‘Grummy’: Micheline Pitt Channels Her Sexual Abuse Survival Story Into Oscar Contender
Horror is an incredible place where creators and viewers alike are able to confront their trauma in a controlled setting. It’s a genre where things that go bump in the night are not only fantastical monsters, but manifestations of our own horrific experiences. Married writer/director team Micheline Pitt and R.H. Norman tapped into just that ethos with their short film, Grummy. The short is a dark fantasy, as well as an autobiographic tale about Pitt’s childhood.
Pitt and Norman were inspired by how Pitt used her imagination to escape her own abusive childhood. The film is a heartbreaking tale of a young girl whose stuffed creature, “Grummy,” brings a new world to life during her most vulnerable moments. This dark fairy tale is an expression of Pitt’s own sexual abuse survival story. It’s also a love note to the monsters and fantastic worlds that helped her survive.
Watch Grummy now:
According to Pitt, “This story is very personal, because I was this little girl. I used my imagination to escape from an abusive childhood; I used books, movies and toys to get away. If I didn’t have my imagination—if I didn’t have these things—I don’t think I would be here today. Grummy is a story of how
fantasy saved my life.”
Grummy is one of the highest funded short films in Kickstarter history, raising over $116,000.00.
Pitt is a multi-disciplinary artist renowned for her work as a fashion designer, artist, and animator. She’s also an advocate for sexual assault survivors as a member of RAINN’s National Leadership Council.
Norman is a former mentee of Werner Herzog. He’s best known for his Afghanistan War short, Hajji, starring Ross Marquand (The Walking Dead) and Dayo Okeniyi (The Hunger Games).
Violet McGraw (The Haunting of Hillhouse, Black Widow) stars in Grummy, alongside actor Tom Degnan (Limitless) and Alex Ward (Westworld).
Legendary effects artist Kevin Tagher (Sleepy Hollow, Child’s Play) brought Grummy to life with full animatronics and a life-sized creature suit. Gary Deocampo and Anthony DiBlasi (Dread, Last Shift) produced the film.
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