Crowdfunding a film of Ellen Klages' "The Scary Ham"

Brilliant SF writer and hilarity merchant Ellen Klages writes, "Last year, I told the story of my father's scary ham. Now it may become a short film. Take a look at the video. If you laugh, please contribute or help spread the word.

In Ellen Klages' story The Scary Ham, two middle-aged sisters sorting through 50 years' worth of family memorabilia must contend with their late father's very scary ham that loomed in his basement for decades. Surely, the only approach is an improvised Viking funeral, complete with fuzzy monkeys, a hunting horn, and burial at sea.

This short film is an adaptation of Ellen's family story that she told while hosting the Nebula Awards in 2014. Filmmakers Sue Mroz and Caro Posse were inspired to option the story within minutes of reading it. Sue had just completed the long journey of losing her mother, then her father, then working through 50 years of what a family leaves behind in their childhood home. This story takes an honest and humorous approach to this transitional moment that everyone has or will experience. It's about love, loss, and letting go.

Production is set for this summer in Chicago. We are seeking to raise $20,000 to cover all production, post-production and marketing costs. Our goal is to complete the film by August so we can begin to enter it in film festivals from around the world.

The Scary Ham [Indiegogo]

(Thanks, Ellen!)