Baba in Graceland
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Comedy
After the loss of her mother, Naz embarks on a road-trip across America with her alcoholic father to fulfill her parents' long-lost dream: to have her dad join the Ultimate Elvis Contest. BABA IN GRACELAND is about forgiveness, the many costumes of grief, and finding solace in unexpected places.
Baba in Graceland
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Comedy
2 Campaigns | England, United Kingdom
Green Light
This campaign raised $18,105 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
31 supporters | followers
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After the loss of her mother, Naz embarks on a road-trip across America with her alcoholic father to fulfill her parents' long-lost dream: to have her dad join the Ultimate Elvis Contest. BABA IN GRACELAND is about forgiveness, the many costumes of grief, and finding solace in unexpected places.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
BACKSTORY
Melis was inspired to write this screenplay after the premiere of her Off-Broadway play. It was an attempt to reclaim, expand and contract a story that she felt had more to excavate (and would not leave her alone!) She kept coming back to it from different avenues, which showed her that there was more to mine in this father-daughter relationship. It was a strike of serendipity when director Marc Atkinson-Borrull and executive producer Jefferson White approached her with the possibility of financing a short, and making this happen as a team.
BABA IN GRACELAND is part of a multidisciplinary cycle of Melis' work (like an anthology) that includes her Off-Broadway play and an upcoming "auto-fiction" novel, all focusing on, and unpacking loss: of a parent, a sense of self, and with that, a place to call "home." Inspired by many writers before her, Melis calls this process "variations on a theme," where she writes related stories that exist in various forms, containers and mediums to illuminate an alternative angle in her narratives.
Third culture folks may feel the need to mask both a loss of self, home, or person under costumes that help them assimilate in a foreign land, so that their grief doesn't stand out too much... BABA IN GRACELAND centres a Turkish woman, and her complicated relationship to her father. We believe it is important to portray seemingly foreign characters within the more recognisable road-trip genre and framework to, in turn, help familiarise these bodies, faces, names, and language with a primarily Western, American audience. It's a Trojan horse strategy, without the intention of war, and instead, with the full desire to build a bridge between cultures. This is a story that is close to our writer's heart, one that she occasionally calls "auto-fiction."
TIMELINE
Sept - Nov 2023 (Pre- Production)
We will spend this time attaching all of our elements (e.g. cast and crew) in preparation for production.
Nov 2023 (Production)
We will shoot BABA IN GRACELAND in the New York Metropolitan area and state.
Dec 2023 - Feb 2024 (Post Production)
We will collaborate with a skilled post production team to finalize the film for festival submissions.
March 2024 onwards (Festival Submissions)
The film will be submitted to top tier film festivals domestically (e.g. Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, Telluride, TIFF) and internationally (e.g. Cannes, Berlin, Venice, BFI) for maximum industry exposure.
FINANCING PLAN
We are currently entering our pre-production phase for our short film, aiming to shoot in November 2023. We have secured $30,000 via two main investors, $4000 from the Sundance Interdisciplinary grant, and $500 from the DGF Bridge grant. Our estimated budget for production (to be shot in and around NY state) is $45,441. This leaves us with $10,941 to cover for our current production needs. With the help of you all, our goal is to reach $9,000 on Seed&Spark.
FESTIVAL & DISTRIBUTION PLAN
The goal is to submit this to as many festivals as possible to maximise exposure and impact. Festivals are specifically looking for compelling, untold stories, which makes BABA IN GRACELAND a strong contender given that it blends the familiar road-trip framework with characters who have not often been explored on American screens. One of our producers Amy Omar and DP Steven Breckon have had films accepted into festivals all over the world, with their latest shorts premiering at SXSW and Cannes. As a team combined, we have extensive industry contacts at many of the top festivals where we will be submitting our film. The script itself has already received positive coverage from submissions to Shore Scripts, BlueCat Screenplay Awards, and Slamdance Screenplay Competition, and is in the running.
WHY YOU SHOULD DONATE
By investing in this short, you will provide us the opportunity to share this story with a larger audience and help us with our goal of completing production, and ultimately our plan of expanding BABA IN GRACELAND into a feature film. This short is a calling card to interact with the gatekeepers and tastemakers of the industry, and eventually partner with larger independent companies like A24, Sister, Annapurna, Neon, Film4, IFC, etc.
