What’s more nerve-wracking than dealing with first love? How about throwing in a dead best friend?

I know what you’re thinking. “Why a dead body?” That’s the same question Jude asked himself when he found Gerry’s body weeks ago, and every day since.  Unfortunately, Gerry is the only friend he has and the only person that he can truly connect with; dead or alive. That is, until he meets Savannah. There’s something about her that is so……..enticing, yet entirely too dangerous for the idyllic world that he created for himself and for Gerry. Can Jude find a way to balance his ever growing feelings for Savannah, or will these two worlds collide in this jazzy, coming-of-age romance?

On the surface, this feature is a romance.  Our main character discovers, for the first time, what it means to be in love (even though he initially tries to run from it). Yet as we dig deeper and events unfold, we start to realize there are some devastatingly heartbreaking reasons as to why Jude can’t let Gerry go. And as these reasons intertwine with his feelings for Savannah, Jude starts questioning his worth….. and his sanity.

Funding Breakdown

The budget was created, then stripped. Then stripped some more. What you’re looking at is the bare minimum needed to execute the vision:

• Production costs (cinema quality equipment, professional set design, etc)
• Post-production costs (editing, color correcting, sound mixing, etc)
• Marketing materials
• Festival submissions

Why this film? Why the romance? Why the body?

-In this dramatized format, this film showcases humanity in its rawest form. Jude’s wants, needs, and desires rule his life, yet he pretends that he retains control through acts of willful stubbornness and denial.

-His feelings for Savannah embodies a need for change whereas Gerry’s body represents the issues and circumstances in life that we need to let go of, in order for that change to take place. However, as Jude learns, this task proves more difficult than he originally thought.

-The inspiration, the meaty core of this production, is the importance of mental health maintenance/education and the lack thereof- especially within communities of color. We as POC’s are taught to endure painful and traumatic experiences; and then internalize them. The repercussions, the ripples if you will, manifests themselves in different forms for different types of people.

-The percentage of people that are high functioning and unknowingly unbalanced is astonishingly higher than what most people would think. So through various means, this production aims to highlight the need to maintain one’s mental health as well as acknowledging just how fragile it is.

Risks & Challenges

The biggest risk this production is facing is how to effectively create a production during these trying times. COVID has affected each and everyone, and our most important mission is not the completion of this production but the safety of our cast and crew. So as a precaution:

• Each cast and crew member is required to take COVID tests (or present vaccination cards) before and during the production process.
• Take COVID related safety precautions (masks, proper sanitations, limited crew on set, etc)

Contributions Beyond Funding

Monetary support is the goal, but it isn’t our only goal. For those who can’t support financially (or those who want to take it a step further) :

• Please get the word out and make some noise. Share the campaign!
• Have these conversations. Check on your friends, family, work family, etc.  It takes a village to look after each other, doesn’t it?
• Follow the Instagram and Facebook pages for updates!