A Cup of Tea is the story of a grieving mother searching for peace after the murder of her son in the hands of the police. She has an unexpected and tense visit from the father and her former husband. It's a story about grief, forgiveness, and being a black parent in the world we now live in.
A Cup of Tea is the story of a grieving mother searching for peace after the murder of her son in the hands of the police. She has an unexpected and tense visit from the father and her former husband. It's a story about grief, forgiveness, and being a black parent in the world we now live in.
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Story
Mission Statement
Our goal is to put out a cinematic experience that reflects on a different side of a far too common tragedy and provides a space for people in our community to grieve and heal. With a crew of mostly black and brown creatives we hope to elevate the voices of others like us.About The Project
Jamal and Stephan are in a car enjoying a blunt, good music, and their friendship when a police officer pulls them over and ultimately murders Jamal. Flashforward four years later and we find Jamal's mom, Shannon, on her Brooklyn stoop, spending a special day in deep contemplation when Jamal's father and her ex-husband, Colman, surprises her. Shannon reluctantly invites Colman inside where she prepares him a cup of tea. What ensues is a tense conversation that reveals what went wrong in their relationship after the killing of their son, how they coped with the tragedy, and what it means to be a black parent and to lose your child in an unjust manner.
The cinematography and tone of the film draws inspiration from the films of Barry Jenkins, Derek Cianfrance, and Steve Mcqueen as well as the work of renowned cinematographers Bradford Young and Sean Bobbitt among others. The film will showcase the beauty of black skin and the intimacy of private moments within a Brooklyn brownstone.
There's a woman on my block in Crown Heights, BK that sits on her stoop almost every day when it's warm enough outside. She plays soft music and simply stares out into space. She'll say the occassional hello to a passing neighbor, but otherwise she is silent and in deep contemplation. While taking a screenwriting class in the fall of 2022 and brainstorming for the final short script assignment my mind went to her almost immediately. I thought it would be interesting to come up with an entire story revolving around a stoop lady and figuring out why someone may be in deep thought on their stoop so consistently.
Photo taken by Gabriel Noble during a 2020 George Floyd protest in Bed-Stuy
When trying to figure out this story the idea of making it about the effects of police brutality and issues that African-Americans face naturally and quickly came up. Just three summers ago the country and the world watched George Floyd have his throat crushed by a police officer's knee. I marched alongside hundreds of angry protesters on the streets in the following weeks and we saw some victories, but as we have seen this year the fight is not over. I sat down in a coffee shop and wrote the first draft very quickly and it became a story of mostly two people sitting and talking about this tragedy. My love for dialogue and tension has never came out so naturally in a script. It immediately received overwhelmingly positive feedback and in the last class I was told that I just need to get this made. I'm excited to share a piece of art that reflects on where the Black community stands in this world right now and comments on what parents face while raising a child in a country that has consistently told us that their lives are not valued.
Your generous contributions will go a long way in creating a film with a vision and mission. The goal of $15k is a number that we decided is the best to truly achieve the vision that we have in mind. Though it will only require a maximum of two days of shooting, we are set on not only using the best possible equipment and getting the film into festivals but also paying the cast and crew the rates that they deserve. $15k is our goal but we would absolutely love to raise more to pay our crew even more, spend more on post production, and get the film into many more festivals. Below is the estimated breakdown of what this money will go to:
Right now we are in the preproduction phase, which will last for another couple of months as we fill out the amazing crew and cast.
March - May: Pre-production - find the rest of our crew, casting calls, location scouting, filing permits, exciting discussions about the vision of the film
End of May: Production - shoot the film over the course of a maximum of two days.
June/July: Post-production - edit and color grade the film, add music, release trailers and behind the scenes
Rest of 2023 & into 2024: Festival Submissions - let's release this baby into the world!
COVID-19 COMPLIANCE NOTE
The COVID-19 is still among us and we will be making sure that we keep our cast and crew safe and healthy during our shoot by:
- Requiring cast and crew to stay at home if they are feelilng unwell
- Providing masks to everyone on set
- Recommending that all cast and crew be tested prior to our shoot days
Movements aren't carried out by one lone figure. It takes a tribe. Will you join us? Help spread the word! Copy and paste these prompts below:
I just contributed to the Seed & Spark campaign for the upcoming film, A Cup of Tea, which tackles the issue of police brutality and explores what it means to be black in this world. Follow on IG: @cupoftea.film
Help the crew behind @cupoftea.film reach their goal of $15k on Seed & Spark!
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Current Team
About This Team
Gabriel Noble (writer/director) is a North Carolina native. Film has always been Gabe's number one but he has tried his hand at numerous ventures. In undergrad he studied Creative Writing with the goal of writing screenplays but caught the "acting bug", eventually moving to New York after school to start his career. After a year of acting classes and auditions he realized that his heart was more into hospitality. Since 2016, Gabe has played multiple roles in the hospitality world and has become a well-regarded bartender. However, in 2021 he realized that he needed to get back to his original calling: filmmaking. This is Gabe's first film and in the fall of 2023 he will begin work on his MFA in Film with a focus on Screenwriting at Stony Brook's Graduate School for Film & Creative Writing.
Rikki Porter (director of photography) is a Southern California native, who currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. She is an alumna of Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, where she obtained her MFA in Cinematography. Rikki’s eclectic and outstanding work as a Director of Photography includes several short films, documentaries, and experimental films. In 2019, her work was on display in the short film, Good News. The film was honored at the 57th New York Film Festival and acknowledged at the Maryland Film Festival. Aside from her expertise as a Cinematographer, Rikki has an extensive background in lighting, sound, and electronic music. In her spare time, Rikki is an avid rock climber. She has combined both of her passions when asked to shoot videos for outdoor rock climbing events.
Elyssa Aquino (Producer) is a Dominican filmmaker, born and raised in New York. She graduated from the University at Albany with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Documentary Studies. Elyssa has devoted 13 years of her life to television & film, serving as Director, Producer, Cinematographer, and Editor. She has filmed star celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Kevin Hart, Issa Rae, and Tom Brady. In 2021, Elyssa wrote and directed a short film "Secadora" that explored race & identity in the Afro-Latino community. In 2022, Elyssa won a fellowship with Netflix & LALIFF, that sponsored her latest short film, "Somos de Aqui" having it's award premiere at the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival. She looks forward to continue her journey working on stories that spread truth, entertainment, and inspiration.
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