WRITER'S NOTE: AN ORIGIN STORY
I (Melis) cannot call myself a second-generation American or Brit, though I've somehow spent almost more time living in both the U.S. and U.K. combined than my native Turkey. Displacement (or as I've called it, "cultural dysmorphia") is a common theme in my writing, and it is no different for BABA IN GRACELAND. The crux of this story has haunted me for quite some time: a father, much like my own, obsessed with the problematic Western icon that is Elvis Presley.
You may be asking yourself: Why Elvis?! Good question. Well, I was once told that re-appropriation was an act of reclaiming yourself. Seeing yourself for who you are, or perhaps, for who you want to be. When an object, or an icon changes context, meaning and resonance, it becomes yours. Suddenly, it has its own history. It becomes your own mirror to reflect, and deflect. And for some, a means to grieve. My own baba (and family) has worshiped at the altar of the West ever since I can remember. It has always been their way of distancing themselves from the (self)hatred they felt for their surroundings, their home, and towards their lack of belonging to any particular place or notion.
In BABA IN GRACELAND, I see the character of Baba's alcoholic personality and obsession with Elvis as a gateway towards constructing a new identity. One that is in close proximity to the way he imagined he might be if he were, in fact, an actual Westerner (he has convinced himself that he is, in fact, of the West, and I have very much been raised this way myself.)
This persona is Baba's way of othering himself in the eyes of a conservatism that he thought chained his country, culture, relationships and, well, him. A means to escape the loss he felt, of a sense of home. And of course, with alcoholism comes the Western mythos of excess, of hedonism, abundance, and reckless abandon… Enter: Elvis Presley. The epitome of debauchery. A symbol of a very problematic, very white, hyper-masculine American youth and false promise. One that has, itself, stolen and appropriated recklessly. One that is free of responsibility, and consequence. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be at the top of the food chain like that?!
Of course, no one ever talks about the fall of Elvis (or the American Dream.) At least, Baba never does. Nor does he care for that part of the narrative. What he cares about is the feeling of belonging he found behind the symbol. Nobody can know who Elvis was behind the symbol, and frankly, I don’t think the character of Baba knows who he himself is behind the costuming of this Western identity. As vapid as it has always felt to Naz, she grows to recognize that it all means something to Baba and her late mother. So, why not join the Ultimate Elvis Contest, and be a part of something? Can it aid the grief of it all?
Naz may call her father's obsession colonialism, but he calls it joy. So… I guess this story is my attempt at trying to hold both truths together at once.
COMPARABLES IN TONE
Little Miss Sunshine
Paris, Texas
Goodbye Solo
Transamerica
Arizona Dream
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
Dead Man
Nebraska
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Location expenses
Costs $3,496
* Day rentals for a diner, office space, and open road and safety control for car scenes
Camera
Costs $1,509
* Additional camera equipment needs for DP team
Set design
Costs $3,995
* Production design needs for set dressing
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
CREATIVE TEAM & CREW
MELIS AKER (Writer/Screenwriter): Named a “Woman to Watch” by the Broadway Women’s Fund, Melis Aker is a writer, actor, and musician from Turkey based between London and New York. She currently has a series in development with Skybound Entertainment, and the Off-Broadway premiere of her play with music Hound Dog, co-produced by Ars Nova and The Play Company, was named one of the “30 Best Shows to See” by Time Out. She will next be receiving the London premiere of musical play Hundred Feet Tall she wrote with Benjamin Scheuer, adapted from the eponymous children’s book. She will also be voicing a role in a new audio series from the creators of “Archive 81.”
Melis is the recipient of the Sundance Interdisciplinary Program grant, the New York Community Trust/Van Lier Fellowship, and was recently named as the Signature Theatre Company’s LaunchPad resident playwright. She has previously had writing commissioned by and developed at Atlantic Theatre Company (Middle East Mixfest), Ars Nova (Play Group member), New York Theatre Workshop (2050 fellow), Dramatists Guild (DGF fellow), The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Goodspeed Writers Grove, New Group, Roundabout Theatre Company’s Space Jam, LaMaMa, the Lark, 24 Hour Plays, Magic Theatre and BRICLab in the U.S., as well as the Finborough and Park theatres in the U.K.
