SYNOPSIS - Vince is a gay man in his early twenties who suffers from deep depression after being bullied for many years. He becomes a female impersonator and performs as “Victoria” in small clubs. Performing proves to be therapeutic for him until he confronts his demons by filling out an application for the “Miss Gay USA” pageant; he cannot face the possible ridicule and throws it away. Unbeknownst to Vince, his little brother, Matt, finds the crumpled up application and secretly mails it in. As Vince teeters on the edge of a precipice, he receives a text message that will change his life forever.

Directed by Jillian Dale. Screenplay by Alex Dale. 

Produced by Bella Luce Productions - a film production company based in Los Angeles.  Bella Luce Productions' most recent film, Omniscient, premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in May 2016.  

THE FACTS
Gay males engage in female impersonation for a multitude of reasons. Some people use it as a gateway to their transformation while others just do it for fun. One interesting fact is that males that dress as females for drag do have lower self-esteem than other gay men, but their self-esteem rises when they perform . Some have suffered deep depression. Their increased self-esteem seems to be linked to their femininity and the escape of becoming another person. 

Female impersonation differs from becoming transgender. Men who are female impersonators do not take hormones and do not undergo physical surgery.  The transformation is through makeup, hair/wigs, and wardrobe. Yet much of the emotional motivation is the same. 

SUICIDE RATES
According to the CDC, suicide is the third leading cause of death among persons aged 10-14, and the second among persons aged 15-34 years. There is a strong link between bullying and suicides. In the last few years a string of suicides in the United States and around the world has called attention to this problem. Bullied victims are 7 to 9 per cent more likely to consider suicide according to a study by Yale University. Studies in Britain have found half of the suicides among youth related to bullying. According to a study by ABC News over 30,000 children stay home every day due to the fear of being bullied. Suicide due to sexual orientation. According to recent gay bullying statistics, gay and lesbian teens are two to three times as more likely to commit teen suicide than other youths. About 30 percent of all completed suicides have been related to sexual identity crisis. Students who also fall into the gay, bisexual, lesbian or transgendered identity groups report being five times as more likely to miss school because they feel unsafe after being bullied due to their sexual orientation. 

These suicide statistics are outrageous. Our goal is to help bring awareness to this problem and help decrease the negative effects on teens and young adults. Understanding this growing issue will allow teens to be comfortable in their own skin and not question who they are. 

We greatly appreciate anything you can do to help us get this movie made and this very important message out. Monetary donations will be used toward the production of this film as well as film festival entry fees and marketing. Production costs include: Crew, equipment, sound, food and locations. Any amount is greatly appreciated!  We are hoping to raise or initial goal by October so we can begin filming. We'd like to submit to film festivals after a few months of post-production beginning in January 2017. 

Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to become an investor/sponsor.  

THANK YOU!  If you cannot donate, we would also greatly appreciate you sharing this IndieGoGo campaign on your social media pages.  We greatly appreciate it!!!

What We Need & What You Get

FUNDING GOAL - $5,000

Film-making is not an easy task and the professionals required to execute it are expensive. We are obviously not a studio production but in order to execute the film with the right equipment, support cast, crew, and expendables we need finances. We are planning to submit this project to the film festivals and Netflix where it will play (if selected) on the Netflix platform. 

SHOOTING: will consist of (3) production days.

BUDGET:

Camera department/DP/Camera Equipment (rentals and crew)

Grip/Lighting/Sound Department

Make up/Hair/Wardrobe

Location rental

Food/Beverages to feed the whole crew/cast

Should we be unable to reach our goal, we will use whatever we have raised to hire the minimum crew, rent the minimum equipment, and hire cast to execute what we have created. But if we can get the funds together, we can make an incredible story that will be touching.

OUR IMPACT

We believe that contributing to social issues is good medicine for humanity, and that films are one of the most effective means of achieving it. The processing of film making gives me a way to step into another person's world and see life from their perspective. I almost always walk away from that experience with greater love and empathy for the other, and I think film's highest calling is to share that with the viewer. The purpose of this film is to help others who are dealing with depression and contemplating suicide due to being sexual orientation. Many have been bullied because of who they are and suffer from extremely low self esteem.  We also hope to raise awareness; that sexual identity is not a choice and cannot be corrected by "therapy." We can work together to make the world a better place. 

Looking for more ways to get involved? Here are ways you can help:

• SHARE our IndieGoGo Campaign page with your family and friends on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, ETC! We will be posting exclusive interviews with the cast and crew as well as updates to keep all of our supporters up to date on our progress.
• LIKE our page on both Facebook and Instagram! In exchange, you will have access to behind the scene photos. Join our team as we search for a healthy approach to depression.
• DONATE to our campaign and you will be rewarded with one of our many perks! Have you ever dreamed of being on a film set? Well now is the time! Donate and win one of our many perks.
• BE YOU! Keep being the amazing person that you are and show support to those around you who currently suffer from depression.

If you are interested in receiving one of our many PERKS, direct your attention to the upper right side of your screen and run your mouse over the desired perk. All that is left to do is click on the box and enter the amount you wish to contribute. It’s that simple!

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!