Girls Inc. of Los Angeles launches The Door
Executive Produced by The Mad Hattar and directed by Michelle Craig of UNIT9, The Door premiered at the organisation's 2026 gala.
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Girls Inc. of Los Angeles unveiled The Door, its new fundraising film, at the organisation's 2026 gala.
The film, executive produced by Rania Hattar, Managing Director of The Mad Hattar, and directed by Michelle Craig, Founder of UNIT9 Film, was cast entirely with real Girls Inc. of Los Angeles participants and mentors, and dramatises the moment a girl steps into a future she can finally see.
“The first rule of burning down the patriarchy is not to use other women as kindling,” said Hattar. “Women need to come together as collaborators, not competitors. Michelle Craig is a leading female director. We’re both feminists who want to push the movement forward. We don’t typically do TVC at The Mad Hattar, but when we do, it’s only with the best, and for The Door, I’m proud that it’s also for a message that empowers.”
The film is built around a single cinematic metaphor: a door opening, and a girl walking through it. What waits on the other side is drawn from Girls Inc. of Los Angeles’ real career day and mentorship partnerships with companies like Summer Fridays and FP Movement. The film shows girls stepping into creative, leadership, and STEM careers, which the organisation works to make visible and reachable.
Credits
View on- Agency The Mad Hattar/Los Angeles
- Production Company UNIT9/USA
- Director Michelle (MICH) Craig
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Credits
View on- Agency The Mad Hattar/Los Angeles
- Production Company UNIT9/USA
- Director Michelle (MICH) Craig
- Producer Rania Hattar
- Production Designer Charlotte Long
- DP Gary Long
- Editor Alex Burt
- VFX Artist Harry Davidson
- Colorist Jamese Gilmore
- Sound Designer Guy Chase
- Composer Ren Martinez
Explore full credits, grab hi-res stills and more on shots Vault
Credits
powered by- Agency The Mad Hattar/Los Angeles
- Production Company UNIT9/USA
- Director Michelle (MICH) Craig
- Producer Rania Hattar
- Production Designer Charlotte Long
- DP Gary Long
- Editor Alex Burt
- VFX Artist Harry Davidson
- Colorist Jamese Gilmore
- Sound Designer Guy Chase
- Composer Ren Martinez
Because the cast is non-professional, the production was built around the girls themselves, their personalities, their stated aspirations, the careers they actually wanted to imagine on screen. The result is a film that functions as both a fundraising asset for Girls Inc. of Los Angeles and a portrait of the participants at its centre.
The score is by Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Ren Martinez, whose original composition carries the film's emotional arc from uncertainty to possibility.
“Rania was instrumental in bringing the project to life,” said Craig. “She has a deep commitment to women’s stories and creating opportunities for girls and female creatives, and that spirit shaped the entire production. She created an environment where bold ideas felt possible. Making this film immediately brought me back to my own experience of first realising directing was an actual career. Until I saw filmmaking and creative leadership up close, it felt like something that existed only ‘in movies’ or for other people. ‘The Door’ exists so that’s not the case for the next generation.”
“Rania and Michelle created a safe and welcoming space for our girls to be themselves. The end product feels inspirational and authentic because of the environment they created on set and their openness to showing the girls as their true selves,” said Erin Ross, CEO of Girls Inc. of Los Angeles. “Our donor community was so moved by the compelling visuals, the stirring score, and the story of our girls’ dreams coming to life.”
