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Logline

A chaotically-ambitious gay in South Florida ignores the warning of his friends and family who are all worried about him talking to his ex-fiancé again, but his lies to them only cover the toxic attachment he has to the love of his life.

Synopsis

Cameron is in his car working on a project. It’s the beginning of summer, and he’s in his car working on a project while his students pack up his classroom.

Later, Cameron rushes out later to meet Garth, his ex-fiance. They’re at Garth’s job, a software developer, for a meeting with his bosses, with a video game proposal. It’s a little awkward now that they have “clear boundaries,” but they get through the meeting. The bosses are interested.

Cameron attends his last class in grad school, giving a presentation for his thesis project, a sci-fi novel, edited by his best friend, Monica, who aims to be his manager. Cameron and Monica are offered Direct Independent Study over the summer. They take it, and he and Monica will now be tasked to create a screenplay adaptation with Lucio, who immediately takes interest in Cameron. Monica invites Lucio out with them that night.

Monica warns Cameron about Garth, but he says everything’s okay. They eventually meet up with their friend Neil, get high and end up at a bar with Lucio. The group has a great time. Cameron and Lucio end up flirting throughout the night, and Neil spots it, pulling Cameron aside. Once again, Cameron has to assure Neil that Garth’s just a business partner. After a night of fun, Cameron’s off to bed.

At 3AM, Cameron gets a text from Garth. Immediately, he’s at Garth’s place, and they’re having sex. They’ve been having sex for three months now, hiding it from everyone. But this time, Garth stops, asking Cameron to take him back. Cameron turns him down, running out and back to the car.

In the car, Cameron wipes his tears and smirks. He wanted this the entire time. But now he’ll have Garth back on his terms. Right?
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Gerard Shaka – Writer
Gerard Shaka is a gay, Bahamian-American filmmaker and actor who’s spent most of his life between Nassau, The Bahamas and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Driven by his desire to create stories that depict beautiful black and queer life, Shaka’s work centers on quirky characters with dark and tumultuous pasts, looking at how they push through to better futures, whilst questioning ideologies and structures. After teaching middle school for a few years, Gerard received his MFA in Screenwriting from Florida State University, where he also taught Documentary Filmmaking and Film Studies.

Brook Lee Karner – Director
Brook Lee Karner is a transmasculine genderqueer filmmaker who expresses his worldview through themes of absurdity with comical contemplation on the paradox of the self. As a visual storyteller, Brook seeks complexities and idiosyncrasies of humans and their perceptions of self-image and belief systems. Brook was born and raised in the suburbia of Southwest Miami and studied Film Production at Florida State University. Since graduating with their MFA, Brook has moved to Los Angeles to work on narrative short and feature length films.

Ayana Jones – Producer
An Atlanta-based independent producer with a specialization in Location Management, Ayana has expertise in operational logistics, location scouting, budgeting and a mastery with leading teams. With a BA in Mass Communication and having worked as an assignment editor in broadcast news, Ayana then ventured into filmmaking and storytelling. She received her MFA in film production from Florida State University. Her works stands for itself with having worked on big budget productions such as The Color Purple and A Family Plan.

Cieara Little – Associate Producer
Cieara is an independent producer currently working out of Atlanta. She is a 2019 graduate of DePaul University, where she earned her Master’s in Fine Arts, focusing on Creative Producing. Cieara has goals to push artists as they develop projects, helping them shape their stories from the script straight to the screen. She’s attracted to stories that captivate powerful human emotion, push for social change and more than anything—make audiences laugh.

Shari Petti – Director of Photography
Shari Petti is a Trinidadian filmmaker who is immensely passionate about her culture and all things cinematography. For 7+yrs she has worked on numerous film productions in Trinidad, USA and the UAE. Her film Sorf Hair, which explores the natural hair experience in Trinidad and Tobago, has captured the eyes of audiences internationally. Exploring womanhood, culture and the complexities of Afro-Caribbean life, Shari’s short films have been selected at various film festivals, including two premieres at the Pan African Film Festival. Shari’s a Fulbright Scholar with an MFA in Film Production from Florida State University, where she focused on Cinematography and Directing.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.