The project

 

The Story

A Prince and his adversarial friends embark on a mission to save his wife from a mad sorcerer; all before war arrives on his doorstep.

  • Hidden Falls is an 8-episode limited web series about family, friendship, and the struggle between desire and responsibility.

    There is something wondrous that happens when you escape to a world that doesn’t exist. It warms your heart as if you’ve been there before. Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, The Witcher, and the many fables we heard as children, we conceived an 8 episode series about honorable Princes, evil Sorcerers, and our deep desire for reconciliation. Our theatrical background taught us the art of collaboration, how to build stories and characters, and how to create opportunities for ourselves. So with the “show must go on” as our work ethic and a lot of friends in the film industry, we created this passion project. All cast, crew, and location are Minnesota/Wisconsin based. We believe strongly in the Midwest’s artistic foundation and its great potential.

    We have been incredibly honored and privileged by the immensely talented artists on our staff. This project has grown far bigger than we ever could have imagined. We hope that our little story of stage actors turned filmmakers can inspire others to chase their dreams and do the scary thing. Sometimes, it pays off.

  • Family is important to us whether it is the one you are born into or the one you find.

    We are a group of independent storytellers, and however we tell our stories, we endeavor to create a sense of community. Our mission as artists is to create spaces for people, artists, and audiences alike to come together and share a sense of unity through the art of storytelling. We want to be a beacon in the darkness that provides warmth and welcome. Film is the perfect platform to create that type of atmosphere both for our audience and for our team. When you support us, whether as a backer or a member of the cast/crew—you are a part of the Hidden Falls family.

 

the executive team

Abby Day | executive producer, Series Creator & actor

Abby Day is an actor, writer, and producer in Minnesota. She founded a local theater called Star Map Players where she creates classical and original work for her local community. As an actor, Abby has performed in theatres across the Twin Cities from Yellow Tree Theatre to Open Window Theatre, and has toured with the clowning children's show, Lalo's Lunchbox for three seasons. She has done commercials for American Standard, Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Travel Channel, and more. Favorite roles Abby has had as an artist are Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing with Star Map Players; writing Lettres et Café which was produced by several competitive One Act teams, the University of Northwestern, and Star Map Players; and producing The Importance of Being Earnest with her company and a group of dear friends. This is Abby's first foray into writing and producing for film, and per usual, it is hard for her to do anything halfway. When Abby Day isn't creating, or desperately trying to focus on writing, she likes to be in the forest, drinking a good cup of coffee, or making stupid Instagram stories. This show would not have been written or produced without the creative collaboration, encouragement, and playfulness of her dear, talented friends.

Josh Cisewski | Director & post-production Manager

Josh Cisewski is a Minneapolis-based filmmaker who has written and produced many award-winning short films since 2015, including The Last Station, Dust and Ashes, Neurogenesis, and Bear. His expertise has spanned many different roles on film productions–such as acting, editing, or composing–and he is currently pursuing his BA in Creative Writing. Josh has long been a lover of fantasy and science fiction world-building, and has a passion for creating emotionally resonant and complex stories with rich settings and relatable characters.

Josh zapata-Palmer | Director & showrunner

Josh Zapata-Palmer (Joshua Palmer) is a film and theater artist from Minneapolis, MN, and is the co-founder of Drawbridge Collective. His directing filmography includes the award-winning short films The Paper Jam, Core Value Rangers, Rosebird, We Are Kickball, Kowalskis, and Dust & Ashes. He is known as an actor for his work as a series regular on Light Force and Josh & Beka. In theater, he has collaborated as an actor or director with the National Theatre for Children, Children’s Theatre Company, Open Window Theatre, MN Opera, Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company, Prairie Fire Children’s Theatre, Arts Garden, Eagle Brook Church, MN Renaissance Festival, and Valleyfair. He regularly performs with the clowning children’s show Lalo’s Lunchbox, teaches science to kids with Talewise, and runs a photo booth out of a 1973 Volkswagen with his wife Ashley. When not working far too ambitiously, he sings songs and plays D&D. To Josh, making films is about building a creative community and telling either important stories or ridiculous ones. Whether he’s telling stories, teaching classes, or creating new works, Josh desires to spread joy and hope in everything he does.

Falicia Nichole | Producer, marketing director & actor

Falicia N. Cunningham (Falicia Nichole) is a film and theater actress from Minneapolis Minnesota soon to be stationed in Los Angeles, California. Falicia has done various industrial commercials for companies like Best Buy and Media Com but her heart and passion are really in storytelling. She has been acting professionally since 2015 playing on stage in various theaters such as Bloomington Artistry, Flying Foot Forum, Park Square and more. Because Falicia endeavors to understand and love people well, she studied both Psychology: study of a person from the outside, and Acting: the study of a person from the inside. Outside of her professional work you will find her singing, playing video games, and most importantly finding ways to be involved in building and strengthening the community around her. “People over Project” is a motto she lives by. Whether she is on set, on stage, or hanging out, she is always striving to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for the people around her.

Danna Gilbertson | First Assistant Director & director

Danna has been drawn to fantasy and film since she was young (her favorites being Lord of the Rings and The Dark Crystal), so working on a series such as Hidden Falls has been an absolute dream! Her favorite things about working on Hidden Falls are the multitude of challenges and the new supportive friendships she's made that have simultaneously helped her to become a better and wiser filmmaker. She is previously known for her award winning short film Finding Your Pride (Writer/Director), and The Labyrinth System (Co-Writer/Co-Director), a short that is anticipating response from multiple festivals.