“Hot Water,” is a live-action short film created the talented duo Miles Gunter (comic writer for DC Vertigo, Dark Horse Entertainment, Image Comics and Amazon) and Cassie Kramer (credits include “Candyman,” “Bettendorf Talks” (SXSW), “Close Ties to Home Country” (Sundance), Chicago Fire, Chicago PD), and Miles and Cassie will co-direct the picture and are currently raising $11K to make this film. There are still cast and crew positions in need of being filled. Attached to star in the project along with Cassie, are David Pasquesi (“Groundhog’s Day,” “All Happy Families”) and Sadieh Rifai (“Shining Girls,” “The Wise Kids”). The film is about a corrupt kidnapped judge who has until a pot of water boils to admit to wrong doing. Otherwise his head goes into the scalding water. There will be a comic element to this film that will enable us to share the catharsis of this situation. The film is meant to reflect our current political climate, specifically our judicial system. Watch our interview above, and read words from the team below. Along with Miles and Cassie, their DP Amy Limpinyakul (“All Happy Families.”) also joins the conversation about this timely film. You can help support this project and learn more about it here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/hot-water-a-short-film-that-holds-corruption-accountable
About the project, words from team
A corrupt kidnapped judge has until a pot of water boils to admit to wrong doing otherwise his head goes into the scalding water.
As Americans we bear witness everyday to a society where corruption often goes unchecked. Public servants abusing their power and remaining insulated from consequence is a part of everyday life. All of this contributes to an unrelenting feeling of helplessness. We’re all walking around trying to live our lives while carrying this awareness on our backs everyday. There’s no release from it. There’s only a further piling on, and it feels like we’ve gotten used to living like this.
“Hot Water” was created out of a desire for a catharsis from this terrible feeling. What if public servants like cops and judges who operate in a system designed to protect them had to answer for their gross abuses of power? What if their protective bubble was popped and they were confronted and held accountable for their damaging actions? Right now we need stories that remind us that it doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to submit to feeling helpless, and one of the best ways we can do that is by channeling our frustration into art.
In addition to a catharsis we also want to explore what happens when power dynamics shift. What happens when a powerful person loses the things that keep them insulated from accountability and a regular person is suddenly in a position of power?
We hope that “Hot Water” provides an entertaining release from the stress of these very serious times. Since we started working on this, there’s been an amplification of judicial corruption on a scale we’ve never seen here in the United States and the desire for accountability has only gotten stronger. Given that, we feel there’s an appetite for stories like this among filmgoers that’s not being met.
Support: https://www.gofundme.com/f/hot-water-a-short-film-that-holds-corruption-accountable
About the Team
Cassie Kramer, Co-Creator, Co-Writer, Co-Director, and Star
Cassie Kramer grew up in Texas. A lifelong athlete, she switched pursuits from sports to acting during her college years at The University of Chicago. A lifelong people watcher, she thoroughly enjoyed the requisite close observation of others and introspection necessary to create a character. She especially loved the process of creating a film and seeing it come to life when she worked on her first film: Framework.
After college, she began her professional acting career in Chicago by booking a small role in the 2012 pilot episode of “Chicago Fire”. She also appeared in its offshoot, “Chicago P.D.” and “Chicago Fire.” Cassie can also be seen (don’t blink) in Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman” and most recently worked on a TV Pilot written by T.J. Jagodowski and David Pasquesi and directed by Jack Newell called Bettendorf Talks. It premiered at SXSW in 2024. Cassie has a supporting role in Haroula Rose’s upcoming sophomore feature, “All Happy Families,” which will have its theatrical release in September 2024 as well as a streaming release later in the year.
In addition to her film/TV work, Cassie has also had lead or supporting roles in several short films, most notably Akanksha Cruczynski’s “Close Ties to Home Country,” which won a Student Academy award and was an official selection and consistent winner at Sundance, The Telluride Film Festival, Aspen Film Festival, BAFTAS, Indy Shorts, LA Shorts, and many others. Among the other short films she has worked on are “A Short Break”, “Pizza Night” (2018, Midwest Film Festival’s Comedy Short Film Showcase premiere), “Kill the Light” (2018, Award of Excellence, Los Angeles Global Shorts festival), and “Happy Hour” (2015. Midwest Independent Film Festival). She also starred in the 2013 short “Between”, for which she won Best Supporting Actress honors at the Chicago Horror Film Festival. Additionally, Cassie co-created, co-wrote and co-directed (with Alex Fisher) a satirical streaming production called “Bimbo,” and wrote and starred in a short film called “Borne, Bottled” that was an award winner at the Toronto International Women Film Festival and an official selection at several other festivals in 2021.
Cassie has continued to study while working. She graduated from the Conservatory at The Second City and most recently studied at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) in London. She has performed in numerous Commercials and Industrials and continues to perform sketch comedy and Improv.
Miles Gunter Co-Creator, Co-Writer, and Co-Director
Miles Gunter is a seeker and occasional finder based in Chicago. He has written comics for James Cameron’s Terminator, the Hellboy universe, DC’s Vertigo and lots of weird stuff from Image Comics. His latest release is Grammaton Punch for Amazon’s Comixology imprint and is free to read if you’re a Prime member. His comic Bastard Samurai was adapted into a song by rock band High on Fire on their Grammy winning album Snakes for the Divine. Miles is a graduate of the New School for Social Research in Manhattan.
Amy Limpinyakul, Director of Photography
J. Amy Limpinyakul grew up in the city of Chicago where she learned the importance of hard work and building a community–both ideologies that she carries to her work as a cinematographer.
She was nominated for best cinematography for her second feature, “Cecily and Lydia at the Waypoint,” which won best picture at the Midwest Film Fest (2021).
Recently, she shot the TV Pilot, “Hank and Willow,” with director Brad Morris, which won best TV Pilot at the Vancouver Independent Film Festival (2023) and SOHO International Film Festival (2023). Amy was the second unit cinematographer for the Haroula Rose film, “All Happy Families,” starring Josh Radnor, which premiered at Chicago International Film Fest (2023).
This year, she was the second unit cinematographer for the FX Series, “The Bear,” in which she was praised for capturing the essence of Chicago that is rarely showcased.
Most recently, Amy was accepted into the AFI Cinematography Intensive Workshop for Women along with 11 other rising cinematographers.
Hailed for her work ethic and spunky attitude, Amy is seen as a promising up and coming DP. She enjoys in-depth discussions about the script and character motivation. Amy works closely with the director to form a visual language and uses her own sensibilities, tastes, and technical understanding to craft the images for the film.
