Mockingbird Sings-Lesbian Short

WHY THIS FILM?

This is the thesis film for senior Amy Walmann.  She will be graduating from The Art Institute of California - Hollywood in December 2012 with her B.S. in Digital Filmmaking and Video Production.  Amy wanted to tell a story that had a deep and significant meaning related to her life.  She wanted to reach audiences of all backgrounds with universal themes of life, death, love, struggle, and forgiveness.  

Earlier this year, Amy lost her beloved grandfather and knew that her thesis film was to be one focused on a central idea of overcoming grief.  She also wanted it to feature characters of the LGBT community to help bring a positive face and voice to those who are so often silenced.  The story centers around a lesbian couple who desperately desires to begin a family together, but instead is faced with the unthinkable death of their unborn child.  In the wake of their loss they must find a way to reconnect and help each other piece back together their brokeness.  

How does one grapple with grief?  Is it possible to repair the fragments of a relationship after such loss? These questions and more are explored through the film. This is not just a gay film.  It's not just a film about parenting or loss or relationships.  It's a story about so many universal issues that people face everyday.

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP: 

This film would not be possible without the generous donations of backers like yourself.  We are raising funds to help insure the best possible version of this film.  Our donations will go to directly benefit the production of this movie.  We're raising funds in order to help pay for things like:

-Talented crew

-Props and set pieces

-Costumes and make-up

-Rental equipment including lenses, camera and grip gear

-Location Fees

-Transportation Rentals to haul gear to set

-Food for our fabulous cast and crew

YOUR HELP IS IMPACTING MORE THAN JUST THIS FILM:

Movies are one of the most impactful ways to change the world.  They are easily accessible and allow audience goers the opportunity to see life from another perspective they otherwise would have never had the ability to experience.  As a young lesbian growing up in the Midwest, the only way I was able to really learn about other people who were "different" like me was through film.  That is why I believe that telling stories about our community is so important.  However, it is not just about featuring gay characters that will make the difference in world views. It is also about exploring subjects that allow audiences members to understand the similarities that all humans experience in life, no matter how different we may seem to be on the surface. 

ABOUT THE WRITER/DIRECTOR:

Amy's future ambitions include creating narrative and documentary films highlighting stories of the queer community. Recently, she moved to Los Angeles to finish her degree from rural Osawatomie, Kansas. Within her first six months as a California resident she crewed on three independent films and interned as the Audience Award Tabulator for the 2011 and 2012 Outfest Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

In 2007, Walmann graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. There, she performed in nine main stage productions including the world premiere of the Icelandic play, A Glass House. During her time at Jewell she spent a semester studying abroad in Grantham, England where she performed in a production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

As a first year film student, Amy’s short film Thin Pink Line was selected to be screened at the 2007 Kansas City Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. It was her first film to be premiered on the silver screen and she hopes to continue contributing films to the festival realm.