I Love You, AllWays - Final Post-Production
New Orleans, Louisiana | Film Feature
Documentary, LGBTQ
The AllWays Lounge is the queer and dear home for all things drag, burlesque, and cabaret in New Orleans. The lounge's owner and its colorful cast of performers show their resolve and creativity in keeping their home bar from closing forever during the pandemic.
I Love You, AllWays - Final Post-Production
New Orleans, Louisiana | Film Feature
Documentary, LGBTQ
2 Campaigns | Louisiana, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $10,080 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
81 supporters | followers
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The AllWays Lounge is the queer and dear home for all things drag, burlesque, and cabaret in New Orleans. The lounge's owner and its colorful cast of performers show their resolve and creativity in keeping their home bar from closing forever during the pandemic.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
THE STORY OF I LOVE YOU, ALLWAYS:
New Orleans is one of the cabaret, burlesque and drag capitals of the world and at its center lies The AllWays Lounge, the queer and dear home for the city's community of performance artists. This place, like most other performance venues around the world, was forced to close indefinitely in 2020. With New Orleans still in hard lockdown in early 2021, the club's staff and the colorful cast of drag queens and burlesque dancers show their resolve and creativity in keeping The AllWays Lounge from closing its doors for good.
Inspired by old-style burlesque & Vaudeville peep show booths, Zalia, the club's owner, dreams up The AllWays Lounge's Peep Show: a weekly show where AllWays performers get to work their magic safely behind the glass of one of the club’s windows for one or two patrons at a time. While The Peep Show keeps morale up among the AllWays staff and queer community of performers, it only amounts to “grocery money,” as Zalia puts it. With mounting debt to the club's landlord looming, the only thing that will keep the AllWays Lounge open is the ability to host live shows and performances again.
By the spring of 2021, vaccines finally arrive in New Orleans and it feels like there is hope for the AllWays Lounge to fully reopen. By the summertime, live shows are finally happening again and everyone begins to feel cautiously optimistic that life will soon return to normal. But with the arrival of new covid variants and the worst hurricane New Orleans has endured since Katrina, everyone at The AllWays Lounge begins to face the reality that their lives may never be "normal" again.
WHERE WE ARE/WHAT WE NEED:
Two years ago we did our first fundraiser with Seed & Spark and raised $18,000 to finish production and begin post-production. Since then we have--not surprisingly because movies are expensive--exhausted those funds. Now, we are getting closer and closer to picture lock of the film which means film festival submissions are just around the corner! The funds we raise from this campaign will go to the remaining costs for things like color grading, sound design, artwork, and music. Basically--the film is done! We just need those details and last looks to bring our film from a rough draft to a finished MOVIE. We’re almost there!
STRETCH GOAL:
Our goal is to raise $10,000 but that would cover the bare minimum of what we need to finish this film. If we raise $15,000 that would cover our post-production legal expenses which include hiring an entertainment lawyer and purchasing various insurances needed for the eventual distribution of the film. Any amount raised past our goal will definitely be put to good use!
ARTISTIC STATEMENT/CONNECTION TO SUBJECTS:
The AllWays Lounge was actually a significant part of my first feature documentary To Decadence With Love and this is how I first got to know the staff there. Zalia, the owner, even attended the world premiere of my first film at the New Orleans Film Festival and I have since grown to be part of the wonderful community of queer artists at The AllWays Lounge. I also marched in the 2023 Southern Decadence parade under The AllWays Lounge banner which was a full circle moment considering my first film was centered around Southern Decadence.
Before the pandemic I had also been filming videos for AllWays drag queens and burlesque performers and throughout 2020 and 2021, I also spent many afternoons and nights at AllWays filming their acts so they could profit from virtual drag shows and performances. I was and still am grateful I could use my work to do a small part in helping The AllWays Lounge community get through such tough times.
Lastly, I feel suited to tell this story and am very connected to it because in many ways it's a story about grief and loss of self expression. As an artist myself, I can’t imagine losing the ability to express myself through my filmmaking the way the performers in this film were inhibited from expressing themselves on stage. As Angie Z says in the film “my life is my art…without my art I don’t have anything.” It would be difficult for me to recall a statement that has ever resonated with me more. I admire the subjects of this film so immensely for what they have endured and believe their stories must be preserved through this film.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Original Music
Costs $2,250
An original score is integral to the language and tone of a film, so we need a REALLY good one.
Sound Design
Costs $1,500
You don't think about good sound in a film when it's good. But when it's bad? It's no film at all!
Color Grade
Costs $3,000
Color grading is its own art-form and requires a specialist, which can get pretty expensive!
Artwork
Costs $1,750
Every film needs an official poster! We'd also love a custom title, font and credits designs.
