The Story: 

Transitional Age Youth is a drama-comedy about a young black trans woman experiencing homelessness in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. She must decide between making a viral life changing TikTok or finding a place to stay for the night with her friends. 

Visual References: 

Director’s Statement:

Transitional Age Youth is dear to me because it is based on my lived experience of homelessness as a black queer and non-binary person. For many years, I’ve been writing and re-writing this story as it has taken several iterations. I’m pleased to see where I’ve landed in terms of creating this world of characters. This short film could easily be a display of trauma with no hope or a silver lining. This is not the case. I aim to capture the lives of those who live at the margins with sincerity, depth, and humor. 

The Why:

Stories about black trans people are important now more than ever. With the overwhelming amount of anti-trans legislation being introduced and passed in the past few years, trans people deserve to still be represented in the film and media. Legislatures may try to legislate us out  of existence, but they cannot erase our art. To me sharing my art is a form of protest. 

This story is also about black trans youth experiencing homelessness. Though there have been amazing strides and solutions towards ending youth homelessness, from 2022 through 2023 homelessness among trans youth has risen 28% (HUD). We need to do more for our trans youth experiencing homelessness. With your support, we can continue to push the needle towards sustainable change for black trans youth experiencing homelessness with stories showcased in Transitional Age Youth. 

Meet the Crew: 

Alesha Alexcee - Writer, Director, Producer

Alesha Alexcee is a comedian, housing justice advocate, and a first time filmmaker newly relocated to the Twin Cities. Their background is in stand up, sketch, and improv. They bring their lived experience and their sense of humor to all the work they do. They are passionate about telling stories from marginalized groups, particularly bipoc, trans, and queer people. 

Sandra Houghton Soto - Creative Producer 

I'm Sandra Houghton Soto, a passionate Peruvian Art Director with a love for creative expression in various forms of art, especially visual arts. Inspired by Alfonso Cuarón's "Little Princess," I discovered my passion for film at the age of 6 through Blockbuster marathons. Thrilled to contribute to this project on the side of this amazing crew and cast.

Alyssa Udovitsch - Director of Photography 

Alyssa is a Dallas-based artist who started her career as a film photographer.  She’s ventured into short films and music videos and is making the move to more long-form projects.  Currently she specializes in directing, cinematography, editing, and color and works at a post-production house as an assistant editor.

Mason Persons - Costume Designer 

Hey y'all this ya boy Mason Persons

I am a sewist, designer, model, storyteller, youth advocate and justice consultant. I am passionate about expressing myself freely and advocating for my peers to express themselves too. One of my favorite forms of resistance is following my passion, and my passion is to create! I've been an artist my whole life and have been sewing since I was a small child. I aim to connect to myself and the world around me through the combination of my love for the arts, passion for activism, and the magic of storytelling.

The Plan:

Currently we are in the fundraising and pre-production stage. Since this is my first short film, I’m working with my Creative Producer to bring my vision to life by casting people with lived experience of homelessness and putting together a dedicated crew. 

Transitional Age Youth is in need of four filming locations: a house, a pawn shop, a public transit stop, and a motel room. We will be working on getting the necessary filming permits from the city of Minneapolis. Our plan is to start shooting in early June when the weather warms up. 

Budget Breakdown: 

Most of the $10,000 production budget will be going towards the cast and crew, followed by the film equipment and hotel and transportation costs. Our aim is to provide a comfortable production environment for our cast and crew as possible. 

We will be shooting for 3 days in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and will continue updating our journey on our Instagram @homefullbish! 

Other Ways You Can Support:

In-Kind Donations!

We would appreciate any help in the form of locations, food, services, or whatever else you might have to give, even your time!

Follow our social media! 

You can follow us on Instagram @homefullbish. 

Share our fundraiser! 

Be an evangelist for our film and spread the word!