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Growing up with two brothers, Ezra Atkins has always understood the obligations of caring for family.

“I understand the way family can feel like a sense of duty and a burden at times,” said Atkins, a Syracuse University sophomore majoring in film.

Atkins combined that understanding with his desire to create a movie — rather than just study it. He began writing the script for his first short film, “Cold Stew” in July, which will begin filming next month.

The film, which takes place in upstate New York, follows an author, Micah Lichtbaum, whose life is uprooted after his elderly mother dies and he becomes the sole caretaker for his estranged older brother, Parker.

Atkins is hopeful the finished product can premiere late this summer on YouTube or Vimeo.

While the movie’s plot may seem unrelated to its title, the name “Cold Stew” stems from one of the main plot points; cold stew is the only thing Parker will eat. Atkins said the stew acts as a symbol for mental decay throughout the film.

Atkins added he’s always been drawn to “disturbing” films, like those of David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick. As director of “Cold Stew,” he plans to include green lighting throughout the film, which Atkins said typically represents eeriness, sinister activity and psychological disturbance. The film aims to be “uncomfortable” and twist family dynamics, Atkins said.

The project has been a work in progress throughout the school year, with shooting beginning soon after the semester ends. When Atkins finished writing the screenplay in September, he recruited his friends, like Ellie Goodman and Sawyer Wolkowitz, to help him clean up the script, cast actors and find a shooting location.

Goodman and Wolkowitz, both studying television, radio and film at SU, immediately agreed to help out. Next month, Goodman, the film’s producer, and Wolkowitz, the assistant director, will spend a week and a half shooting the film with Atkins in Woodstock, New York. Atkins said he discovered actors through studios in the tri-state area and Backstage.com.

Wolkowitz said he hopes “Cold Stew” can serve as inspiration for other student filmmakers to pursue their endeavors.

“I’m a big believer that every story deserves to be told, and you can only write from your perspective, and so I hope that it’ll give people the push to start doing some more of their own projects,” Wolkowitz said.

Goodman, who has produced short films in the past, said the length of “Cold Stew” felt daunting initially. The movie is 30 minutes, a stark difference from the five to 10 minute-long films Goodman has previously worked on. However, she said tackling a project this large has been an “amazing learning experience.”

Given the film’s length and independence from SU, Atkins needed to fundraise. So far, the group has raised over $9,000 across Kickstarter and GoFundMe.

Goodman said she was happily surprised at the donations, which they advertised on Instagram.

“It was like, wow, this is something that’s actually happening,” Goodman said. “Because before it was just this idea that was so far away.”

That freedom to raise their own money and produce “on their own accord,” separate from class, is crucial to the team’s development as filmmakers, Wolkowitz said.

“Ultimately, we’re in an industry and a program that rewards success, and so if success is garnered by two extra weeks of shooting and you don’t necessarily have all those requirements a class would give you, it really opens up the possibility for the creative world to be that much bigger,” Wolkowitz said.

Once filming and editing is completed, it’ll be time to release the film to the public — the moment of truth.

Atkins just has one wish.

“I just hope people are interested in it. I think a sign of a good, fascinating movie is if it sticks with you, and it’s something that you’re thinking about after watching it,” Atkins said.

Published on April 13, 2026 at 8:36 pm