Most of our cast and all of our top-level crew positions are women, including our writer/director, producer, and cinematographer, which is unfortunately still uncommon in the film industry. We're committed to diversity at all levels of this production.

Hi! My name is Annelise Ogaard, and I'm the writer/director of Our Colleagues. I've been making independent film for the past six years; you may have seen my work at festivals like Borscht or The Chicago Underground Film Festival, on platforms like D E E P or NoBudge, or simply Somewhere Online. They're surreal and darkly funny, and everyone loves them!

Our Colleagues is my most ambitious project to date, and I'm beyond stoked share it with you. The story follows Meg, a young woman whose solution to her everyday ennui is to try to make contact with alien life. Along the way, she deals with a pair of oddball scientists, her foundering romantic relationship—and her deepest, weirdest desires.

Creating a strong atmosphere is important to this story, and we're building the world of the film through practical effects and post-production work, mixing old-school movie magic with the flexibility of modern technology to create something visually stunning.

This wouldn't be possible without a dedicated and talented community, so I'd like to introduce (brag about) some of the amazing people working on this film:

OUR TEAM

The outrageously talented Ava Benjamin Shorr is our director of photography. She's shot everything from feature films (keep your eyes peeled for Gossamer Folds and Disclosure: Trans Lives on Film!) to music videos for acts like Tennis and John Maus:

Award-winning producer, director, and all-around baddie Chris Herde is producing the film. We've previously collaborated on my short film Girl Powder, and frankly there's no one I trust more with this project. Dena Winter, a talented director in her own right, is our production designer, with props/contraptions made by artist/mad scientist Frank Musarra.

The film's protagonist Meg will be played by Jessie Klueter, a chameleon of a performer who demonstrated her ability to merge humor and pathos in her role as the beleagured assistant to a mob boss in Girl Powder:

Our supporting cast is equally amazing. We're working with Shannon Tyo, a powerhouse whose recent credits include the lead role in the Off-Broadway hit The Chinese Lady; Francesca Anderson, who was hilarious and heartbreaking in the short film F*ck Bunny; and the extraordinary dancer Alexandra Jacob, whose work is straight-up mesmerising—every time she uploads a new video on instagram my mind is blown all over again. Last but certainly not least is Virgil Texas, a New York Times best-selling author and cohost of the podcast Chapo Traphouse, making his acting debut as Meg's boyfriend.

With your support, we're going to create something truly beautiful, unique, and dare I say...out of this world?