Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program opens the door to nonprofit funding for independent filmmakers and media artists.
 

Logline

A young trans successful businesswoman is not having the same luck with dating men. When she starts a dance class to learn how to waltz and finds a new friend and course partner she doesn’t want to get her hopes too high, but it is not easy for someone as romantic as she is.

Synopsis

It’s 2021 in Atlanta and Claire has made it in her version of success. She landed her dream job at a creative agency in town three years ago, and she maintains a close relationship with her family. Unfortunately, her previous dating misadventures have turned her off from pursuing a romantic relationship.

Claire signs up for a dance class where she’s paired up with Dave, only for Dave to participate unenthusiastically. Claire leaves the class early, castigating herself for putting herself in this position. Dave runs after her to apologize and pitches that the two of them learn to dance together as amends. Claire agrees, reluctantly. As the two learn to dance together, the two find a friendship unfolding.

The relationship between the two continues to unfold, as Claire’s insecurities surface.

A night out after dance class, and the couple runs into Dave’s co-workers. Claire excuses herself so Dave can catch up and celebrate their win on a big account. Dave’s co-worker asks if Dave and Claire are dating and if it’s the best decision.

At the next dance class, Claire asks Dave out for drinks, only for Dave to disclose he has a date. Hurt, Claire leaves. Dave chases her down, only for the two to confront each other about all the insecurities between them both that have built up.

Fast forward three years into the future; She’s engaged to Justin, and the two are in the midst of planning their wedding when Dave and Claire pass each other on the street. Dave sends Claire a package, with the Beauty and the Beast DVD and asks her to perform the waltz he promised her. Claire meets Dave in the ballroom. They reminisce, and Dave asks if it’s too late. Claire doesn’t answer, and the two end on a kiss.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Ava Davis – Producer
Ava Davis, also known as the Duchess of Grant Park, is a trans actress, producer, and writer living in Atlanta, Georgia. She is also an advocate for increasing trans and queer representation, especially that of black and other minorities. She founded her production company, Studio Vosges, in 2019 with the expressed purpose of telling the stories of queer and trans (GSM) black, brown, and beige people. She hosts the talk show, The Ava Davis Show, on you42.com.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature, with a focus in art history, film, and creative writing, from the University of Georgia, and has made Atlanta her home, along with her partner, two standard poodles, one Bengal cat, and one Russian ragdoll cat.
She has acted in, written, and produced several short films, including Feast, The Decision, and the short film The Duchess of Grant Park, about a trans woman who claims the Grant Park neighborhood of Atlanta as her duchy.
Ava Davis’ stage credits include Alice in Wonderland, The Laramie Project, It’s A Generational Thing, Stuck, and Locked. In addition, she has performed with the One Minute Play Fest, including a special performance in collaboration with the Queens Theater in New York City to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pride.

Hillary R. Heath – Director
Hillary R. Heath is an Atlanta native and a graduate of Oglethorpe University where she studied Theatre, Art, and English. As a student, Hillary directed and produced The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds and The Vagina Monologues (2011, 2012). She was Assistant Director of Georgia Shakespeare Festival’s Macbeth under the direction of Raelle Myrick-Hodges in partnership with the National Black Arts Festival. Hillary won Best Picture for her zombie horror-comedy short film Getting Brain at Campus MovieFest in 2013.
Hillary directed the original play LoversLane in the Atlanta Fringe Festival 2013 and soon after began work at Pinch ‘n Ouch Theatre as the Assistant Director for Scratching under the direction of Nichole Palmietto. Hillary worked as an Artistic Associate at PnO from 2013-2016, where she studied the Meisner Technique, directed scenes from Other Desert Cities and The Aliens, studied directing for film under Jason Winn (The Fat Boy Chronicles). She directed Wall Street Wedding, an original play by Grant McGowen, and the regional premiere of Gidion’s Knot by Johnna Adams.
Hillary worked with Atlanta-based sketch-comedy group, Critical Crop Top as a co-Artistic Director from 2015-2019 producing, writing, and directing live sketch comedy variety shows and film. She worked as the Assistant Director on The Mother Load Web Series with Nicole Kemper where she learned the ropes on set. As Hillary got more involved with working in film, she wrote, directed, and produced PYT’s Web Show and co-wrote and co-directed 80’s Dating Video Remix. From there, she wrote, directed, and produced the short films Bad Day and Honest Makeup Blog. Hillary was honored to also direct episodes one and two for the You42 produced web series PrettyFunny.

Madison Hatfield – Producer
Madison Hatfield (she/her) is a writer, actor, and filmmaker based in Atlanta, GA. Her debut feature film, Pageant Material, co-written with her collaborator and Peach Jam Pictures co-founder Jono Mitchell, was an official selection of the 2019 Atlanta Film Festival. Their award-winning follow-up short, Jenna Gets An Abortion, in which Madison also stars, premiered online in the spring of 2020. In 2021 she co-wrote, produced, and acted in the feature films Miles From Nowhere and Courtney Gets Possessed (which she also co-directed). She also wrote and produced three shorts: Making a Scene, Thirty Candles, and lastly Post-Citrus, her solo directorial debut.
All five of these projects are slated for release in 2022, with Miles from Nowhere and Post-Citrus premiering at the 2022 Atlanta Film Festival. In addition to their independent productions, she and Mitchell are currently writing a film adaptation of a to-be-announced queer YA coming-of-age novel for Walden Media. She is proudly represented by The Gotham Group for literary and Stewart Talent as a performer.

Abijeet Achar – Cinematographer
Born and raised in Durban, South Africa, Abijeet Achar is an Emmy award winning cinematographer and director of Indian and Mauritian descent. After graduating from Emerson College with an MFA in Cinematography, Abijeet co-founded Pineapple Cut Pictures as an outlet for his creative and commercial projects.
Since then he’s gone on to DP projects such as Pageant Material (World Premiere at the 2019 Atlanta Film Festival), Water Horse (Awarded “Best Cinematography” at the 2019 Atlanta Underground Film Festival), Forgive Us (World Premiere at the 2021 Palm Springs Film Festival and Audience Award Winner at the 2021 Sidewalk Film Festival), and several other acclaimed projects.
As a writer/director, he will soon follow up 2016’s My Indian Rhapsody with Mysore Magic in 2022.

Chrystal Jin Kim – Production Designer
Crystal is a Korean American artist and award-winning filmmaker from Atlanta, Georgia. She is a 2020-2022 Artist-in-Studio Fellow with The Creatives Project.
Crystal graduated from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) in June 2014 with two Bachelor of Arts degrees, one in Radio/Television/Film and the other in Art Theory and Practice. Her short films, Jinju (2015), 죽어도 (Jookuhdo) (2017), Young Won Han Bok (2019), and Dated (2019) have screened at numerous film festivals in the U.S. and abroad. These include the Atlanta Film Festival, Seoul International Youth Film Festival, CAAMFest, and National Film Festival for Talented Youth.
Her arts practice also includes drawing, ceramics, mixed media, mother-of-pearl inlay, painting, installations, and digital manipulation.

Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.