PIE: An Independent Film

Aim

Help us bring PIE, a darkly delicious 1970s Southern Gothic short film about sisterhood, survival and secrets, from page to screen.

SOMETHING SWEET IS COMING...

PIE is an independent Southern Gothic short film set against the sticky heat, roadside diners and sleepy towns of 1970s America.

At its heart are two sisters: Ruth and Clementine Calloway.

Having escaped the only life they've ever known, the sisters arrive in a small Tennessee town with little more than each other and the hope of starting again.

Ruth wants something Clementine isn't sure she understands — normality.

A job. A home. Maybe even someone to love.

But when you've spent your whole life being taught that family comes before everything else, leaving home doesn't necessarily mean home has finished with you.

And the Calloways?

They've always had a thing for pie.

WHAT IS PIE?

PIE is a darkly funny and unsettling story about sisterhood, survival, dependency and what happens when the person you would do anything to protect might also be the person you should fear.

Visually, we're building a colourful, heightened version of the American South: dusty roads, roadside diners, cowboy boots, cigarettes on porches, milkshakes, floral kitchens and pies cooling on windowsills.

Everything looks almost sweet enough to eat.

Almost.

Underneath all that sweetness is something much darker.

That's the world we're bringing to screen.

WHO'S BEHIND THE PIE?

Hi! I'm Bethany Grace Milner, the writer and director of PIE.

I've worked professionally as an actor since 2016 across film and television, and those years spent on set have given me an enormous love not only for performing, but for everything happening on the other side of the camera.

PIE began with a character — Clementine — and grew into an entire world.

Since then, I've been developing the screenplay, characters, visual language and production design while beginning to assemble the team that will bring the film to life.

And I'll also be stepping into Clementine's cowboy boots myself.

But PIE is much bigger than one person.

Independent filmmaking relies on talented people bringing their time, skills and creativity together to make something that couldn't exist without them.

Now we're ready to make it.

SO... WHAT ARE WE RAISING MONEY FOR?

We're raising £8,000 to produce PIE and begin taking the finished film out into the world.

This funding will take us through pre-production, principal photography and post-production, helping us create the 1970s world of Ruth and Clementine at the standard this story deserves.

Before principal photography, we're also creating a short cinematic proof of concept based on the world of the film.

Rather than trying to explain what PIE could look like, we want to show you.

Our first footage will introduce Ruth and Clementine and establish the dusty, colourful Southern Gothic visual language we're building for the finished film.

From that shoot, we'll also create production stills, character imagery and promotional material — giving our supporters their first proper taste of PIE.

The proof of concept is only the beginning.

The destination is the finished film.

WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO?

Every contribution will go directly towards getting PIE made and seen.

Your support will help fund:

Cinematography, lighting & sound
Giving the film the cinematic finish we've imagined from the beginning.

Locations
Transforming corners of the UK into 1970s Tennessee and Louisiana — from dusty roads to the glowing lights of the Lucky Spoon Diner.

Production design & props
Building the colourful, lived-in world of PIE, right down to the smallest 1970s detail.

Costume, hair & make-up
Cowboy boots, diner uniforms, florals, rollers and everything else required to bring the Calloways to life.

Cast & crew
Supporting the talented people who will help us put PIE on screen, including travel, expenses and keeping everybody fed during production.

Post-production
Editing, colour grading, sound design, music and all the finishing work required to turn what we shoot into the final film.

Film festivals
Part of our budget will be protected for festival submission fees, allowing PIE to begin a carefully planned festival journey across the UK, US and internationally once the film is complete.

And, naturally...

Pie. Lots of pie.

Concept Artwork exploring the visual of pie. 

WHY £8,000?

We're committed to making every pound appear on screen.

Independent filmmaking means being resourceful: borrowing where we can, drawing on our creative network, negotiating locations and finding imaginative ways to make our budget stretch.

But PIE is ambitious.

We're recreating 1970s America in the UK.

That means period costume, props, locations, vehicles and production design alongside professional cinematography, sound and post-production.

Our £8,000 target gives us the foundation to make the complete short film and begin its festival journey.

We're using flexible funding because every amount raised can move the production forward.

And if we're lucky enough to go beyond our target?

THE WHOLE PIE — £10,000 STRETCH GOAL

If we reach £10,000, we'll be able to give PIE even more breathing room.

Additional funding will allow us to strengthen areas such as production design, our shooting schedule, post-production and the film's festival campaign.

The more we raise, the fewer creative compromises we have to make.

£8,000 makes PIE happen.

£10,000 helps us make the PIE we've been imagining.

WHERE DO WE WANT PIE TO GO?

Making the film is only half the journey.

Once PIE is finished, we want people to see it.

We're developing a targeted festival strategy spanning leading UK festivals, international short-film festivals, American festivals — particularly those with connections to the Southern world of our story — and specialist genre festivals celebrating Southern Gothic, thriller and horror filmmaking.

Some will be big dream submissions.

Others will be festivals where we genuinely believe this strange little slice of Tennessee belongs.

No independent filmmaker can guarantee festival selection.

What we can guarantee is that we're going to give PIE the chance to get there.

And this film may only be the beginning.

The world surrounding Ruth, Clementine and the Calloway family has grown far beyond the boundaries of this short, and we're excited about the possibilities for where PIE could eventually lead.

First, though?

We've got a short film to make.

THE PIE PANTRY 🥧

We're not only fundraising online.

For one day, we're bringing a little piece of PIE into the real world.

The PIE Pantry will be our fundraising event inspired by the diners, bakeries and characters of the film — complete with homemade pies, PIE merchandise and plenty of Southern sweetness.

Money raised through the event will join the production fund and help us get another step closer to calling...

ACTION.

Keep an eye on our socials for details.

WHY SUPPORT INDEPENDENT FILM?

Independent films exist because people decide that an idea deserves the chance to become something real.

Your contribution isn't simply buying equipment or paying for a location.

You're helping us employ creatives.

You're helping us build sets, dress characters, capture performances and create a world that currently exists largely on paper.

You're helping two girls in cowboy boots make their way from Louisiana to Tennessee — even if we're secretly filming somewhere considerably closer to Birmingham.

Whether you contribute £5, £50, choose one of our PIE-inspired rewards or simply share the campaign with somebody who might love it, you're becoming part of this film's story.

And we'll be sharing that journey with you as we go.

From the first clapperboard...

to the first slice...

to our first footage...

to the finished film...

and, hopefully, to the festival screen.

THANK YOU, SUGAR.

PIE started as a character and an idea.

It's become a screenplay, a visual world, a growing team and something we're finally ready to put in front of a camera.

Now we'd love you to become part of it.

Whether you donate, share our campaign or follow the journey, thank you for helping an independent film find its way from the page to the screen.

We'll save you a slice.

Something sweet is coming...

And remember —

A good crust can hide what's underneath.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 4th November 2026 at 4:38pm