INTRO

Linda Palmer is a writer / director / producer who focuses on projects with inspired messages to direct.  She and producers, Sandy Robinson, Colleen Keane and Mark Cardone, are taking on this very personal story inspired by events in Linda's family which show how important it is to let people live their life authentically.  The script is based on her brother, David's, story of what happened when caring for their estranged father suffering from late stage dementia...

2013 Finalist - Creative World Awards Screenplay Competition
(top 17 of over 2,500 entries)

2013 Finalist - World Series of Screenwriting Competition

2013 Semi-Finalist - Page International Screenplay Competition
(top 25 of over 5,500 entries)

THE STORY

Our estranged father 'friended' us on Facebook after not being around for over 20 years.  My younger brother and I briefly responded, but our brother, David, called him and realized there was something wrong.  After a visit to his doctor,  David found out that our father was in the beginning to mid stages of dementia and he should not be living alone. 

No one in his family wanted to take care of him, and only because David's son asked why they weren't going to care for him, did David and his family take on this task.  Our father was with them for about a year and a half before he passed away.  This story is about one moment of clarity our father had with David in the bathroom, where he shared secrets none of us could believe.

He shared that he was institutionalized by his family after being found with a boy and was subjected to shock therapy for many years.  He also shared he fell in love with an African American man while institutionalized.  All of this was verified after he passed.

What has come of this cleansing, so to speak, is a healing for all of us about why he became the racist, misogynist, wife-beating bully that he was.  By sharing our story, we hope that many can see the importance of letting a person be who they are.

THE CAST

We are currently casting actors for the four lead roles with recognizable TV actors in order to attract more critical attention to the project.  Recently cast was the lead role of the father, JOHN, with Michael Gross (Family Ties, Tremors). 

Last but not least, help us welcome our newest cast member, MICHAEL WORTH in the role of "Jared". After a year long search, and some very talented actors vying for the role, we are very excited to work with this award winning actor/filmmaker. For more information about Michael's accomplishments, see his IMDB page.

WHAT WE'VE DONE

In 2012, Palmer, Cardone, and Robinson produced the romantic comedy, "Halloween Party" and saw it win "Best Soundtrack" at the Laughlin Int'l Film Festival and become a 2013 Oscar contender for Best Song for its opening tune, "Voodoo" by CJ Watson and Bruce Michael Miller.  That movie, although a fun romp, promoted the message of not judging a book by its cover in a story line dealing with a homeless man.  The film released this year in theaters and on DVD.

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP

Most people know short films are the calling card of the filmmaker, and generally are funded by the filmmaker, their friends, or family.  Palmer has already produced three feature films, so why do a short and go to you for funding?

This is a story that needs to be told, and more importantly SEEN!

In order for that to happen, it must have a recognizable cast and get in festivals like Sundance, Cannes etc, so it has a real opportunity to win awards and be selected by a distributor that will televise it.   The project will be cut to the guidelines of a half hour format specifically for that purpose. 

We simply do not have the funds to do this on our own.  We also know that many people believe in the message of the story.  Beyond that, people want to be involved with something they feel has this kind of potential.

WHAT WE NEED

This project needs a budget of $50,000 to complete it.  That total includes all the marketing money needed to submit to 20 festivals and travel to at least 2 if selected. We know that we can bring $25,000 from our investors to the project.  In order to give it every opportunity to be successful, is why we NEED YOUR HELP.   Here is our budget outline:

How The Perks Work

WE HAVE AMAZING RESOURCES

This story has touched so many, that even some of our award winning songwriters have contributed by writiing and producing a song specifically for this short.   Written by "Monster Party" writer, Al Detrolio, it will be produced by the "Voodoo" team of CJ Watson, Bruce Michael Miller and Donna Britton of Shadow Mountain Publishing. The song is called "Afraid of Me".

OUR CREATIVE TEAM

Because of Linda's relationships with her creative team, they are working on this project for little if any compensation because they believe in this story.  Here are those exceptional team members:

Linda Palmer, Writer / Director / Producer
Mark Cardone

Debra McCarthy, Casting Director

PJ Gaynard, Director of Photography

Mark McQuown, Art Director

Scottie Simerly Jr., Editor / Motion Graphics Titling

Laree' Griffith, Marketing Manager    

OUR SET & SHOOT

Most of the production cost is for our set which must be built.  Because the majority of the story takes place in a bathroom, the walls and ceiling must be able to move to give the camera the ability to get more dramatic shots and coverage.  The colors and design give a feeling of imprisonment for our 3 day shoot.

OUR STORY BOARDS

The director has story boarded the entire project to help the team better visualize it and make the production schedule (which is aggressive) more workable. 

OUR HOPEFUL IMPACT

This film is for anyone subjected to living a life which was not who they really are.

People can not be forced to be someone they are not.  If for any reason, they are subjected to that torture, it can have long lasting effects on them, their family and friends.

Our message is to "Live Authentically".  We are creating a bumper sticker with that message for all of our contributors.  Look for the artwork soon!

Until then...

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP

Even if you are unable to contribute financially, you can still help us achieve our goals by telling others you think would be interested in this project.   There are many LGBT organizations out there with large groups of supporters who would likely be very interested in this subject matter, especially if it were referred to them by those that are involved in their cause.

Feel free to share on your social media or even email to friends.  We are very grateful for any step you take in helping us make this important film.

With much gratitude,

Linda Palmer