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A time when kids would spend their entire 16 hours awake unsupervised by their parents. A time when parents didn’t supervise their kids because everyone knows being responsible is exhausting. A time when movies were the only thing that could bring families together - for a maximum of two hours. A time when MTV ruled the airwaves. And a time when grown men in extremely popular bands wore women’s clothes and lots of makeup. Seriously, there were a lot of them and people loved the hell out of them. And it was the best! …except for AIDS, Reagan, the Cold War, the stock market collapse, the crack epidemic, gender inequity, sex inequality, inequality inequality… it was the best!
So make sure you’ve read your four books to get your Pizza Hut personal pan pizza, pull up your tube socks or legwarmers, and rock whatever neon-colored Ocean Pacific gear you’ve got, cause we’re jazzercizing our way back to ‘87 to descend into the woods on a family scouting adventure. Camping, yea, there was also a lot of camping in the 80s, too. Because there was literally nothing else to do. Unless you were a stockbroker, then you did lots of cocaine. The '80s were the best!
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On a warm summer weekend in 1987, Orson and Geneva Murphy head to the Uinta mountains with their three children to help oldest son McKay earn merit badges en route to becoming a World Explorer Scout, just like his father. Trouble is, McKay would rather be at home playing video games than doing anything in nature.
Middle child Arlo is up for the challenge, eager to prove he can be a World Explorer Scout like his dad, while his parents grapple with Arlo's transition from female to male. Youngest child Clara, with her doll Susan B. Anthony in tow, is just trying to figure out how at age 12, she is the wisest of the clan.
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Manifesto sounds a little intense, so we’d like to substitute that word with “unwavering mandatory principal behaviors.”
We have a six-month plan to make Little Genes. We’ve broken all of the necessary steps down to ensure that we have everything in place. We know what needs to be done and our timeline accounts for all of it. We will not cut corners, we will not take shortcuts or unnecessary risks. The safety of our cast and crew and the viability of Little Genes as a commodity are our top priorities. Because we’re championing an underserved community and their families in front of the camera, we’re doing everything we can to champion the same community behind the camera - our above-the-line crew goal: 80% Female, 80% LGBTQIA+.
A very small number of trans stories exist, and of those stories, an even smaller amount exists with a measure of hope. Little Genes is an original and novel tale of a young trans person who finds acceptance and love (albeit with awkwardness and mistakes) within their family as their authentic self. A path toward changing the conversation and acceptance of trans identities and how trans people are portrayed in the media is to create new avenues for representation and new stories framed in acceptance.
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Skye Emerson (She/Her, Writer and Director) is an award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, receiving her MFA at UCLA's School of Theater, Film, & Television wherein she was a recipient of the Carl David Memorial Screenwriting Fellowship for positive portrayals of the LGBTQ community. Skye has been recognized for her writing achievements as a Top 25 Screenwriter to Watch in 2020 by the International Screenwriters Association, as the 2019 Fresh Voices Grand Prize winner, and with the Grand Prize in ISA’s Emerging Screenwriter’s Competition in 2018. Skye's continued professional development includes acceptance and participation in the 2019 Sundance Institute Screenwriters Intensive Program. She was also awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Commissioning Grant through the Sundance Institute Fellowship program at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
Amy Redford, (She/Her, Actor and Producer) career in Directing, Producing, and Acting in Film, Television, Music Videos, and Theatre spans over three decades. Currently, Amy is in development on Slinky, the origin story of the beloved toy, The Silence written by Alessandro Caron, and Miracle in the Hills about the Crossnore School in North Carolina. Amy is also Executive Producing three docu-series; A Place for Us addressing LGBTQ+ youth in Utah, Shelter about the un-sheltered community in Utah, and The Lincoln Project which Aired on Showtime. She, along with Geralyn Dreyfous, Executive-Produced A Right to Read directed by Jenny Mackenzie. Amy is also developing the podcast, Scrappy Broads and is co-writing Claude and The Birthday Cake, exec-produced by Euzhan Palcy about Haiti in 1963. She made her directorial debut with The Guitar, produced the feature film Professor Marston and the WonderWomen and has acted in Film, TV shows, and on the stage regionally and off-Broadway. Her film, What Comes Around premiered at TIFF 2022. She resides in Salt Lake City, Utah with her children where she serves on several boards and counts herself amongst the extraordinary activists who serve her community.
Tyler Glenn, (He/Him, Actor) is a multifaceted musician known for his captivating vocals, dynamic stage presence, and thought-provoking lyrics. Tyler, made his Broadway debut in the role of Charlie Price in the acclaimed Broadway musical "Kinky Boots." Beyond his achievements on stage, Tyler is a staunch advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, using his platform to amplify marginalized voices and promote acceptance and equality. With his magnetic presence and unwavering authenticity, Tyler continues to inspire audiences both with his musical and acting performances.
Annie Quan, (She/Her), Producer
Lauren Eimers, (She/Her), Producer
Jack Hessler, (He/Him), Producer
Kiernan Dunn, (She/Her), Associate Producer
Amanda Madden, (They/Them), Editor
Olivia Bandy, (She/Her), Music Supervisor
Tahlee Scarpitti, (She/Her), Cinematographer
Marcie Gibboney, (She/Her), Production Manager
Miriam Footer, (She/Her), Assistant Director
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Skye’s connection with this story is both long and deep. In her younger years, Skye became close friends with someone who confided in her that they did not believe that they should have been born a girl - but rather, inside, they felt like a boy. When this friend mustered enough courage to share this truth with their family, they were rejected by those they loved most. Skye often wondered how the outcome would have gone for her friend, had their family had a reference point for what they were experiencing; had they seen an example of how this moment didn't need to be a moment of tragedy, but could instead become a moment of hope.
Skye set out to tell a narrative, fictional story of what could have happened at this moment. She leaned on Matt to provide a parent’s perspective (no, Orson is not based on Matt!), and together they created a tale of trans acceptance and joy.
Why us? Because we’ve lived it, and we want better for our young people.
Why now? Because trans lives are more at risk than they ever have been, and we need better, kinder representation for our young people to see.
With Little Genes, we want to show that, while it might be a confusing time, supporting your child as they grow into who they need to become is the most important thing you can do. All parents screw up and make mistakes, but your kid always knows whether you have their best interest at heart. There are so many tragic trans stories, we want to show the good that is possible.
