{ new stretch goal }

Although we managed to hit our initial goal of $8,000 (in under 2 weeks!) our insurance estimate is higher than we anticipated. We also found an incredible location in Madison, GA, but will need to accommodate our team because it is a little further away.

Due to these new production costs, reaching our stretch goal of $12,000 means that we don't have to compromise on any of our budget line items. So if you were intending to contribute, we still need your help! With production on this short film only one month away, we are hard at work to make this film as great as it
deserves to be.

{ the project }

I have always been a writer. I have always pushed boundaries. Growing up on a farm in the deep South in the 1980s forces you to use your imagination. My sister and I had no televison or video games. We had books, and the woods, and our strange little girl minds. A childhood friend once recalled meeting the "Jackson girls" for the first time. We unnerved her with our wildness. Running and moving in our bodies like boys, cunning and strong. Our long, tangled hair trailing behind us as we ran. The Southern Gothic world is a realm I know too well--the well-mannered South gone sour. 

My boyfriend (now husband) approached me several years ago to partner with him on AKA Blondie, a documentary about the infamous Blondie of the Clermont Lounge, a 56 year-old exotic dancer in Atlanta's seediest strip club.  Staring up at women bathed in red light, dimpled skin flashing through curtains of cigarette smoke, I felt the wildness of my youth return. 

As the documentary projects and community programs have unfurled, I keep coming back to the stories of my childhood. These are stories that are haunting and dark. They are stories begging to be told, and they are mine. After numerous script re-writes, auditions, meetings with crew, and social media postings, I am ready to share one of these stories with the world. I'm calling it Birthday Cake.

{ the synopsis }

Written and directed by Atlanta Film Festival Filmmaker in Residence, Brantly Jackson Watts, this short film explores the struggles of a woman battling to choose between love or survival.

Set in the deep south, Birdie marks the first anniversary of leaving her abusive lover, Donnie, with a ceremonial candle on a cake. As the evening unfurls, Birdie will be confronted by more than an aching heart in this Southern Gothic thriller.

A haunting story of love, survival and the complexities found in relationships, this film examines modern domestic violence and abuse in a way that is seldom explored. Violence in relationships is often viewed with very clear moral distinction, without any gradations. Birthday cake delves deeper into the issue to reveal the grey areas we often choose to ignore. An important film that promises to remain with viewers, Birthday Cake is as captivating as it is powerful.

{ the team }

• Writer/Director | Brantly Jackson Watts
• Producer | Kristina Adler
• Associate Producers | Kristy Breneman, Brock Hanson, Jon Watts
• Director of Photography | Kristian Zuniga
• Editor | Alex Zhuravlov
• Fight/Weapons Technical Advisor | Matthew Clanton

{ the cast }

• Kristina Adler as Birdie
• Justice Leak  as Donnie
• Mark Ashworth as Haygood
• Danielle Deadwyler as June
• Hannah Fierman as Tiffany

{ the goal }

With the best cast and crew we could hope for, Birthday Cake promises to be an outstanding film. However, we need YOUR support to produce this film to its full potential. 

Our total budget for the film is $12,000. We have some funds put aside, so we're only asking for $8,000. Funds contributed during this campaign will help pay for:

• Cast
• Hair, Makeup and Wardrobe
• Fight Choreography
• Locations
• Set Design
• Cinematography 
• Sound Mixing
• Lighting
• Craft Services
• Post Production
• Film Festival Submissions
• and more!
  
  

{ the perks }

Interested in all things Southern? We have an amazing incentive package for our supporters. Some of our perks include: a digital download of the film, a customized Southern name, a homemade buttermilk pie (our director's prized recipe), an all-access pass to the 2016 Atlanta Film Festival, a hand-painted Clermont Lounge vintage dish from artist Francis Matia Styons, a taxidermy turkey (that's right), and more!

{ the schedule }

We hope to wrap principal photography by September 30, 2015.

Once Birthday Cake is completed, we will submit to a broad range of film festivals, both nationally and internationally. After the film has completed the festival circuit, it will be available through online streaming.