After discovering a revolutionary hair care product, three best friends learn the true meaning of beauty and friendship.
In this whimsical magical realism dramedy, Nia Birdsong, a down-and-out inventor accidentally creates a magical hair growth formula. She enlist the help of her eccentric best friends, Robin and Liberty to capitalize on this new found success but the fame and fortune could ruin their friendship and their plans to make all of their dreams come true.
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THE STORY OF
NEW GROWTH
Behind the magic, a journey of friendship, self-image, and the price of success.
Meet Nia, a struggling inventor; Robin, an aspiring news Anchor; and Liberty, an aspiring social media Influencer. Outwardly different, these three close-knit best friends share a bond deeply rooted in their personal hair struggles and a hidden, shared unhappiness with who they are.
Everything changes when Nia accidentally invents a magical hair growth formula that delivers miraculous results. Seizing the opportunity, the trio launches a business to bring the revolutionary product to the masses, catapulting them into an overnight phenomenon that turns the beauty industry completely upside down.
But instant fame and fortune come with a devastating price. As their wildest dreams come true, the women must fight to maintain their sanity and protect their lifelong friendship. New Growth is a magical realism dramedy film that forces its characters to confront their internal struggles that made them unhappy in the first place.
Close-knit best friends – news reporter Robin St. Clair, failed inventor Nia Birdsong; and aspiring social media Influencer, Liberty Maxwell; – realize that they have much more in common than hair struggles, they are all unhappy with some aspect of themselves.
When Nia invents a magicial hair growth formula, the three friends decide to go into business together and bring the hair product to the masses. An instant success, it revolutionizes the beauty industry and the women soon find all of their dreams coming true. But with this success, there is a heavy price to pay and while the women struggle to maintain their sanity and friendship, they are forced to face the harsh realities that made them unhappy in the firstplace.
MEET THE CHARACTERS
ROBIN ST. CLAIR
Robin, 20's, a news reporter who struggles with how she naturally looks.
NIA BIRDSONG
Nia, 20's, a failed inventor, her greatest hope is to become a financially independent woman and to make her overbearing mother proud.
LIBERTY MAXWELL
Liberty, 20's, an aspiring social media Influencer, who doesn’t feel seen in life.
WATCH
PROOF OF CONCEPT
See the magical realism and comedy of New Growth brought to life in our exclusive concept short.
BEHIND THE SCENES
THE JOURNEY SO FAR
A look at the creative foundation we've built to bring New Growth to life.
The Screenplay
A completed 107 page screenplay. Feedback and green light given by industry professionals.
Visual Lookbook
Vibrant aesthetic of our world, balancing the grounded reality of the characters' lives with whimsical magical realism.
Directors Reel
Director’s Reel & Past Work
See the projects that pave the way for this feature debut.
Feature Pitch deck
An inside look for potential partners and executive producers. Review our comprehensive deck outlining production scope and audience strategy.
RECOGNITION
Top Shorts Film Festival - WINNER
BEST COMEDY SHORT
New Growth wins Best Comedy and Best Ensemble at the Tops Shorts Film Festival.
Top Shorts Film Festival - WINNER
BEST ENSEMBLE
New Growth wins Best Ensemble at the Tops Shorts Film Festival.
Cannes Film Festival - SHORT FILM CORNER
New Growth screens at The Short Film Corner | Rendez-vous Industry, a professional industry forum and market at the Cannes Film Festival dedicated to short film creators.
MEET
THE TEAM
MEET THE TEAM
Key Creative Team
The passionate filmmakers driving New Growth forward.
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[Your Name] | Writer & Director
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[Insert a 2-sentence bio highlighting your past films or creative background that led you to create New Growth].
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[Team Member Name] | Producer / Director of Photography / Actor
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[Insert a 2-sentence bio highlighting their industry experience or notable past projects].
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Karimah Westbrook | Writer & Director
Inspired by the social commentary and genre-bending lens of Get Out, Karimah Westbrook made her directorial debut with the short film New Growth. Serving as the proof-of-concept for this upcoming feature, the short won Best Comedy Short at the Top Shorts Film Festival, screened at the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner, and secured her directorial representation.
A seasoned actor, Karimah’s deep background as a performer gives her a distinct ability to connect with actors and elevate character-driven storytelling on set. Her expansive directorial repertoire includes helming an episode of the hit Warner Bros. scripted television series All American, as well as creating and directing three episodes of the upcoming fantasy-drama anthology series Dreamhouse.
Driven by a dedication to continuous growth, Karimah has shadowed veteran directors from prep-to-post, graduated from the DGA AASC Learning Tree mentorship program, and is a Film Independent Project Involve fellow. She holds an NYU Tisch certificate in the Business of Entertainment and is a proud member of the Alliance of Women Directors.
WATCH SHORT FILM
VOTE!
RECOGNITION
Top Shorts Film Festival - WINNER
BEST COMEDY SHORT
New Growth wins Best Comedy and Best Ensemble at the Tops Shorts Film Festival.
Top Shorts Film Festival - WINNER
BEST ENSEMBLE
New Growth wins Best Ensemble at the Tops Shorts Film Festival.
Cannes Film Festival - SHORT FILM CORNER
New Growth screens at The Short Film Corner | Rendez-vous Industry, a professional industry forum and market at the Cannes Film Festival dedicated to short film creators.
BEHIND THE SCENES
MOVING FORWARD
As we work to move into the next phase of bringing New Growth the feature film to life, I am happy that Autumn Bailey-Ford and Ryan Olson have come on board to help produce it. They both have decades of experience producing both films and for television. We are all very excited to bring this story to life.
KEY CREATIVES
Producer
Autumn Bailey-Ford is a passionate and seasoned producer in the film and television industry, known for her expertise in independent film production and distribution
Producer
Ryan Olson, a talent manager/producer with Zero Gravity Management and Production company, known for many award winning productions, like Netflix's "Ozark". Ryan brings a wealth of experience to the project and is skilled in producing, sales, and contract negotiations.
Writer/Director/Producer
Karimah Westbrook, actress, writer, director, acting in over 100 episodes of television, now pivoting into directing with multiple completed projects under her belt, she continues to create and educates herself about the craft of directing and the business of entertainment. .
