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Logline

When a young tomboy growing up on military bases is outcast at her new school a small act of rebellion sparks a family crisis.

Synopsis

Figuring who you are is hard enough at 12. For Casey, a tomboy growing up on military bases, the moves every few years don’t help. When she becomes an outcast at a new school Casey decides to take control of her life. What starts as a small act if rebellion ultimately sparks bigger problems at home, revealing more than she wanted to know about gender, power, and what it really means to find your place in the world.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Kelly Pike – Writer/Director/Producer
Kelly Pike is a writer/director who is a recipient of the DGA “Award of Outstanding Directorial Achievement”, included on Austin Film Festival’s “25 Screenwriters to Watch” list, and a graduate of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women (DWW+).
With an established career fine arts she first expanded her practice into filmmaking by working with documentarian Albert Maysles. She then went on to earn her M.F.A in Narrative Film & Television from UCLA.

Her films have screened at festivals around the world, winning awards from the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Savannah (SCAD) Film Festival, Warsaw International Film Festival, Bahamas Film Festival, and many more. Her latest short film, Picture Day, is currently qualified for the 2024 Academy Awards.

Other than festivals, her work has also earned recognition from PBS, Vimeo, NATO, and the Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors, the Puffin Foundation, and Short Of The Week.

She is currently based in Los Angeles.

Daniel Walter – Producer/Composer
Daniel just completed producing his first feature film, The Tenant, which was shot in Mumbai, India. The Tenant premiered commercially in 2021 on Sky UK and won awards at several film festivals.

Beyond producing, Daniel has over ten years of experience as a film and television music composer. His scores can be heard on over a dozen popular television shows ranging from The Blacklist (NBC) to Vice (HBO). He has lectured on film scoring at UCLA. He’s also composed music for dozens of major brand advertisements and studio movie trailers, including spots for the Super Bowl and Olympics. His scores can be heard in festivals from Cannes to SXSW, and collaborators include horror auteur Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar). Industry honors include the ASCAP Film & Television Scoring Workshop, a nomination for a Jerry Goldsmith award, and an upcoming residency at Composing in the Wilderness in Alaska’s Wrangell-St Elias National Park.

Vanessa Elliott – Producer
Vanessa Elliott is a Filipino-American producer with 10+ years of experience producing shorts, documentaries, commercials and music videos. Prior to working in production, Vanessa grew up performing in film and television, shot and edited films for her high school’s video production club and earned a B.A. in Film at the University of California Berkeley. Her first experience with AFI DWW was on the production of the short film Share (2015), which premiered at SXSW and won best short at the Cannes Film Festival. In addition to producing shorts, she has produced documentaries for Vice Media, Pulse Films and Netflix, including the critically acclaimed music series Song Exploder (2020). Vanessa seeks to tell stories that uplift minority voices, support women/BIPOC filmmakers, and ignite the imagination.

Connie Jo Sechrist – Producer
Connie Jo (aka CJ), is an American Actress and Emmy® Nominated Producer with considerable experience in Theatre, Television and Film. Connie Jo is best known for her complex roles in drama, action and sci-fi genre films. She is of Scandinavian, Spanish and Greek descent. She has produced award winning independent films such as From Under the Bridge: When Bullies Become Trolls (2021), Single (2020), Kings (2018) and many others. She is a Co-Founded of the Coven Film Festival, devoted to films by emerging women and non-binary filmmakers. In addition to her talents, Connie Jo continues to establish herself in many collaborative independent film groups around the world as a leader and mentor to other aspiring filmmakers.

Robert Nachman – Director of Photography
Robert Nachman is a director of photography based in Los Angeles, California. They are a graduate of American Film Institute Conservatory and have had their work featured in film festivals around the world (SXSW, Clermont Ferrand, Seattle, Atlanta, Palm Springs, AFI Fest & Outfest). Their work has received a BAFTA for Student Live Action as well as won a Student Academy Award (Miller & Son). Their work has been featured on Short of The Week & selected as a VIMEO Staff Pick.
Robert received an ASC Vision Mentorship Award for 2021.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.