Elle Mills Launches Fundraiser For Her First Short Film, Coming-Of-Age Romance ‘Reply’

Longtime content creator Elle Mills is raising funds to produce her first short film.

Called Reply, the film will follow 14-year-old Sam, who finds a box of tapes documenting his mother’s last summer at her childhood home–which was also the summer an intriguing new neighbor moved in next door.

Mills (1.8 million subscribers on YouTube) launched an IndieGoGo campaign for Reply this afternoon, with a flexible fundraising goal of $44,000. “Flexible” means she will receive all contributed funds regardless of whether the project hits its $44K target.

“I’ve always put my love for film into my work, specifically my love for coming-of-age teen romances,” she wrote in the campaign description. “It’s what I grew up on. It’s nostalgic. I live and breathe it, which is why I think this is the perfect first film for me to make.”

Mills, who is gay, adds that she “can’t help but look back and wonder what it would’ve been like to have felt represented int he moves I grew up loving.”

“Films like Love, Simon and The Half of It have done incredible jobs providing that, but I think I can contribute something really cool to the mix,” she says. “I want there to be more queer female directors making creative shit, and I want to be one of them!”

Mills says she already has “two great queer female leads in mind” to cast as Sam’s mom and her love interest, “so fingers crossed!”

Rewards offered in the campaign include early access to the finished film (for those who contribute $3+); a bundle of behind-the-scenes footage and progress material like storyboards and artwork ($10+); a personalized thank-you video from Mills ($25+); a signed script and piece of developed film strip used to make Reply ($50+); special thanks in the film’s credits ($75+); a 30-minute one-on-one video call with Mills ($100+); an invite to a cast and crew screening in Los Angeles, plus a keepsake prop from the set ($250+); associate producer credit ($1,000+); and executive producer credit ($4,000+).

Reply’s campaign will run through the end of August. At press time, it has raised $2,600 of its goal.