Welcome to the Crowdsourcing Mornings segment! Every weekday morning, Geek Alabama talks about and features one crowdsourcing project from crowdsourcing sites such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and others. The hope with Crowdsourcing Mornings is to feature and help a project be successful and reach its fundraising goal. Please enjoy today’s featured project!
Please read our crowdsourcing guidelines at: https://geekalabama.com/media-kit-pr/geek-alabama-crowdsourcing-guidelines
Breathe is a coming-of-age short film about anxiety, self-doubt, and the terrifyingly awkward journey of putting yourself out there. The story follows Nailah, a high school student who isolates herself while struggling with the courage to ask her crush to prom. Between anxiety, high school drama, and unexpected obstacles, Nailah must decide whether she will let fear win or take a chance that could change everything.
I’m Mya-Breyana Morton, the writer and director of Breathe. This isn’t just a film—it’s a deeply personal reflection of my own struggles with anxiety, self-acceptance, and the fear of taking up space in a world that often feels too big and overwhelming. It’s a love letter to anyone who has ever felt paralyzed by self-doubt, who has ever stood on the edge of something meaningful and wondered: What if I’m not enough?
This film almost never made it to the screen.
Years ago, Breathe was meant to be my MFA thesis film at the Savannah College of Art and Design. My committee had approved it. My team was ready. I was ready. But then—the world shut down. The COVID-19 pandemic stole the chance to bring this story to life, and for a long time, I thought I had lost that opportunity forever.
But stories like this don’t just fade away. They live inside you. They demand to be told.
Through the years, I held onto Breathe. I refined it. I learned from every setback, every challenge, every roadblock. I traveled to the Rosemary’s House Writers Residency in Greece, where I worked alongside award-winning storytellers, including my mentor Jenny Zhang, who has written for A24, HBO, Netflix, Apple, and Amazon—I immersed myself in an intensive exploration of storytelling to make this script the strongest it has ever been. This experience reinforced my passion for bringing this film to life and deepened my commitment to telling stories that resonate. And now, after years of growth and persistence, the time has finally come.
We are already gaining incredible momentum. Breathe has been awarded a $3,000 grant from the Resisting Narratives of Erasure Fellowship by Visionary Justice StoryLabs—a program supporting early-career filmmakers of color who tell bold, transformative stories that challenge dominant narratives. This recognition fuels our mission: to tell stories that matter, stories that need to be seen.
And this time, I am not alone.
I am collaborating with both the original creatives who first believed in this film and new, inspiring voices who have joined the journey along the way. We have built an all-female crew—passionate, determined, and ready to make this film a reality.
This isn’t just a film. It’s a reclamation. A second chance. A promise to every person who has ever felt like their voice wasn’t loud enough to be heard.
But we can’t do it without you.
Your support brings Breathe to life. Your contribution allows us to create a film that reminds people—young and old—that fear does not define us. That we are more than our doubts. That sometimes, the hardest thing and the right thing are the same.
Join us in making Breathe a reality. Because some stories refuse to be silenced.
As of March 20th, this project has raised $1,744 of their $8,900 goal. This project has 12 days left to raise the $8,900 or it will not be funded. For a pledge of $15, you will get a social media shoutout. For a pledge of $35, you will get a private link to the film. To learn more and to pledge money, go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1171779328/breathe-a-coming-of-age-short-film?
Categories: Crowdsourcing Mornings Stuff
