along the way, we meet his competition and the gatekeepers of the newest Olympic sport.
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Internationally ranked paraclimber Ben Mayforth eats, sleeps, and breathes rock climbing. He works at a gym where he coaches the next generation of climbers. He even built a wall in his backyard. The only thing standing between him and the number one spot on the global podium in Moscow is himself. Born with spina bifida, Ben has to work on his skills every day to make sure he doesn’t fall off the wall and lose his spot. Will this year be his year?
TORTURED RIGHTS
Documentary Film
Touch
Short Film
Touch & Go
Narrative Feature
Touching the Sky
Documentary Film
Tough Times
Short Film
After losing his job, his wife, and a reason to exist; Guy, a former accountant for a scandalous corporation, faces his demons through a tape-recorded piano lesson left in his father’s will.
After meeting with his father’s lawyer, Guy, a former accountant fired for fraudulent accounting, receives a collection of audiotapes marked as his father's will. He discovers the tapes come together to form a piano lesson his father recorded. Determined to play through the piano lesson and engage with the art form his estranged father seemed to care about more than anything, Guy not only comes to terms with his resentment towards his father but also finds a new outlook on himself.
Trending Voices
Other
Trending Voices is the TV music special of the grand finale of the Trans Voices Festival. This will be a showcase of the various transgender and nonbinary groups throughout the USA. We'll be having celebrity performers and guests on the show, to help bring a large viewership, targeting the Millennials.
Scattered throughout will be info that helps audiences understand the history, science, and biology as to why trans people have this biological condition and need medical care, that it's not a mental illness. With all these divas coming together, we expect lots of behind the scenes drama, included in the show.
We'll have the best of the best in all areas of production and performance.
TRUFFLE SAUCE
Short Film
TRUFFLE SAUCE, a drama short, is about Tweet, a tattoo artist, who needs to pay one more tuition bill in order to graduate from community college to fulfill the agreement with her grandparents. Graduate = get a tattoo shop. But Tweet keeps letting life get in the way. Not this time. She's gonna sell the truffle sauce, pay her bill, and start over... for real this time. That is until a customer arrives and begins to push her into a setback. Ugh, not again.
Trusted Sources
Documentary Film
Caught up in an attention-driven media landscape, idealistic journalists struggle to overcome public distrust, re-shaping the future of news publishing.
Trusted Sources examines the reasons many people don’t trust news outlets. We go behind the scenes to see how news is gathered and reported, sitting in on editorial meetings where decisions are made that determine what gets published. Trusted Sources demystifies the journalism process, reveals the factors that influence how – and whether – stories are covered, and provides the audience with skills for deciding what news to trust.
Two for One
Short Film
When a funeral in rural Quebec suddenly becomes a funeral for two, a young man reflects on his relationship with the deceased.
Two for One follows Thomas, who has spent his whole life in the US, as he attends the funeral of the Québecois grandfather he barely knew. Thomas has always regretted not having a better relationship with his grandparents. Over time, his poor command of French and a significant geographic distance have led to an emotional distance with his grandparents.
Now, back in his grandparents’ rural Québec village for the first time in years, Thomas finds that he has to confront his regrets while also being surrounded by an extended family who doesn't know who he is.
Ukraine: Fetal Stem Cell Pioneers
Documentary Film
Ukraine is the only country in the world where fetal stem cell therapy is legal and regulated. After curing their first patient of bone marrow failure in 1991 using fetal liver cells, a group of Ukrainian scientists have learned to extract up to 24 different organ types of fetal stem cells and deliver them to patients. Aside from taking a deep dive on the science behind this technology, this story follows patients from the United States who have made the journey to Kyiv, Ukraine to be successfully treated for muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and autism. The Russian invasion has complicated this journey. Eric Merola is the only journalist on earth covering this story.
Unboxing
Short Film
Unbridled Courage
Narrative Feature
1899 Texas; a grieving widow forced to take over the family ranch, while raising her children, battles a prominent landowner and his band of outlaws who try to run her out of town.
When Audrey is challenged with the safety of her two children, she forms an uneasy alliance with a rival rancher’s son.
Undone
Narrative Feature
Unlikely Heroes The Men & Women Who Saved Israel
Documentary Film
Unlocking Desire
Narrative Feature
Urban Uptake
Short Film
Urban Uptake follows, Ayanna, a corporate marketing coordinator, to work. While at work, the unimaginable happens, her boss fires her due to her hair not meeting the company’s professional standard for clients. Upset, Ayanna talks to her best friend, Eesha, who suggests that Ayanna apply for a job on Urban Uptake. She finds a job posting on Urban Uptake and submits an application. To Ayanna’s surprise, she enters into a digital world called Urban Uptake, which is a place for women like her. Little does she know how close her ties are to the digital world.
Victor Frankenstein
Narrative Feature
Voices of Grief, Honoring the Sacred Journey
Documentary Film
The Documentary Film – “Voices of Grief, Honoring the Scared Journey” - shares a fresh perspective on the many ways we navigate successfully through grief or companion others along their journey. Wisdom from contemporary authors, grief experts and spiritual teachers is woven through personal stories of loss to explore the roles of compassion, community, and connection in this sacred journey.
Void
Short Film
A married couple comes one final time to their late son’s apartment to pick up his last belongings.
After a chain of events and a change of heart, their grief and needs prove to be incompatible.