Film Festival Submission Fees
Costs $1,500
Submitting to film festivals can get pricey! Help our film reach the widest audience possible!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Director - Stuart Sox
Producer/Story Editor - Marcus Shacknow
Score & Sound Design - Evan Sox
Camera Assistant - Dorothy Davis
Camera Assistant - Meg Logue
Location Sound Recordist - Charlie Mascagani
Colorist - Jeff Worely
Title Design - Taylor Compton
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
THE STORY OF I LOVE YOU, ALLWAYS:
New Orleans is one of the cabaret, burlesque and drag capitals of the world and at its center lies The AllWays Lounge, the queer and dear home for the city's community of performance artists. This place, like most other performance venues around the world, was forced to close indefinitely in 2020. With New Orleans still in hard lockdown in early 2021, the club's staff and the colorful cast of drag queens and burlesque dancers show their resolve and creativity in keeping The AllWays Lounge from closing its doors for good.
Inspired by old-style burlesque & Vaudeville peep show booths, Zalia, the club's owner, dreams up The AllWays Lounge's Peep Show: a weekly show where AllWays performers get to work their magic safely behind the glass of one of the club’s windows for one or two patrons at a time. While The Peep Show keeps morale up among the AllWays staff and queer community of performers, it only amounts to “grocery money,” as Zalia puts it. With mounting debt to the club's landlord looming, the only thing that will keep the AllWays Lounge open is the ability to host live shows and performances again.
By the spring of 2021, vaccines finally arrive in New Orleans and it feels like there is hope for the AllWays Lounge to fully reopen. By the summertime, live shows are finally happening again and everyone begins to feel cautiously optimistic that life will soon return to normal. But with the arrival of new covid variants and the worst hurricane New Orleans has endured since Katrina, everyone at The AllWays Lounge begins to face the reality that their lives may never be "normal" again.
WHERE WE ARE/WHAT WE NEED:
Two years ago we did our first fundraiser with Seed & Spark and raised $18,000 to finish production and begin post-production. Since then we have--not surprisingly because movies are expensive--exhausted those funds. Now, we are getting closer and closer to picture lock of the film which means film festival submissions are just around the corner! The funds we raise from this campaign will go to the remaining costs for things like color grading, sound design, artwork, and music. Basically--the film is done! We just need those details and last looks to bring our film from a rough draft to a finished MOVIE. We’re almost there!
STRETCH GOAL:
Our goal is to raise $10,000 but that would cover the bare minimum of what we need to finish this film. If we raise $15,000 that would cover our post-production legal expenses which include hiring an entertainment lawyer and purchasing various insurances needed for the eventual distribution of the film. Any amount raised past our goal will definitely be put to good use!
ARTISTIC STATEMENT/CONNECTION TO SUBJECTS:
The AllWays Lounge was actually a significant part of my first feature documentary To Decadence With Love and this is how I first got to know the staff there. Zalia, the owner, even attended the world premiere of my first film at the New Orleans Film Festival and I have since grown to be part of the wonderful community of queer artists at The AllWays Lounge. I also marched in the 2023 Southern Decadence parade under The AllWays Lounge banner which was a full circle moment considering my first film was centered around Southern Decadence.
Before the pandemic I had also been filming videos for AllWays drag queens and burlesque performers and throughout 2020 and 2021, I also spent many afternoons and nights at AllWays filming their acts so they could profit from virtual drag shows and performances. I was and still am grateful I could use my work to do a small part in helping The AllWays Lounge community get through such tough times.
Lastly, I feel suited to tell this story and am very connected to it because in many ways it's a story about grief and loss of self expression. As an artist myself, I can’t imagine losing the ability to express myself through my filmmaking the way the performers in this film were inhibited from expressing themselves on stage. As Angie Z says in the film “my life is my art…without my art I don’t have anything.” It would be difficult for me to recall a statement that has ever resonated with me more. I admire the subjects of this film so immensely for what they have endured and believe their stories must be preserved through this film.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Original Music
Costs $2,250
An original score is integral to the language and tone of a film, so we need a REALLY good one.
Sound Design
Costs $1,500
You don't think about good sound in a film when it's good. But when it's bad? It's no film at all!
Color Grade
Costs $3,000
Color grading is its own art-form and requires a specialist, which can get pretty expensive!
Artwork
Costs $1,750
Every film needs an official poster! We'd also love a custom title, font and credits designs.
Film Festival Submission Fees
Costs $1,500
Submitting to film festivals can get pricey! Help our film reach the widest audience possible!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Director - Stuart Sox
Producer/Story Editor - Marcus Shacknow
Score & Sound Design - Evan Sox
Camera Assistant - Dorothy Davis
Camera Assistant - Meg Logue
Location Sound Recordist - Charlie Mascagani
Colorist - Jeff Worely
Title Design - Taylor Compton