Overview
AND THEY WERE LOVED is a documentary about the rebirth of three young queer men’s identities as they search for spaces of empowerment in the American South. This project is an independent student film that will inspire new conversations about the humanity of black and brown queer individuals who wouldn’t usually see themselves on screen.
We’re currently in the middle of production, and we need your help to finish the film strong. We’re looking to raise money for new sound equipment, post-production and festival runs. These resources will allow us to lock in the quality of the film and create something that is outstanding. We believe with communal support from friends, family, and allies alike, we can reach our goal and maximize our impact with this film.
The Story
AND THEY WERE LOVED will bring light to the journey of growing up queer in the South and how said journey could shape one’s identity and experience. In a society of ostracization, we follow an ensemble of three young queer men of color from Central Texas as they each search for a space of empowerment and healing. We paint an intimate portrait of the transformation between these three men as they experience different queer spaces like the Ballroom scene for the first time. Their names are Jacundo, Marcus and Zion. AND THEY WERE LOVED connects three unique stories about trauma, triumph, and the power of love.
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Personal Statement
My name is Malik Julien, and I’m the original creator and director of this documentary. I’m from a small Gulf-Coast Town called Texas City. I’m a young, Black, Queer, Christian artist who aspires to operate as a mouthpiece for the Black and queer communities. Throughout the years, I’ve witnessed the effects of LGBT youth not having a space of healing or a sense of family. We have these issues in the South, primarily because of the crippling homophobia and transphobia that hovers over our communities. I believe telling these stories about the Southern Queer Experience will decimate those dark clouds and put a rainbow in the sky. Universally, we hope to speak to all the individuals who feel that their stories are not worthy of being told. By supporting this campaign, you will help us reach audiences who need to hear these messages. Due to the subject matter of the film, we have faith that this film can go far in the film festival circuit. Your contributions will champion our ‘underdog’ film in a way that will trump the conventions of an independent student film.
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Funding
AND THEY WERE LOVED is a self-funded passion film that has received its support from the personal savings of the creator, student-owned equipment, and overall courtesy from the cast and crew. Everything has come out of pocket in some form or fashion to make this film go this far. We all wholeheartedly believe in this project, and we want this film to reach completion into the best version possible. We won’t be receiving any investments from Private Entities. If we don’t reach our entire goal, the funds will go to Post-Production (Editors, Sound Mixers, festivals, etc.) as it’s a priority. Hence the quote, “The Documentary is made in the edit-room.”
Our Ask
The funds will go to a Professional Editor who we will hire for the coming months of hard work. We have a strong Post-Production of student editors, and we believe having a professional on-board, will give us some great direction.
A portion of the funds will go to new sound equipment because renting out equipment is expensive and borrowing equipment from friends can only take us so far. Sound is crucial for documentary filmmaking, and we want every element of this film to be consistently up-to-par.
The process of submitting content to film festivals can be very costly. Festival Fees add up, and we want to reach as many audiences as possible. We are in need of financial support for the festivals that we are looking to submit.
Our Overall Director of Photography has had to step down due to unforeseen circumstances, so we’re looking to hire an experienced DP that will help us achieve the cinematography we need to conclude the production. A portion of the campaign’s funds will go to this new hire.
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Audience
At its core, AND THEY WERE LOVED speaks directly to the black and brown queer audiences who rarely see themselves represented within mainstream media. We want to provide a strong sense of visibility for queer people while stressing the importance of familial support. This film serves as a reminder to people, young and old, that they are loved, no matter what society may tell them. We want to show that black and brown queer stories are worthy of being told authentically. This film is also for those who struggle to understand these stories. We want our viewers to enter into a world where they can see the humanity of black and brown queer people. We are breaking down barriers and stereotypes that have made it hard for young queer people to seek out liberation. We’re reaching to audiences as young as 16 to 30-year-olds who will follow the film through film festivals and online updates.
Production
We filmed our cast on-location to ensure that we capture real and honest experiences. Our film locations include Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. We were invited by significant leaders from the Ballroom scene of Dallas to get some footage of their House Organization Day and a real Mainstream Ball. We began filming principal photography on the 28th of September. We are currently in mid-production, and we need your help to make sure that we can wrap up production strong and begin post-production with as much ease as possible. To ensure that we encapsulate an ‘end’ for each of the subject’s story, we’ve decided to extend our Wrap Date towards the end of January 2020 instead of December 2019. Because most of the cast and crew are full-time college students, we’ve primarily shot on the weekends with some exceptions to events occurring during the week. Stylistically, we’ve filmed AND THEY WERE LOVED with a mixture of Observatory, Expository and Poetic modes of documentary filmmaking.
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Risk and Challenges
I have told people that making this film has been the most challenging yet rewarding experience ever. The passion I have for this film and what it preaches goes very deep. It is my faith, my passion, and the help from my community of friends and filmmakers who have helped me get this far. For a lot of us, this documentary is a first, and it’s been an incredible learning experience. And They Were Loved is my directorial debut and boy, has it been a ride! I’ve put my heart and soul into this film, and I believe that’s what matters the most. The thoughts of incompetence have come, and so have the mistreatment from others who I’ve let into the project. Not to mention, I’ve had to battle the consequences of being overly generous. However, one thing that kept me going was the question, “If not you, then who?” I told myself that if I see a need for a film like this to exist, why wait for someone else to make it when I’m a filmmaker myself in spite of my ‘lack of experience’? I must get this film completed because I believe in the wonders that this film can do. I want this film to outlive me! I didn’t grow up in a school or a family where equipment or set-productions were accessible. My trying set experience didn’t begin until my first year of college, but I believe that those experiences have prepared me for this film as the director. One thing that I cannot deny about myself is my ability to persist through any obstacle. In all transparency, this film has posed some strenuous obstacles that I marvel at to this day. I believe that God has prepared me well to do this film, especially in the name of perseverance. I understand that this may turn some people away but leaving God out of the equation when talking about my true path would go against the ethics that guide this film. I believe that faith and hard work gets things done in its best form! Creating this campaign, bringing my best and having my cast and crew to do the same will solve a lot of the challenges that we have faced.
Other Ways You Can Help
We understand that not everyone can contribute financially so have no fear, we value and encourage all support! Feel free to spread the word, tell a friend, follow us on social media, and share our campaign. It takes a village for things like this to succeed!
If you’re interested in getting involved in this project in any way, please email us at houseofst.julien@gmail.com