Mainstream media has successfully presented the trauma of losing a loved one. But surprisingly few films explore the incredibly personal sorrow that can explode even genuinely loving marriages. We aim to explore and make visible this familiar yet unseen drama.
'Void' talks about the individuality of the healing process: everybody has different needs in order to deal with grief, and sometimes this can get in the way of love.
Water
Short Film
Water is a short filmed based on a real encounter I had with a probable homeless man when I lived in Los Angeles. I witnessed him accessing a water line illegally to fill up a number of plastic water bottles he was carrying in his tattered vehicle. His car was filled with clothes and day-to-day items. He was likely one of the estimated 16,000 Angelenos who live in their vehicles full or part-time.
Water is Love: Ripples of Regeneration
Documentary Film
Water is Love: Ripples of Regeneration follows a group of young people grappling with the climate crisis while we also journey around the world to share incredible stories of regenerative ecosystem design to create water retention in communities, villages, and regions. We touch upon traditional ecological knowledge, how water makes climate, and the importance of restoring complete water cycles. Through inspiring stories from successful projects in India, Kenya, and Portugal, we aim to spark conversations and actions that contribute to a regenerative and resilient world.
We are like Waves
Documentary Film
Along the South Coast of Sri Lanka, surfing is everywhere. Yet only foreigners and local men fill the lineups. Surfing is not seen as a sport for girls. This is a result of cultural and societal expectations that place women inside the household, particularly in rural areas. Young girls are expected to follow certain standards: be kind, look nice, and smile. Attend school, study, work. Get married, and start a family. Be a housewife, cook, and clean.
The ocean is simply not seen as a place for women.
Sanu must decide if she wants to continue a typical life as a housewife, or risk carving her own path as a surfer. This is a story of finding one’s voice in a sea of expectations.
We Woke
Narrative Feature
What's in a Name
Documentary Film
Three trans women fight to overturn a harsh law that binds them to their past.
Tania Cordova, Eisha Love, and Reyna Ortiz are suing the state of Illinois to strike down a law that prohibits people with felony convictions from legally changing their names. A male name on their government ID exposes the women as transgender, which opens them up to harassment and danger on a daily basis. WHAT'S IN A NAME shares the personal journeys of three women who, at the risk of exposing themselves - not only as trans, but as people with felony backgrounds - have become key activists involved in the effort to pass HB2542, a state bill that strikes down the name change law.
When I Was a Human: The Movie
Narrative Feature
Being human is no walk in the dog park. Indy, an ex-shelter dog, has begun to understand it soon after turning himself into a human by eating a miracle dog biscuit. But he must expose the lies by his owner's new love interest. Human Indy is ready to take back Kimmy, his owner's affection!
Among all the confusing rules and behaviors that Indy has to understand, he sees the pain he's causing Kimmy by disappearing as her dog. It will take more than living as a human for Indy to secure his spot by Kimmy's side; it will take discovering what it means to love and be loved.
When Mountains Fall
Documentary Film
The children of three families from Syria and Iraq struggle to rebuild after surviving war and forced migration. With ever-increasing barriers in their new home in Europe, the challenges are daunting. But these kids are not lost—they are working to rebuild new lives, meet new challenges, and prepare for adulthood. In this film they tell their own stories.
When the Bass Drops
Narrative Feature
Where Fools Go
Narrative Feature
Whitehead: An Improbably Charmed Life
Documentary Film
Born to a working class English family just after World War Two, Paul Whitehead was destined for ordinariness but his unique outlook, unquestionable talent, and joie de vivre led him to extraordinary adventures, friendship with rock luminaries, and experimentation with identity and perception that is anything but ordinary. Now in his 70s and forced to move from downtown LA, Paul looks back on a life of playing with perception and identity as he finds the setting for his third act. He’s not who you think he is and you might not be either.
Who Are You, Nanu?
Short Film
After her Nanu’s (‘grandfather’ in Hindi) ceremonial cremation brings her to the Holy Ganges River in India, 8 year-old oddball Aisha befriends the phantom of her Nanu’s rambunctious 10 year-old self. After being told those who die go to the Moon by her father, a sentiment from a traditional Indian lullaby, Aisha and her Nanu’s ghost, named Little Nanu, go to that very place themselves. Fueled by curiosity and connection, together they discover what's after death and forge a relationship they never had the chance at whilst Nanu was alive.
Wind In Their Sails: Death and Resurrection
Documentary Film
Bring them back from the dead
This film celebrates the classic yachts that have survived and the people who have dedicated their lives to maintaining them. These people are passionate about their work, and it shows in the way they talk about the boats and the care they take in maintaining them.
The dark side to this story is wooden boats need lots of tender loving care to keep them afloat and capable of sailing. Without that care these boats fall into disrepair quickly and every year several of them just disappear.
A few lucky boats find a way to come back to life and that is where our story begins.
Without Her
Narrative Feature
Based on true events from millions of women around the world and told from the heart of a dog. Sophia is a young woman who has been putting up with her abusive relationship because she can't stand the thought of leaving her beloved dog, Storm behind. She has finally decided to leave with her dog and find a safe place for them both to start a new life together. Sophia quickly learns how much her support group has been damaged by the events in her abusive relationship and how difficult finding pet friendly shelter can be. She must find the strength and determination to find a shelter that will let her bring Storm along before she becomes another victim who returns to her abuser.