We've assembled an incredible team, and we're making a movie!

Mission Statement 

Over the decades of LGBTQ+ stories told onscreen, there is one dominant theme, Suffering. Now it's time to shift the narrative…

Bury Your Gays definition: The film and TV trope that sees queer characters dying far more frequently than straight characters, and rarely allowing them to be happy. 

The Story

CAN GRACE STOP HERSELF BEING BURIED?

Our film is a dark comedy that follows the story of Grace, a jobbing actor who cannot understand why she keeps getting killed off. That is until she meets a mysterious agent who explains the trope; Bury your Gays.

From a gritty independent film, to a hallmark movie, a dark drama and a rom-com – Grace is pitted against the stereotypes that have haunted her career. We follow as she navigates her actor’s mortality through different film and TV genres and desperately tries to fulfil the agent’s one task... DO NOT DIE.

Charlotte Serena Cooper - writer/director

Charlotte, an LGBTQ+ filmmaker, began her career working in film and TV production but yearned to be on set. She transitioned to script supervising – a role that sees you become the director’s closest ally. Charlotte has been lucky enough to work on some of UK’s biggest films such as Barbie and Doctor Strange 2, Ant Man 3, Mission Impossible as well a many TV shows and beautiful indie films. Having learnt so much from many directors, Charlotte knows her style and the stories she wants to tell. 

Charlotte spent her early twenties writing and directing plays for fringe theatres, even directing an award-winning web series. She holds a Master's degree in Directing and Producing from the National Film and Television School and trained as an actor at the RADA.

Charlotte Brownlee - Producer

Charlotte has over a decade’s experience in film & TV production. She now works for producers and writers. This includes her current position as the Showrunner’s Assistant on Amazon’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’, and her previous role assisting producers on DC’s ‘The Flash’.

Charlotte started producing in 2023. So far she has solo produced two short films, Travel Socks and Yule, which are currently on the festival circuit. The award-winning Travel Socks has signed a deal with a major European distributor and has been accepted into multiple BAFTA & BIFA qualifying festivals.  Her next producing project is Bury Your Gays, and she is also developing two feature scripts with established writers. An advocate for LGBTQ+ representation and films that challenge old narratives and empower change, Charlotte cannot wait to bring Grace’s story to life.

Dale McCready BSC NZCS - Cinematographer

Dale is a New Zealand-born TV and feature film cinematographer based in London. Her recent credits include Tin Star, Baghdad Central, Cucumber, Belgravia, Happy Valley, The Last Kingdom and The Witcher. This year, Dale spent six months in Budapest shooting the highly anticipated Eddie Redmayne series, The Day of the Jackal, as well as a block for the new Doctor Who series. She is currently on set in Wales, shooting the new Doctor Who spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea.

Dale and Charlotte Cooper have worked together on productions and have been discussing making this film for the last two years.

Joshua Cunliffe - Editor

You will recognise his work from HETV series such as Amazon Prime’s My Lady Jane, BBC’s His Dark Materials and Sky’s A Discovery of Witches. Josh is currently editing Gurinder Chadha’s latest film, Christmas Karma.  

Dan Hubbard and Fran Cattaneo - Casting Directors

Most recently, Dan Hubbard Casting cast Guy Ritchie’s latest movie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, as well as his hit Netflix show The Gentlemen, which was recently renewed for a second season. He’s also working on upcoming films, Magpie, starring Daisy Ridley, and A Mistake, starring Elizabeth Banks.

Oliver Doherty - Costume Designer 

Oliver’s credits include Rings of Power, the upcoming live action How to Train Your Dragon, The King’s Man and Magic Mike. Having seen Oliver’s sketches for our short, I cannot wait to show you the world he is creating.

Taz Fairbanks - Sound Mixer

Taz's recent credits include - Wicked - Parts 1 and 2, Snow White, Mammals, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Heartstopper.

Oliver Kent and Jillian Apfelbaum - Exec Producers

The Plan

Fund it - Our funding journey has already begun with winning the prestigious OutHere Film Fund. Alongside what we have personally invested into the film, we are currently 15% funded.

Make it - We will be shooting the film over four days in January 2025, across various London locations. This is a great time to make a short film, as the industry is typically at its quietest. We are already 80% crewed up, drawing talent from our film and TV connections, and we're thrilled that the script has attracted such strong interest.

Distro it - Our festival strategy is specifically targeting Oscar, BAFTA & BIFA qualifying festivals worldwide, as well as LGBTQ+ and female focused festivals, to ensure the exposure and opportunities the film deserves.

Mood Boards

Storyboards

The opening scene:

Grace meets the Agent: 

Why do we need to make this film now?

This film is more than just a creative project—it's a call to action for better LGBTQ+ representation. The "Bury Your Gays" trope is something many may not know by name, but everyone has encountered. Once you're aware of the clichés that dominate queer storytelling, you can't unsee them: the gay best friend, over-sexualized lesbians, coming-out narratives, and the pervasive sense of misery.

Many of us grew up watching films that taught us being gay meant feeling shame—I know I (Charlotte Cooper) did. We want to create a project that challenges these narratives, helping young people recognise that what they're seeing on screen often isn't an authentic reflection of their experience.

Why Support our film?

• Become an Executive Producer of a short film that will be entering Oscar, BAFTA & BIFA qualifying festivals worldwide.
• This is a proof-of-concept short film for a feature length project. Join us for the thrilling journey from short to feature film. 
• Support a project that is trying to positively change how queer characters are portrayed on screen. 
• Celebrate a female-led and queer-led production.

What We Need & What You Get (Perks)

• Cast - 20%
• Locations- 20%
• Production Design, Make Up, and Costume - 20%
• Catering & Petrol - 10%
• Insurance - 10%
• Paying Crew - 10%
• Post Production, festival strategy and submission fees - 10%

We are raising 22,500 pounds to fund the production of our short proof-of-concept film Bury Your Gays. We are already hard at work. Casting is underway, locations are being scouted, costumes are being designed, shot lists are being made. 

We would like to stress that we are investing our own money in this, but would truly appreciate anything you can contribute to help us make the best film possible. First and foremost, we will be paying our wonderful cast and crew. Then, there will be locations, equipment insurance, costumes, catering and post production.

Alongside delivering the best film we can, we also want to give back to you, our contributors. You can see the perks available to the right of our page!

If you decide to give, we’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks - we’re extremely grateful for your support of this film. 

Want to help us in other ways? If you are unable to donate but still want to help then please feel free to get the word out! Tell your friends, family, even share this campaign on social media. You can use the Indiegogo share tools!

For updates, feel free to check out our website: buryyourgaysfilm.com

Or follow the filmmakers on instagram: @coops_charlotte @charlotte.brownlee and @dalemccready

Thank you so much for whatever you can do! You are what makes this possible!

Video Motion Graphics by Chloe Brooks @ https://clo-motion.com/