Our Team

Hi, I’m Jacob Nagle, writer of Soma Ulte. I wrote this film based on my personal experiences as a gay man on the autism spectrum. I believe that my unique perspective makes this story worth telling. Social interactions do not come easily to me. Nonverbal social cues, while instinctual for most people to recognize, baffle me. For this reason and many others, dating while on the spectrum can feel futile. It’s difficult for me to explain to others how differently I view nearly every aspect of life, but I hope that the screenplay I’ve written for this film will accurately depict my experience in a way that others can understand.

Hi, I’m Byron Ruf, director of Soma Ulte. I create visuals to help me process emotions that I can’t put into words. I’ve wanted to escape my mundane town since I was ten. Stuck in suburbia, my imagination runs wild in tales from outer space, adventures in ancient history, and the future of humanity and technology. In the excitement of the unknown, I feel alive in a way I never do at home; in my filmmaking, I aim to create that same kind of thrill for my audience.

Hi, I’m Dylan Lam, director of photography for Soma Ulte. Having DP’ed 10+ short films, I’m eager to lens my first feature film. For me, there is no medium of storytelling more powerful than that of filmmaking. You can live beside characters in real-time as they struggle and triumph. They can make your heart flutter, blow your mind, throw you into fits of laughter, and most importantly, make you feel less alone. And in this mind-bogglingly infinite universe, isn’t that all that really matters?

The Story

The film’s synopsis: Openly gay and privately on the autism spectrum, 19-year-old Aidan tries to win over the heart of his bisexual best friend, Blake, despite his constant struggles with social interactions.

What the heck does the title mean? “Soma Ulte” symbolizes the way Aidan views his relationship with Blake. The title originates from a meme that Aidan and Blake liked years ago, where the word “soulmate” is misspelled. Blake is the only person Aidan knows who finds this funny, other than himself – Aidan takes this to mean that he and Blake are destined to be together. “Soma Ulte” encapsulates Aidan’s tendency to read into signs that aren’t there, as well as the flawed nature of their relationship.

This story is very personal to me. Although the story and characters are fictional, many of the elements are based on real situations that happened to me or my close friends. The characters draw from real people, dealing with real emotions. 

I think LGBT people and neurodivergent people are underrepresented in media, and since I belong to both groups, I have a specific perspective that we don’t often see on the screen. At the same time, the story contains elements that anyone can relate to. The intense feelings of love and rejection are universal. We all have insecurities. The commonality among all people – gay or straight, neurotypical or neurodivergent – is one of the main themes of the film, and is also why I believe audiences will resonate with this story. 

With its blend of humor and serious, meaningful character moments, Soma Ulte will entertain audiences while also provoking thoughtful discussions. 

What We Need & What You Get

We need to raise $80,000 dollars in order to begin filming this Summer 2025. The donations you make will go directly towards cast & crew salaries, lodging, transportation, equipment rental, and catering. No donation is too small. Anything helps!

We have amazing tier perks for our donors. Each tier also includes the perks of the previous tiers. You can view the details on the sidebar, or by clicking “Pick Your Perk”

If we do not reach our crowdfunding goals, the funds still go towards cast & crew salaries, lodging, transportation, equipment rental, and catering!

Our Work

From filming in a drab hotel room to a gorgeous retro diner, we’ve certainly come a long way in our journey of filmmaking. Our films range far and wide, from vibrant teenage comedies to heart-wrenching family dramas, and they’ve had successful festival runs. Feedback from audiences has inspired us to keep pursuing our craft — laughs have been had, tears have been shed. It’s these short films, with their combinations of humor and heartbreak, that have prepared us for the challenge of this feature film. Our films are available on rufproductions.com.

Soma Ulte is a follow-up to one of our short films. 7 Minutes in the Closet follows the same protagonist (his first name might be different) and has the same comedic tone and naturalistic style of dialogue. You can watch the short film here.

The Impact

The film will both entertain and inform its audience. Between moments of laughter and heart, viewers will learn new information about autism and its intricacies. The story is written by someone who is actually on the spectrum (not all movies about autism are!) which means the experience presented is authentic. When audiences are exposed to perspectives they haven’t seen before, it can help them be more empathetic and compassionate to those around them.

By contributing to this film, you’re helping us tell a story of young, neurodivergent, LGBT introverts – a story that is common around the world, but rarely depicted on-screen.

Some themes that my screenplay deals with:

• feeling like an outsider
• loneliness
• romantic rejection and frustration
• learning self-confidence
• human connection
• communication differences between neurotypical and neurodivergent people
• the effect of pop culture and media on our lives
• honesty
• being different isn’t always a bad thing 🙂

Risks & Challenges

Making a feature-length film is no picnic (unless it’s at a hanging rock). Compared to the process of creating a short film, a feature film exponentially increases the logistics and resources needed to go into production. This means bigger casts, added crew members, expansive locations – all to create a larger world to serve the 90-page script of this feature film. 

Our company, Ruf Productions, has seven short films under its belt. With every film we’ve made, we have learned how to improve efficiency across pre-production to post-production. Our team has grown in number since making our first college thesis film together. Our combined experience enables us to recognize the pitfalls that can set a film’s production back and fix it before it becomes an issue. We are committed to completing this feature film due to its personal subject matter.

Other Ways You Can Help

We understand that you may not be able to support us financially. No stress! We encourage you to spread the word about our campaign. You can use the Indiegogo share tools to get our message out there across social media and other platforms!