SAVERIO
Logline
When a woman desperate to get to an important networking opportunity finds a deaf senior dumped in her car, she must grapple with an unsupportive system and her own priorities.
Synopsis
The film follows Mei, a young, ambitious, Chinese-American woman on her way to an important networking party. Mei's mother is upset because Mei is leaving her alone on the anniversary of her husband's passing. But Mei doesn't have time for her mother's haranguing. She's already late for a party her boyfriend, Spencer, is throwing to help her connect with influential sponsors. Mei’s plans quickly change when she finds an old man abandoned in the passenger seat of her car. This is SAVERIO. He's deaf and Mei can’t get him leave. Nobody will help her and in fact, even the 911 operator is of no help. Mei is told that because Saverio is in her custody she must take him to the hospital before social services can intervene. After a series of delays, Mei gets a call from Spencer urging her to get to the party now, so she brings Saverio with her rather than going right to the hospital. Spencer questions her priorities, admonishes her for embarrassing him, and eventually calls an ambulance. While Mei waits with Saverio for the ambulance, she FaceTimes with her Mom and is much kinder to her now and realizes she just wants to go home.
Funding
“From the Heart Productions, Inc. is honored to provide fiscal sponsorship for the film SAVERIO. We carefully select the films we sponsor, and believe that this project will make a positive contribution to society and to the field of filmmaking.” Because of this fiscal sponsorship, all donations are tax deductible.
Short films are a viable medium for artists to share important stories and reach audiences. But the materials involved (talent, locations, editing, music, etc.) are financially burdensome. If you are able to donate any amount of all, you can help this film become a reality.
Additional Information
This film has been a long process in the making. It began years ago when I encountered an old man abandoned outside a supermarket.
We are shining a light on the abandonment of the elderly which happens in public places such as a hospital or nursing home. It may be carried out by family members who are unable or unwilling to continue providing care due to financial problems, burnout, lack of resources (such as home health or assisted living options), or stress. However, instances of institutional granny dumping, by hospitals and care facilities, has also been known to occur. The "dumping" may involve the literal abandonment of an elderly person, who is taken to a location such as hospital waiting area or emergency room and then left, or in the refusal to return to collect an elderly person after the person is discharged from a hospital visit or hotel stay. While leaving an elderly person in a hospital or nursing facility is a common form of the practice, there have been incidences of elderly people being "dumped" in other locations, such as the side of a public street.
Other ways you can support
Please share this story far and wide! Whether you’re sending an email, posting on social media, telling a friend, or shouting from your roof top, we deeply appreciate anything you can do to help us bring this project to life.
If you’re able to contribute to the project in other ways, such as working on the set, in-kind donations of food or equipment, or any other form of assistance, please don't hesitate to get in touch at ellenancui@icloud.com
Charming Stranger Films from San Francisco is producing (see “The Team” page for more info) and we will be shooting in the Bay Area mid-July.
Follow Us!
Follow the project on Instagram to stay connected at:
@saveriothefilm
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!
Ellen Ancui is an award winning writer for theater, film, TV and podcasts. Her work has been seen on streaming and network TV and in theaters around the globe. Ellen first gained notoriety with the success of her one-woman shows, ZEL REBELS – THE STORY OF A WOMAN IN A (1) MAN SHOW! and JUMPING OFF THE FRIDGE which performed at The Public Fringe (NY), The Edinburgh Theater Festival, the London Fringe and the HBO Workspace in Los Angeles, as well as other venues. Her play, GLORY PIE, had a sold-out run at the Coronet and received raves from Variety and the LA Times. Ellen started as a staff writer on the sitcom, MALCOLM & EDDIE, wrote for the Netflix show, BROWN & FRIENDS, published her one-act play, SIZZLER with Next Stage Press and has just wrapped the podcast BONNIE SCREWS UP, by Aural Stories. She has several feature scripts under option and is making her directorial debut with the short film, SAVERIO.
Connie Jo Sechrist is a accomplished American Actress and Emmy® Nominated Producer from San Jose, CA, whose work has been recognized at prestigious festivals such as SXSW, Tribeca, and other Academy Qualifying Festivals around the world.
As a passionate advocate for mental health, Connie Jo has produced and starred in over 20 films that explore mental health and personal stories, with the goal of de-stigmatizing mental health issues and breaking down barriers. Her commitment to raising awareness about the prevalence of mental health problems and encouraging greater understanding and acceptance is evident in the impactful nature of her work.
In addition to her acting and producing career, she is also a respected leader and mentor in various independent film groups around the world, where she strives to inspire and support the growth of other aspiring filmmakers.
Cameo Wood is an EMMY® winning filmmaker based in San Francisco, California. Her most recent film Real Artists is available on iTunes/Kanopy/Amazon right now. She is currently working on her first feature. In 2018 she was a co-winner at the AT&T Film Awards for 'Best Emerging Artist' awarded by Ava DuVernay. Real Artists has won 35 awards including a regional EMMY®, has been nominated for dozens more, and continues to enjoy screenings at over 200 film festivals, museums, and television stations throughout the world. Her work has been on PBS, Aspire, and was featured in the Wing Luke Museum’s exhibit “Worlds Beyond Here: The Expanding Universe of Asian Pacific American Science Fiction.”
