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Happy Birthday, Marsha! Post-Production

A film about transgender artist & activist, Marsha P. Johnson just before the 1969 Stonewall Riots.

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Happy Birthday, Marsha! Post-Production

Happy Birthday, Marsha! Post-Production

Happy Birthday, Marsha! Post-Production

Happy Birthday, Marsha! Post-Production

Happy Birthday, Marsha! Post-Production

A film about transgender artist & activist, Marsha P. Johnson just before the 1969 Stonewall Riots.

A film about transgender artist & activist, Marsha P. Johnson just before the 1969 Stonewall Riots.

A film about transgender artist & activist, Marsha P. Johnson just before the 1969 Stonewall Riots.

A film about transgender artist & activist, Marsha P. Johnson just before the 1969 Stonewall Riots.

Reina Gossett and Sasha Wortzel
Reina Gossett and Sasha Wortzel
Reina Gossett and Sasha Wortzel
Reina Gossett and Sasha Wortzel
1 Campaign |
New York, United States
$35,700 USD 638 backers
119% of $30,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

What is Happy Birthday, Marsha! ?

Happy Birthday, Marsha! (HBDM!) is a film about legendary transgender artist and activist, Marsha "Pay it No Mind" Johnson and her life in the hours before the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City.  

The film is written, directed and produced by Reina Gossett and Sasha Wortzel. We are artists and activists who have been sharing the story of trans activists, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, for nearly a decade.

It’s been 46 years since the Stonewall Rebellion yet the leading role that street queens, people doing sex work, trans women of color and gender non-conforming people had during the riots hasn't received the recognition it deserves. Rarely do marginalized people drive stories about themselves on-screen, but this project is different. Happy Birthday, Marsha! is written, produced and directed by a trans woman of color, and will be the first of its kind to reach a wide audience.


What we are Raising Finishing Funds for? 

Last summer, we raised funds to shoot the film via Kickstarter (thanks to many of you) plus grants from Trans Justice Funding Project, Gil Foundation, Astraea Global Arts Fund, and many many individual donations. Since then the scope of the film has changed dramatically. Rather than making a traditional documentary, we shot a narrative, scripted film starring Oscar hopeful Mya Taylor as Marsha P. Johnson.
NOW we are raising the finishing funds needed to complete our film, so we can begin screening it for you! Raising this money will keep us on track to showing this film in early 2016! The funds raised will go directly towards:
  • Editing - paying our amazing editor who cut the picture
  • Motion Graphics and Titles - getting all our text and graphics designed
  • Score- paying for the film's incredible original music 
  • Sound design - creating the feel of 1969 NYC through sounds
  • Sound Mix - getting the sound ready for theatres and your home speakers
  • Color Correction - capturing the gorgeous colors and textures of 1969
  • Festival submissions - paying submission fees ($20-$80) which add up fast!

Why are we Making Happy Birthday, Marsha! 

We truly believe how we tell the stories of our heroes matters, so we are drawing upon our community to make this film because we have an opportunity to make a movie written, directed and produced by people living Sylvia & Marsha's legacy through our own work. 

As artists and organizers active in LGBTQ racial and economic justice movements, we have found that oppression does not solely affect our material conditions. Our relationships with each other, our ancestors, and communities are also at stake.  One of the ways we have found transphobia, racism and sexism operating in our community is through the historical erasure of rich legacies of trans activism and art from the sixties through the present. That is why as cultural workers, we are working to transform oppression through art, specifically by creating and sharing our film, Happy Birthday, Marsha!


Who we are: the Cast and Crew

The film stars a talented cast of trans and gender non-conforming people including oscar-hopeful star of "Tangerine," Mya Taylor as Marsha P. Johnson. HBDM! also features Eve Lindley (Sylvia Rivera), Cherno Biko (Andorra Marks), Rios O'Leary-Tagiuri (Bambi L'Amour),Grace Dunham (Junior) with appearances by Stefanie Rivera, Gabriel Foster, Miss Egyptt, Jimmy Camicia, Jay Toole, and many others. 

