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A former Mother of the ‘80's Harlem Drag Ball scene, now homeless for decades, embarks on an epic journey to reclaim her throne.

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HOMEWARD - SHORT FILM 

STORY

Mother - The legendary Mother of the House of D’Amour one of New York's most legendary Drag Ball Families has fallen from grace. She’s been homeless and forgotten for 25 years. Today is her 75th birthday and her health is failing. Sunny a mentally disabled homeless gay man is her only confidant, sidekick, and protector. Together they are forced to leave their newly created sanctuary on an epic journey in search of Mother’s past before it’s too late.

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THE INSPIRATION

Homeward finds its inspiration from the 1980s Drag Ball culture where close-knit drag families come together in clubs known as “houses”. These “houses” have historically assisted LGBTQ youth to meet others like themselves and find acceptance. The mother of a house is usually a slightly older person who provides structure, love, and support to these (oftentimes) marginalized youths.

 

Drawing inspiration from the lives of some of New York's most legendary and iconic real-life mothers like Pepper La Beija, Dorian Corey, Octavia St. Laurent, Homeward is the story of one such mother and an imagined look at where she might be now. In real life, none of the mothers mentioned above made it past their 50s, and towards the end of their lives, they all lived in dismal poverty. 

FROM THE DIRECTOR

THE TEAM

Nicola Benizzi has worked in the camera department as a Union member since 2004. His most recent projects include the TV shows “Daredevil” and “Billions”, which aired on Netflix and Showtime, respectively, where he worked as a B camera operator. In 2013, he worked for the cinematographer Sam Levy on "While We’re Young," directed by Noah Baumbach. In 2010-11, he collaborated as Director of Photography in the series “Seduce Me”, and the documentary “Animal Distract Me” directed by Isabella Rossellini. From 2006 to 2009, he was a camera assistant on various music videos featuring Beyonce, Jay Z, Little Wayne, Rihanna.

Nicola Benizzi, DP

Carlo is a 2011/2012 Drama Desk Nominated director, and a 2016 SABRE Award-Winning creative. He is also an experience designer and founder of Live in Theater  (LIT). His work has been featured in the New York Times, New York Magazine, The Times of London, The San Francisco Chronicle, GQ, The Verge, as well as on CBS and NBC.

Carlo D'Amore, Director

Victor Pagan has appeared on the big screen in Being Flynn with Robert De Niro, Animal Factory with Willem Da Foe and Edward Furlong, directed by Steve Buscemi, Time Out of Mind with Richard Gere, The Smurfs 3D with Hank Azaria, The Switch with Jason Bateman, Deliver Us From Evil with Eric Bana, Safe with Jason Statham, and The Challenger with Michael Clark Duncan. On television, you can catch him in "Veep", "Gotham", "Sex and the City”, "Orange is the New Black" , "Blue Bloods" , and "How to Make It in America"/ He has worked closely with Carlo and Live in Theater for the past ten years.

Victor Pagan as Mother

HOW YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

Making a non-profit film that spreads awareness about such problems like homelessness, LGBTQ elderly issues, alcoholism, and mental disability is extremely rewarding. We have the means to affect these problems and inspire our audience to take action. That is why most of our team members are working pro-bono or for minimum pay and use their years of experience to create the best quality picture within a modest budget. 

 

Still making a film requires funding to pay for the locations and equipment rental, for catering, transportation, and postproduction as well as legal expenses. That is why we need contributions from our fellow cinema lovers and the LGBTQ community to help us make this film a reality!”

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We are looking to raise $15,000 for the entire movie production, which will cover our expenses and secure resources to create the film. For every donation over $2,500 we will grant a co-producer credit and issue a detailed breakdown of what the money will be spent on to the donor. Our fiscal sponsor From The Heart Productions has been supporting short film projects since 1993 and will oversee this process and paperwork to ensure that our investors will get all of the benefits in their producing roles.

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THE BENEFITS

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  • IMMORTALITY. Receive a co-producer credit for the film & see your name in the credits! 

  • SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION. A great cause to champion and help bring awareness to.

  • FAME. Receive nominations and awards as part of the team!

  • TAX BENEFITS. Receive a tax deduction on your investment.

  • SCREENING RIGHTS. Receive a digital copy and the rights for non-profit screenings of the film after the official box-office run.

  • EXCLUSIVE ACCESS. Receive exclusive access to the set during production. 

  • HELP TELL THE STORY of a silent minority for future generations!

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