NOTHING NEW TO SEE / YOU KNOW THE REST

DOCU-FICTION | COMING SOON

As the horrors of the world seem only to become more and more distant and unimaginable to Paloma, a Los Angeles native and college-student studying at FIDM, she struggles to understand her place amongst her community that has now become seriously threatened. Meanwhile, Tawny, a seamstress and single mother, goes about her daily routine until both Tawny and Paloma find themselves crossing paths at a center for plant-based healing — resulting in, for both of them, a powerful wake-up call.

WHY NOW?

RESEARCH IS UNDER FUNDED AND UNDER THREAT

The Trump administration has proposed budget cuts to numerous health institutions, which will most severely impact the National Institutes of Health. Slashing the NIH’s budget will cause a trickle-down effect that will halt important research in numerous areas, from cancer, biomedical, pharmaceutical, to infectious disease. The magnitude of these cuts is unfathomable, and will impact countless existing studies and make new studies increasingly more difficult, if not impossible, to fund. These cuts will also impact research on the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelic compounds, which is already a precarious subject.

THE ROLE OF THE D.E.A

In order to conduct research using a Schedule I substance, a DEA license is required, which includes lab inspections. DEA approval alone takes months, not to mention the other impediments that researchers must pass through in order to begin studying these substances. 

The DEA is a historically militant, racist institution, with a history of discrimination both internally and externally. In March of 2025, the Justice Department reached a $12.6 million settlement with more than “400 Black DEA agents who were denied promotions under prior resolutions and court orders was approved by a federal judge in a 50-year-old discrimination case.” The case was originally filed in 1977. 

Additionally, the DEA has combined forces with ICE during recent immigration raids which have terrorized marginalized communities to no end.

OUR ROLE AS FILMMAKERS

We are not comfortable with the fact that these institutions of power have become the gatekeepers of ceremonially significant practices. We are deeply ashamed that these same racists insitutions now have the power to tell indigenous groups how, when, and where to practice their own traditions. We do not accept the narratives that have caused the minds of millions to associate psychoactive substances with an image that has never represented their true meaning. 

We are committed to retelling the story of the psychedelic experience in a way that honors their original purpose – to promote healing and spirituality. We believe this is a pivotal moment to do so, and that the fate of these substances should be a concern shared by the entirety of humanity.

WHY US?

Our approach to filmmaking is rooted in research and experience, driven by a personal investment in the potential of these medicines to promote healing and an interest in transforming the internal experience into an image.

We champion process.

By bringing together family members, practitioners, and a crew of open-minded filmmakers, we hope to create a living, breathing document of the psychedelic renaissance which is currently unfolding.

ARTISTIC APPROACH

Through utilizing both a fiction documentary components, we hope to depict what the healing process looks like on an intimate level, to shed light on the burgeoning psychedelic community in the greater Los Angeles area, which extends across the globe. 

 Ultimately, we aim to depict these practices without the judgement and misinformation that is so often applied to them.

Forget the outdated neon paisley-pattered-hippie stereotype you may associate with the psychedelic experience. 

Prepare to be opened up to a Decolonized image of what it truly means to “Trip.”