Our crew includes many super stars such as our Cinematographer, Arthur Jafa whose cinematographic work includes Malcolm X, Crooklyn, and Daughters of the Dust, for which he won the cinematography award at Sundance Film Festival. We have an incredible producing team including Matt Shields, Luisa Conlon and  consulting producer, Zackary Drucker, artist and producer on the Golden Globe winning TV show Transparent. Gigi Rose-Gray (production designer) and Kaitlyn Darby (Art direction) designed and built sets and props to create the beautiful 60s feel of the film. Our stunning costumes and hair were done by Melissa Vargas (Costume Designer) and Malcolm Cuthbert (Hair). We have been working with talented editor Sarah Enid Hagey to cut the film (and the trailer above!), Esy Casey on titles and graphics, David Briggs on sound design/mix, and Geo Wyeth on an incredible original score. Plus many more friends and individuals have contributed to the making of this film in profound ways. 

Risks & Challenges

Funds for narrative short films, let alone politically engaged stories, are scarce, and even more so for first time collaborations originating outside of the traditional film industry. One of our biggest challenges has been navigating how to pitch a story about historical transgender figures to funders who often fall outside our LGBT communities and have no prior knowledge of these women and the everyday challenges they faced, yet this is one of the reasons we believe making this film is so critical. We would like to see a much broader audience aware of the legacy of Sylvia and Marsha and the relationship of this legacy to LGBT politics today. 

Despite the challenges we have faced, we have also received a considerable amount of support that has affirmed what we already believed. The world is ready for a film that vividly depicts the rich legacy of our historical transgender figures, like Marsha and Sylvia, and their integral role in the modern LGBT rights movement. Our goal is to complete this film and get it out to you in 2016. 

Thank you so much for supporting this groundbreaking, historical film!



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featured

HBDM! Digital download

$25 USD
Receive a download of the film after it's released in 2016!
351 claimed

SHOUT OUT on Social Media

$1 USD
$1 to $10 gets you a thank you shout out on social media (twitter/facebook). As our friends at the Trans Justice Funding Project say: Every dollar counts. You count. We count. Your support is appreciated whether it is $1 or $5000!
38 claimed

HBDM! Magnet

$50 USD
Limited edition HBDM! magnet. These exclusive magnets won't be available after the campaign ends, so hurry!
20 claimed
Ships to United States of America

HBDM! Tote Bag

$75 USD
Limited edition HBDM! Tote bag. These exclusive totes won't be available after the campaign ends, so hurry!
31 claimed
Ships to United States of America

Photo of Mya as Marsha

$200 USD
Beautiful production still of Mya Taylor as Marsha P. Johnson in HBDM! Photograph by Alex Mallis.
0 out of 10 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Signed Photo of Mya as Marsha

$250 USD
Receive a signed photo (by Nathan Fitch) of Mya Taylor as Marsha P. Johnson in HBDM!
2 out of 5 of claimed
Ships to United States of America

Signed copy of Tangerine!

$250 USD
Check out Mya Taylor in her groundbreaking role in Tangerine! With this perk you will receive a signed DVD of Tangerine!
Estimated Shipping
March 2016
0 out of 1 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Autographed Collectibles

$300 USD
Exclusive autographed Antony & The Johnsons collectibles!
0 out of 2 of claimed
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Dinner with Directors and Cast

$1,000 USD
Intimate dinner with directors and cast of the film!
0 out of 2 of claimed

Executive Producer

$20,000 USD
You know this film is part of a huge movement to lift the power of trans and gender non conforming people both past and present and you have the desire to see your name credited as such. For $20,000 you shall have an Executive Producer title on the Happy Birthday Marsha credits.
0 out of 1 of claimed
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NY Premiere Party

$125 USD
4 out of 4 of claimed
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Marsha P. Johnson Poster

$150 USD
10 out of 10 of claimed
Ships to United States of America
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Chani Nicholas' Astro Perk!

$250 USD
Estimated Shipping
January 2016
1 out of 1 of claimed
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Tangerine Bundle Perk!

$500 USD
Estimated Shipping
March 2016
1 out of 1 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
sold out

Associate Producer Title

$10,000 USD
1 out of 1 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
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