I Was Happy Yesterday

About the offering

I Was Happy Yesterday LLC is an independent film production company raising crowdfunding capital via Wefunder to finance a sci-fi crime thriller feature film titled 'I Was Happy Yesterday.' The film is written and directed by John Mathis, produced by Sally Ghaly and Emilia Cotella, among others. The team collectively claims 40 years of industry experience, with prior credits spanning Netflix, HBO, Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, and Sony. Sally Ghaly is an MBA graduate from HEC Paris with 15 years of experience, including producing the 2025 International EMMY-winning series 'Fallen.' John Mathis has directed five feature films across two continents and previously ran one of the first-ever Wefunder film campaigns for 'Where's Rose.' The film's logline: A young detective repeats the same day over and over again to stop a string of horrific murders in the seedy underbelly of a futuristic city. References cited include Prisoners, Memento, Looper, Zodiac, and The French Connection. The tone is described as gritty, grounded film noir with practical effects and minimal CGI. Nick Stahl (Sin City, Terminator 3) has been announced to play a character named Brenner. The project is currently in pre-production, with principal photography planned for October/November 2026 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Post-production is estimated at 6–8 months, targeting a Q4 2027/Q1 2028 release. Total budget breakdown: $416,400 film completion budget, $100,000 marketing budget, and approximately $44,900 in Wefunder fees, for a total financing need of approximately $561,350. The campaign has hit its first funding goal. An ARRI ALEXA LF camera has been secured. Key crew including the DOP, 1st AD, and Gaffer are to be flown in. A VFX Supervisor will be on set throughout production. Target audiences include sci-fi/time-travel genre fans, global LGBTQ+ audiences (due to queer representation in the narrative), and the Argentine/Latin American regional market (estimated 700 million people), with the local box office cited as potentially sufficient to return investor capital plus premiums. Investment structure follows a waterfall model: (1) investor capital is recouped pro rata from revenues first; (2) investors then receive a 20% premium on their original investment (22% for early-bird investors, applicable to the first $250,000 raised); (3) thereafter, investors collectively receive 50% of all net profits, shared proportionally. The minimum investment is $250. Perks range from a digital copy of the film and credits at the $250 level to Executive Producer credit, IMDB page, set visit, and unlimited red carpet premiere tickets at the $100,000+ level. Distribution strategy considers both traditional sales-agent partnerships (currently in talks with major international sales agents and distributors) and self-distribution through smaller cinema chains and digital platforms. Approximately 20% of the overall budget is earmarked for marketing. The campaign is currently in testing-the-waters (TTW) status under Regulation Crowdfunding, meaning no securities have formally been offered yet pending Form C filing.

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