The fictional tale of Vilacrium highlights an enormous problem within the women’s community while also giving screen time to some of the barriers women continue to break. I’m Aquarius, the writer and I challenge myself to shine a light on stories that draw a need for further discussions beyond the platform audiences use to watch cinema. Sometimes we have to shake things up to accomplish better human interactions to make the world a better place for us all.

Vilacrium |

Noun Biology

          Blood cells found in a certain group of women, which allows for the biochemical processes of reproduction to occur in other groups of humans who are missing the necessary tools to conceive.

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Kemlich Science Center is a modern-day medical facility. It is the place where miracles and evil come together to manifest life and death. A specific type of blood casing mystifying cells drain from black women and is transfused into transgender women to be the foundation of their capability to reproduce.

Dr. Kemlich is a surgical genius with a quest to have his name forever engraved in history. Determined to keep his work of performing surgical procedures on particular kinds of individuals to defeat the mistake made with their anatomy alive, Dr. Kemlich decides to enlist the only candidate he feels is worthy.

He handpicks his niece Briana, a black woman who bears Vilacrium, to carry out such a task. He banks on her loyalty to family and desire to be the top surgeon in the country to comply with the rules of the program regardless of how the steps to success are conducted.

All goes well until a naïve Briana learns of the mischief that goes on in the operating room of the medical center and makes an attempt to bring the program to a halt.

Connect with Vilacrium on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/vilacrium

https://www.facebook.com/vilacrium

Vilacrium is a story that exploits the significance of women. Women are looked at like they’re the weakest link when it comes to the human race instead of being widely saluted for the contributions they make. Society categorized women into two groups: there are women and then there are transgender women. This film is to show them as one. This film is to have both groups deal with the upset and joys of giving birth.

In recent times a woman’s right to choose has been attacked and women became no longer able to choose what’s right for them in the matter of reproduction. By taking away a woman’s right to choose, society is implying that women don’t know what’s best for them. Hopefully, this film will open up a big ‘what-if’ discussion that may lead to open talks about why men believe that they know better about women than women. When I say ‘what-if’ I’m referring to… if men could carry a baby for nine months, lose all control of their bodies to the disfigurement of the human growing inside, and die at an alarming rate due to a high-risk pregnancy or from the excruciating pain, that takes place for hours, to give birth would women then be able to have a say-so?

We feel very confident that we can deliver a meaningful story with a minimum of $50,000 in contributions. The majority of the funds will be going to the art department given that we have to make sure we have the proper medical facilities along with the equipment and props. Check out our delicious selection of perks where one of which includes a Q & A dinner with the director and cinematographer.

If you’re not able to donate we completely understand and will be grateful if you will share this project on your social media platforms, with your contacts, and/or shout it out from the mountaintop –> we’re kidding about the mountaintop. Please don’t do that. Your safety means everything to us. FYI: IndieGoGo has a default setting for you to tip them when you donate. Just turn that amount to $0 before donating if you don’t want to add the extra monies. Also, you don’t have to sign up for an account from the email they will send.

Thank you for backing us.

Humbly,

Aquarius

Get Out is crafted with layers of metaphoric meanings and surprises that communicate to audience members that the film is not only about a black man going to meet his white girlfriend’s family for the first time. Vilacrium too will have audience members getting a glimpse of how two races combine to deliver acknowledgment that one can not go on without the other.

Photo courtesy of Universal

Photo courtesy of Universal

The production design of the film Level 16 coincides perfectly with the content displayed on the screen. It gives a dull appearance to reflect the tedium of the characters’ lives. The theme is heavily based on young women’s looks and gives a mysterious experience leaving audience members on edge wondering what’s coming next. The aesthetics of Vilacrium will too harmonically shed light on the film’s background of desperation and deception.

Photo courtesy of Netflix

It goes without saying how the overturn of Roe vs Wade is an influence on Vilacrium. Although it is not a story about women having abortions because it is the very opposite, it is about women having a choice. It is about women choosing to go to the extreme to have babies.

What if the decision was flipped and it was made into law that women weren’t allowed to have babies? Would that make sense?

