
Complete: Cassidy Vs the Toilet Seat | Discarded | Lust
In Post: Bittersweet Symphony | Dinner Guest | The Seer
In Pre-Production: Judgement | Marathon | Tomorrow

The Seer
Status: Post-Production
A young girl’s eyes are opened when she is initiated as a Seer.
Directed by Elysia Van Deusen
Screenplay by William Sparks
Produced by Lauren Martinez
& H.Cherdon Bedford
Starring
Joan Deschamps as the Crone
Rosemary Wright as the Girl
Whitney Stafford as the Mother
and Cuchulainn K. Allen as the Baby
Crew
Director of Photography – Rajiv Awasthi
Production Design – Elysia Van Deusen
Editor / Colorist / DIT – Catrin Efkin
Music Composer / Sound Mixer / Foley – Louis A Weyrich
First Assistant Director – Lauren Martinez
Art Director / Props / Wardrobe / HMU – Tanya Carmona
Assistant Camera – Rachel Habtamu
Gaffer / Grip / Boom Op – Alexis Ortiz
Location Scout – William Sparks
BTS / Stills – Danielle Martinez
Set Medic / Crafty / PA / BTS – Toby Vega
Production Assistant – Demi Chang
Title Design – Ryan Reznick
Set Construction – Bart Brehob & Chris Small
Special Thanks
Austin Film Meet, Jim Terrell, Carla Wright, Ben Wright, Hayley Allen
James Allen, Javier Bonafont, Bart Brehob, Chris Small, Marci Coleman
Filmed at
No Good Times Hacienda
Production Photos
Coming soon
Cast Bios

Joan Deschamps as the Crone
Joan grew up on a working ranch in Montana where her preferred mode of transportation was horseback visiting other farm kids. She was a member of the 4H Busy Beavers and won best of show with her Shorthorn heifer, Gypsy Rose at the Missoula County Fair. After graduating from Carleton College, Joan moved to Chicago and was an ensemble member of the Huron Theatre during the remarkable growth and creative achievements of the 70’s/80’s Chicago theatre scene. While in Chicago she met her lighting designer husband and they settled down to raise a family. After a hiatus of 30 years, Joan returned to acting, focusing on film. She is an amateur bee keeper and groomer to Ed, a marvelous rescue Standard Poodle.

Whitney Stafford as the Mother
Whitney Stafford began studying acting 3 years ago and is hooked! She works as an Executive Assistant during the day and is currently enrolled in a 2-year conservatory training program at Carol Hickey Acting Studio. The Seer is her 3rd short film in the last 6 months.

Rosemary Wright as the Girl
A native Texan, Rosie Wright has been accepted as a dance major at Austin’s McCallum Fine Arts Academy. Trained in ballet, jazz, modern and contemporary, she has sung, danced and acted in numerous stage productions. The Seer is Rosie’s first film project. She lives in Austin, TX with her parents, two sisters, three cats and a very big German Shepherd.
Crew Bios

Elysia Van Deusen – Director
Elysia Van Deusen believes that people need stories and art. A highly creative problem solver with varied experience on full-fledged studio pictures, micro-budget indies, commercials, documentaries, sales videos, reality TV, and live broadcast news, her most recent credits are for writing, directing, and art department.

Lauren Martinez – Producer
Lauren has been in the media industry for five years and started her professional career in Hawaii. There, she worked as a freelancer and held several part time jobs in video production, learning how to operate a Ronin Gimbal, Red Komodo, and advanced her editing skills in Adobe Premiere Pro. She is originally from Houston, TX and during COVID-19, Lauren moved to Austin to earn an MBA from Texas State University. With her MBA, she is now on a journey to finding a career in marketing and event planning. Video production will always be a passion of hers, and hopes to continue that passion in whatever career move she makes. She’s always wanted to be a producer, and that’s why she challenged herself to produce “The Seer.”

Rajiv Awasthi
Rajiv Awasthi is a cinematographer born in Galveston, TX and is now based in Austin. His favorite movies include Chungking Express, Godzilla (1954), Inside Llewyn Davis, Memories of Murder, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Louis A. Weyrich
I am a creative. I have been a filmmaker 10 years and musician for 22 years. I love creating things and dreaming things into existence. I have a new Project called “You Can’t Save Them All”. It is a mockumentary about a support group for women that are addicted to saving people. They are called Heroine addicts. I look forward to running sound and shaping to aural aspects of the film.

Tania Carmona
Meet Tania, a dedicated individual whose journey in the film industry has been enriched by the vibrant community of Austin Film Meet.
Hailing from the vibrant artistic community of Austin, Texas, Tania has lent her skills to commercials and notable productions such as HBO’s gripping crime drama “Love and Death” and Netflix’s thought-provoking movie “Look Both Ways”. For this season of Austin Film Meet, Tania recently took on the exciting challenge of stepping into the role of Art Director for the upcoming short film “The Seer”.

Tobiah Vega
My name is Tobiah Vega. I am new to the world of film, but have fallen in love with the process of bringing someone’s ideas to life in their chosen medium. Perhaps, one day, I will look at creating my own short film. Away from my day job and these new experiences in film, I enjoy photography, writing, and traveling.

Rachel Habtamu
I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado and moved to Austin about 11 years ago. I’m new to the industry! My previous experience has been working on a short film produced and directed by a friend. Outside of film, I like to work on various craft/art projects, take long wandering walks and spend time with friends.

Danielle Martinez
I started working in production in 2019 and have had amazing opportunities to work with major brands and travel for my work. When I’m not working, I can be found in a garden or doing photography. Bonus points if you find me taking photos of plants!

Demi Chang
Demi Chang is a multi-faceted performer from Washington, D.C. As a stand-up comic she has performed at a variety of notable venues across the country including the White House, the Kennedy Center, the DC Improv, and The Comedy Mothership. Demi is a second-generation Chinese immigrant and U.S. Marine Corps veteran. She has been featured in several publications including The Washington Post, AARP Magazine, and DCist. In 2023, Demi was the Director of Operations for Best Medicine Brigade, and served as the Tour Manager for “Operation HEAL*ARIOUS,” a 10-city comedy tour dedicated to healing the military community through humor. Currently, Demi is a Comedy Bootcamp instructor with the Armed Services Partnership and cast member on “Spy Another Day” and improv show running at Hideout Theater from May 11-June 1. She is eager to grow as an actor and artist by learning about all aspects of filmmaking.

Alexis Ortiz
As an aspiring filmmaker, University of Houston graduate, and recent resident of Austin, Alexis Ortiz is eager to get his hands on as many projects as possible!