She produced and co-directed episodes of The Alternative Guide to Secret Beijing which was featured on Atlas Obscura. Her first film, Dukha in Summer, premiered at the St. Louis Film International Film Festival and was nominated for best short at five others. Cameo is a member of Cinefemme, Women in Film, Alliance of Women Directors, Film Independent, WomenNMedia, and the co-founder of the SF chapter of Dinner with Dames. She co-founded the Coven Film Festival, a showcase of films made by women. She is a regular speaker at the Camp Reel Stories' Girls Day Workshop. Cameo has participated in the inaugural Sundance Co//ab Screenwriting, Episodic, and Fiction Directing programs.
Cameo has studied Medical Neuroscience at Duke University, Futurism at Stanford University, Witchcraft & Magic at Bennington College, Aerospace Engineering at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, Egyptology at University of Pennsylvania. She is currently studying Dramatic Arts at Harvard University. From 1995-2008 She was an engineer at GTE Labs, Sprint, Lucent, and Cisco. In 2008 She founded Her Majesty’s Secret Beekeeper; the first urban beekeeping store in America, and currently serves on the board of the beekeeping non-profit SF Bee-Cause.
https://www.charmingstranger.com/aboutus
Hello SAVERIO supporters!
Our film is done and we just had a very successful private screening at the Laemmle NoHo 7 last week. We have entered over 30 film festivals and now we wait. We will learn about acceptances starting in January 2025, so we will keep you posted. Hopefully, we will play at a festival in your neck of the woods so you can come see it. Once we've exhaused the festival circuit, we will look towards screening platforms for the public to view. If you haven't seen the trailer yet, please take a moment to check it out below - it's 45 seconds long. And PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, follow us on Instagram - festivals like to see that a film has some engagement already. @saveriothefilm
https://www.instagram.com/saveriothefilm/?hl=en
As always, thank you for your incredible support!!!
Warmly,
Ellen
Hello friends and family!!!
This campaign raised $23,360 for my short film, SAVERIO because of your support!!! Thank you so much for your donation and belief in this project!
As I've told you, this script is inspired by a real-life incident I had when an old man was abandoned at a supermarket and I learned about “granny dumping.” I've been wanting to make this film for a very long time to raise awareness of the challenges for caregiving to elders. I'm also determined to create dialogue around perceptions towards the aging - all in a delightful, yet heartbreaking 15 minutes! :)
I’m so thrilled to be partnered with Charming Stranger Films, a company committed to uplifting women, non-binary and filmmakers of color. We have already put together an incredible crew of mostly women, non-binary and people of color from the Bay Area, and we are also including some young, up and coming filmmakers from LA and their energy and participation will be super exciting.
We feel very optimistic about SAVERIO's ability to do very well in film festivals and we've already garnered support from some senior organizations interested in outreach opportunities with the project.
Again, m heartfelt appreciation goes out to everyone who has contributed or has shown any level of support, I am truly humbled by your kindness and can't wait to share this project with you!!!
xoxo
Ellen
ONE DAY LEFT to help SAVERIO reach its fundraising goal of $26,000! We're so close!!! $4,178 to go!
Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to everyone who has contributed or has shown any level of support, we are truly humbled by your kindness!
Please support this short film by sharing, assisting on-set, donating, and much more —
This project seeks to create meaningful dialogue and inspire action regarding the challenges of caregiving and societal views on aging and the elderly. We're so excited to share it with you all and thank you again!!!
Ellen & Charming Stranger Films
First off, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support of this project - the overwhelming response has been so heartwarming as well as humbling.
We did a scout last weekend and found all of the needed locations and felt so supported by the East Bay community. In fact, take a look at the poignant email we received from the owner of the diner we are filming at:
We are soooo close to raising the funds needed for this project! If someone you know feels compassionate about caregiving for the elderly, would you please share this platform with them? https://supportourstory.com/saveriothefilm
You may have noticed that we've had an enormous challenge with the direct link on Facebook and Instagram. For some strange reason we were tagged as spam and have lost many potential donors as a result (crying emoji!) So if choose to spread the word on social media, please give this information:
Go to supportourstory.com and navigate to the SAVERIO campaign.
Also, donations can be sent via check to the Fiscal Sponsorship partner, made out and sent to:
From The Heart Productions
1013 Harbor Blvd. #53
Oxnard, CA 93035
(indicate SAVERIO in the memo)
Thank you again! Your support means the world and we can't wait to share this film with you!!!
xo
Ellen
An anonymous donor pledged to match another $1,000 if I can raise $1K by midnight tonight. We're almost there! We just need another $570 more to go - that's approx. 22 people at $25 or 11 people at $50 - we can do this! If you know someone who is compassionate around the challenges of caregiving for the elderly or wants to shine a light on perceptions toward the elderly, please share this link with them. And thank you for your support already - it means the world to me! (pulsating heart emoji!)
https://supportourstory.com/saveriothefilm
We’re having a rally to 100 supporters today!
We’re so close, ONLY 10 MORE TO GO!
Please invite your friends to head over to
saveriothefilm.com
and make a contribution in any amount. Mabel and I thank you! 
Hey everyone!
We're roughly a week into this campaign and we're already 33% of the way toward our goal! That's amazing progress and I can't thank you all enough for your contributions. Every contribution truly makes a difference and gets us closer to making this important drama a reality! Please share with anyone you know who may want to shine a light on the challenges of caregiving for our elders.
23 days left to make this happen! prayer hands emoji
Thank you and love you all!
Ellen
