Modern Day AI Fairytale Mombomb Set To Ignite at 31st
Slamdance Film Festival
Patricia Beckmann Wells’ modern day AI fairytale Mombomb, Part 1 has been named an official selection of the 31st Slamdance Film Festival in the Shorts Episodes category.
Created using over a dozen AI in a unique pipeline, the story is Beckmann Wells’ personal experience in her youth with a pair of serial killers and her ensuing lifelong regret. Based on real events, the feminist comedy horror series explores inter-generational trauma and memory through the eyes of the daughter of WWII immigrants. The 12-part series is being developed into a feature film.
Official Trailer:
In Mombomb, Girl Scout Pez’s life is a modern fairy tale, but unfortunately a fairy tale inspired by The Brothers Grimm … and when the killer troll from under the bridge comes to harvest young girls, a girl scout must use her cookies to kill. Pez is a weaponized girl scout in Toledo, Ohio, a breeding ground of serial killers in the 70s. She and her friends are growing up before the internet is available and she must learn how to survive when her mother, who was hunted by soldiers in World War II, refuses to believe the great American dream is corrupt. As Pez discovers her strengths, and her mother's weaknesses, she finds out why squirrels run in front of speeding cars and how that is stopped by teaching them the girl power of domestic duties and revenge.
Beckmann Wells comments on what inspired her to make the series. She explains, “I was stalked by serial killers who murdered several people in my small-town neighborhood. My community did not share these stories with the children. We learned about the killings through campfire stories. To us they were not real. I grew up in Toledo, Ohio before the internet. I did not know the two men following me were serial killers or the reality of the murders in my neighborhood until my parents were gone. I survived because my mother told me stories from The Brothers Grimm. I was trained to expect the boogie man. Other children were trained by Sesame Street. They knew their alphabet but had never thought to practice capping the knees of a killer. My mother did not believe me. She thought I was trying to get attention. She stopped telling me stories of the war. Then the neighbors began disappearing. One of the convicted serial killer brothers was released from prison in 2018. The other brother has a hearing for his release in March 2025.”
Brothers Anthony and Nathaniel Cook admitted to at least at least nine rape-murders between 1973 and 1981 in the Toledo, Ohio area.
She adds, “Mombomb is the story of our survival through fantasy. Mombomb has a joyous ending. Mombomb will teach you how to keep the monsters out of your head. Mombomb will teach you to be strong.”
Mombomb, Part 1 will be screened at Slamdance on Friday, February 21st at 6:45 - 8:15 pm at Panasonic LUMIX Theater (1011 N. Fuller Ave. West Hollywood, CA 90046) and on Tuesday, February 25th at 7:45 - 9:00 pm at Landmark Theater 3 (8000 W Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90046) Fri, Feb 21st, 6:45 PM @ Panasonic LUMIX Theater Tue, Feb 25th, 7:45 PM @ Landmark Theater 3, and will also be screened on the Slamdance Channel. Slamdance screenings and events will run February 20-26, 2025 at the Director’s Guild of America and Quixote West Hollywood, kicking off with an opening night at The Egyptian Theatre on February 20. Online screenings will be available on the Slamdance Channel from February 24 to March 7, 2025.
Mombomb has achieved accolades on the global festival circuit, receiving Best in Creative AI at Qld XR in Brisbane, Australia; Best Animated Short Film at STUFF MX in Mexico City; Runner Up Best Story at Metamorph Film Award in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Best Visual Effects at AI Artist in Peking, China; AI Program 1.0 at Tirana International Film Festival in Albania; and the Grand Prix at Courant3D in Aunguleme, France.
Mombomb, Part 1 (USA)
Director: Patricia Beckmann Wells
Producer: Patricia Beckmann Wells
Girl Scout Pez’s life is a modern fairy tale, but it was written by The Brothers Grimm … and when the killer troll from under the bridge comes to harvest young girls, a girl scout must use her cookies to kill.
Cast: Patricia Beckmann Wells
About Patricia Beckmann Wells - Patricia Beckmann Wells was one of eight female-identifying directors chosen for Lunafest, sponsored by Luna Bars, and her film Family Tale traveled nationally with Lunafest raising money for breast cancer. Her film Propolis, Part 7 premiered at Slamdance in Park City, Utah in 2019. Beckmann Wells' career includes executive leadership roles at Dreamworks SKG, where she also co-led the build of the Bangalore studios, and Walt Disney Animation Studios responsible for art asset pipeline development and training, and artist roles at Warner Brothers Digital, Film Roman, and ITE Denmark, among others. She now works independently as a content creator at her studio, Bunsella films, a virtual production studio and stage with facilities in both Los Angeles and Glendale. She is an expert in artificial intelligence enhanced pipelines coupled with virtual production techniques and game engine integration. Mombomb, part 1 is the first of 12 episodes, and two more episodes are currently ready for festival entry. She is the author of 'Face It: A Visual Reference for Multi-ethnic Facial Modeling.’ Her expertise has led to roles as a consultant for the Epic Games Unreal Metahuman project and speaking engagements with Pixar and SIGGRAPH on informed ethnic Identity in character design using forensic evidence and markers on skulls gathered from around the world. Recently, she was invited to speak at the AgBO + Slamdance summer showcase hosted by the Russo Brothers (Everything Everywhere All At Once) as a member of the featured round-table discussion of ‘AI and independent filmmaking’.
Beckmann Wells’ animated films have participated in over 200 festivals, including Slamdance, Lunafest, Tirana International Film Festival, Artefact AI film festival with MK2 and Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art, CERN, Supernova Digital Animation Festival, Anima Zagreb, among others.
About Slamdance - Established in 1995 by a wild bunch of filmmakers who were tired of relying on a large, oblique system to showcase their work, Slamdance has consistently discovered new and emerging talent that shapes our cultural future. The non-profit artist-led organization lives and breathes its mantra; by filmmakers, for filmmakers. In 2025, Slamdance will celebrate its 31st film festival in Los Angeles, California from February 20th - 26th and virtually on the Slamdance Channel from Feb 24th- March 7th. The festival’s move to Los Angeles, following 30 successful years in Park City, will allow for the continued growth of Slamdance’s year-round mission to provide an accessible and dynamic community for truly independent, visionary filmmakers and creators.
Slamdance’s mission is to function as an agent of change in filmmaking and digital media, helping to make the creative works of artists with divergent voices accessible to everyone. Slamdance is a non-profit organization under code section 501 (c) (3). For more information visit:
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