Photo courtesy of nbc12.com

Aquarius is a writer and filmmaker born in Norfolk, VA. She graduated from Regent University with a Master of Fine Arts in Cinema/Television Producing in 2019.  Her love for telling stories has enabled her to produce and direct episodes of the web series Political Child’s Play. She was a co-producer for the short film Cut to Black. She was a producer for the short One Night Only. She has directed and produced several music video projects. Aquarius has also worked as a production designer for Regent University’s More Than and the short films Bloopers and Sterilized. Alongside of her film career, Aquarius is also a published author with her first book Serve to Protect: Hate Crime Unit (the intro).

She has worked with countless other creative artists writing their stories and now she chooses to use that experience to share another story she wrote that she is passionate about.

                      “Be the fresh air that breathes life into others” –Aquarius

https://www.instagram.com/stageofaquarius

https://www.facebook.com/stageofaquarius

Greg Boyd is an award-winning director of photography, from Los Angeles, California. His accomplishments expand across the Department of Defense, both East and West coasts, Hawaii and Japan capturing artists such as Bishop T.D. Jakes, Travis Green, Yolanda Adams, Marvin Sapp, Chrisette Michele, Fantasia, Cory Guns, Doug E. Fresh, Ruben Studdard, Jagged Edge, and a host of city and state officials. In addition, Boyd’s projects have aired on BET, CW Network, and The Word Network.

Boyd’s latest projects include a feature documentary “Hollywood, Teach Us To Pray”, a mini-documentary “James K. Friedrich”, short film “The Stranger”, and Filipino Romantic Comedy “A Mother’s Dying Wish”. Boyd’s most recent accomplishments include 2022 Award of Excellence for Outstanding Graduate, 2022 Telly Award on documentary “Bone, Love & Harmony”, 2022 Communicator Award short film “School in the Morning”, 2021” Telly Award for feature Docudrama “The Black Walnut”. Boyd was also the recipient of the 2020 Certificate of Excellence with the U.S. Navy Carrier Team One and was also awarded The Hampton Roads Community “Eye of The Artist Honor Award.” His notable credits includes 2020 short film “Believe”, 2020 short “The Negro Mother” (Langston Hughes), 2020 short film “Composition”, 2019 short film “Phoenix and the Ashes”, 2018 short film “Bosniak”, 2017 training film “Team of Winners”, US Navy production which received the Department of the Navy SAPIA Award, 2016 short film “Julia” Short Film; which received an award of recognition at indie FEST and 2015 T.V. Show “The Gospel” hosted by Olympian LaTasha Colander-Clark. Boyd also edited the award-winning film, “Bama & Fred,” starring Ted Lange (The Love Boat) and Novella Nelson (The Antwone Fisher Story).

Boyd is an Adjunct Professor at Regent University (Cinema-Television Program). He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cinematography /T.V. Production and a Master of Fine Arts in Cinematography/T.V. Production with an emphasis in Directing from Regent University. He is a member of The Virginia Production Alliance. He also serves as director of media services at the Impact Worship Center International, located in Chesapeake, Virginia.

https://www.gregbstudios.com

It is our goal to raise $50,000 to be able to give Vilacrium a decent chance of quality to deliver a film our backers and audience members will be proud of. Below is a breakdown of where the funds will be allocated. We appreciate each and every donation given to make Vilacrium a reality.

Vilacrium is planned to have production take place in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. The shooting schedule is set to begin in the summer of 2023. As soon as all scenes have been recorded the film will then be sent to post-production. Festival entries will begin in the fall of 2023.

Connect with Vilacrium on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/vilacrium

https://www.facebook.com/vilacrium

Risks & Challenges

One of our biggest challenges is the production design for Vilacrium. Surely it isn’t Gotham City or the Fortress of Solitude but our film is set mostly in a state-of-the-art operating room. The art department will have to be precise with the look, making sure to have props with advanced representation. The art department will also have to be equipped to set up the premises we will use as the dormitory. The team that’s being formulated will happily tackle the job and deliver an appearance that is exactly what is expected to tell the story through the art of the design.

Besides the possibility of locations magically vanishing before our eyes or actors and/or crew getting kidnapped by aliens, making a film is inherently risky within itself. There can be no assurance of the economic success of any motion picture since the revenues derived from the production and distribution of a motion picture depend primarily upon its acceptance by the public, which cannot be predicted. However, we will do everything in our power to deliver a quality end product as promised by the creation of this campaign. With our combined experience, contingency plans, and insurance we will overcome any obstacle that may come our way.