Support the film Read the story

Story

is a swan song of an old tailor. After years of hiding, he chooses to embrace his true self and accepts the sacrifice such honesty demands.

Plot

An aging tailor spends his life creating dresses for others until he gets trapped in his flooding apartment. To stop the burst, he employs all but one piece of fabric: the jewel of his collection. Instead of sacrificing his best dress and containing the water, he tries it on and at last makes peace with himself.

VEIL visualizes the acceptance we so often deny ourselves, and asks whether it's ever too late to face who we truly are.

Polly: As a non-binary cinematographer, I've always wrestled with femininity, masculinity, and beauty. Clothes are a potent form of visual representation, deepened further when we tie our purpose and craft to them. The tailor's story challenges audiences to recall what makes their lives full, then asks them to embrace it without regret. I love that VEIL centers an experienced character exploring his identity and accepting it, a story rarely seen on screen.

VEIL is a 35mm Visual Essay produced by graduating MFA Cinematographers at AFI. See the ones produced last year.

Visual references

Collage of an empty frame over a stormy sea
A dark, flooded room lit by two windows
Black and white portrait of a woman in a sculpted gown
A receding corridor of stone arches
A dress form under a hanging lamp in a dim attic workshop
Black and white portrait of a man raising a gloved hand in a study
Rain-streaked amber windows and a face in shadow

The dress

Costume design by Grace Quackenbush

The dress is the culmination of the tailor's life's work and the visual centerpiece of the film. Drawing from 1950s couture silhouettes while incorporating fluid, water-inspired elements, the designs balance the elegance and structure of a master tailor's final creation with a sense of movement and fragility.

Sketch of concept one: strapless emerald gown with a sash, bustle and long pleated train
Sketch of concept two: off-the-shoulder emerald gown with a cowled neckline and overskirt
Sketch of concept three: V-neck emerald gown with a hip drape and flowing skirt
Sketch of concept four: one-shoulder emerald gown with a cape and cascading ruffle
Sketch of alternative A: off-the-shoulder emerald gown with a draped skirt
Sketch of alternative B: sweetheart-neckline emerald gown with a pleated skirt
Portrait of Joseph Lloyd Lopez in a camel coat with a shearling collar
Film still of Joseph Lloyd Lopez crouched in a dark room

The Tailor

Joseph Lloyd Lopez

Selected films

  • Insidious: Out of the Further 2026
  • Passenger 2026
  • Dead Mail 2024
  • Blood Star 2024
  • The Looming 2023

Creative team

Trevor Heim-Prechter
Sagi Kahane-Rapport
Val Gyorke
Polly Chesnokova
Sam Spahn
Cole Gormley
Grace Quackenbush

Timeline

September 2026

Pre-production

  • Casting finished
  • Costume designer and consultant on board
  • SFX team locked for water effects
  • Fittings for the dress
We are here
October 2026

Tests & lock

  • Shooting script locked
  • Camera tests for lenses and fabric
  • Water effect test
  • Location and crew locked
  • Budget fundraised and locked
We are here
November 2026

Production

  • 11.5 Checkout
  • 11.7 Day 1 of production
  • 11.8 Day 2 of production
  • 11.9 Gear returned
  • Film to FotoKem
We are here
Dec 2026 – Feb 2027

Post-production

  • 12.1 Rough cut
  • 12.15 Second cut
  • 2.1 Picture lock
  • 2.23 Final deliverable
We are here
  • Festival aims:
  • ASC Heritage Awards
  • Camerimage

Support the film

$7,500Production budget
Where the money goes
Total$7,500

Camera, lighting, and post-production are covered in kind, so every dollar raised goes to the set, the water, and the dress.

How to give

Our fiscal sponsorship is in place, and online giving opens as soon as the donation platform is connected.

Until then, email Polly with the amount you'd like to give. Polly will confirm your gift and send you everything you need to complete it, along with updates from set.

Email Polly about your donation