Our Story

I am Akiva Penaloza, a filmmaker with a unique story to tell.  Hannah Henri is a ground-breaking new butch-femme romantic comedy.  It has universal story appeal and has been called one of the "first gay films with major cross-over potential."  Others have called it a lesbian Annie Hall.  It is, in fact, my homage to Woody Allen's style of story-telling and a one-of-a-kind New York story.  As such, I won entrance into the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival All Access program and won Best Screenplay at New York's Newfest Film Festival. 

The Impact

After pitching the story around town, I have been offered consideration of directing the film IF THE SHORT FILM could be shot first.  So I am fundraising to produce the short.  Women directors comprise a single digit percentage of all directors in the business as do women writers.  This film is important because it was written and will be directed by a woman who also identifies as a lesbian.  The production company I want to work with develops new directors and they do want to work with me if I can get this short film made.  Their goal is to "see" how I would direct the film.  And I know I can direct circles around this.

My vision is to film a visually stunning story with savvy one-liners, authentic characters and a universal theme all in a New York state of mind.  It is uniquely a butch-femme story that grabs the heart of readers.  We need to see this film made because it will uniquely represent a group, in a positive and true light, that has not been seen before on the big screen.  The humor in the script has been compared to Manhattan, Sex and the City and Big Fat Greek Wedding.

What We Need & What You Get

Youve arrived at the page where you can offer your support to one of the few films about women, and specifically, butch-femme romance! Our goal is to raise a total of $35,000 to produce the short version of Hannah Henri. We know that sounds like a lot of money, and its attainable if all of Akivas fans gave just $40. Most short films promise that theyll appear in film festivals and make the circuit rounds. But Hannah Henri, the short, also promises to be a vehicle to sell the feature film to production companies. We have several production companies who have already asked for the short version in anticipation of their participation in the feature. Hannah Henri, the screenplay, has already won acclaim at the Tribeca Film Festivals All Access program and as Best Screenplay in New Yorks prestigious LGBT film festival, Newfest. Support our film. Its an elegant and edgy peek into the world of butch-femme romance with a Woody Allen-like New York style and substance. Get in on the ground level of this dynamic new film! Other Ways You Can Help If you believe in this project, please help me get the word out and make some noise about the campaign.  You can click "Share" on your Facebook wall or just tell a friend about an exciting project.  Please help me make this dream a reality.