Melis’ screenplay “ARI” (“Bee”) was at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival as part of Maison des Scenaristes, and her series pilot for “MANAR” was selected for the Orchard Project’s Episodic Lab, and IFP week. She has also worked on the development of a screenplay with Revelations Entertainment headed by Morgan Freeman.
Her stage plays include: Field, Awakening (2019 Kilroy’s List, Columbia@Roundabout finalist, Sundance finalist, Berkeley Rep Ground Floor semifinalist, Playwrights Realm finalist); Dragonflies (Sundance finalist); Scraps and Things (Playing on Air, starring Carol Kane, directed by Neil Pepe, featured on the New York Times); AZUL (O’Neill NMTC, recipient of NYC Women’s Fund); Mother and the Beast (previously called: When My Mama Was a Hittite) (Columbia@Roundabout finalist); Fractio Panis (Homebound Project/No Kid Hungry, starring Brian Cox and Nicole Ansari, directed by Tatiana Pandiani); Hound Dog; Manar (Columbia@Roundabout finalist, Theatre503 Playwriting Award semifinalist); 330 Pegasus: A Love Letter (Jerome NY Fellowship finalist); Indigo Dreams; OPET Diaries (Page73 semifinalist); and Gilded Isle.
Acting and music credits include “The Equalizer” (CBS, starring Queen Latifah), "The Blacklist: Redemption" (NBC), “Seneca” (HBO Max), Love in Afghanistan (Arena Stage & Roundabout Theatre Company), We Live in Cairo (New World Stages), Proof (Edinburgh Fringe). As a singer-songwriter, Melis has released a quartet of seasonal session EPs with acoustic versions of songs. Her song “The Unknowing” was in the final reel of the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk contest.
Melis has worked as Ayad Akhtar’s assistant, and given a StoryCorps and TEDx talk. She has taught at NYU, The New School, and is working on her debut novel through her PhD at King's College London, where she will also be teaching. She holds an MFA from Columbia University, a Certificate for Acting from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and a BA from Tufts University.
Representation: CAA & Brillstein Entertainment Partners. www.melisaker.com
MARC ATKINSON-BORRULL (Director): Marc Atkinson Borrull is a NYC and Dublin based director, originally from Ireland and Catalonia. Recent work includes the first major revival of Bedbound by Enda Walsh (Galway International Arts Festival & Olympia Theatre), the critically-acclaimed Beginning by David Eldridge & Constellations by Nick Payne (Gate Theatre), Little Gem by Elaine Murphy, starring Marsha Mason (Irish Rep, Off-Broadway NYC/Outer Critics’ Circle Award), Hamlet starring Ruth Negga (Gate Theatre & St. Ann’s Warehouse, NYC - Associate), Children of the Sun by Maxim Gorky (Primary Stages & 59E59 NYC), Outlying Islands by David Greig (Connelly Theater, NYC & Samuel Beckett Theatre, Dublin), Wall (Druid Theatre Company - Workshop), Three Sisters (The Lir Academy, Dublin), & Last Night in Inwood by Alix Sobler (Signature Theater, NYC). Marc also recently directed the workshop of Kwaku Fortune’s It’s Cool in the Shade at Dublin Theatre Festival.
Marc co-founded the company Sugarglass whose work has been presented internationally, including the Irish Premiere of Tender Napalm by Philip Ridley (Project Arts Centre, Dublin), All Hell Lay Beneath (Irish Times ‘Cultural Highlight of the Year’), Five Minutes Later by Ellen Flynn (The Lir, Dublin) and Ethica: Four Shorts by Samuel Beckett which was presented in the residence of the Irish President to celebrate International Human Rights Day (Krastyo Theatre, Bulgaria; Happy Days Festival, Enniskillen; Áras an Uachtaráin).
Marc's Associate/Assistant Director credits include working with Anne Bogart at SITI Company; Selina Cartmell at the Gate Theatre; Daniel Fish at BAM and COIL Festival; Joe Murphy at The Old Vic & Abbey Theatre; and Ivo van Hove at Toneelgroep Amsterdam and the Rhurtriennale Festival.
MFA - Columbia University, BA - Trinity College Dublin. Proud member of SDC - a national theatrical labour union. www.marcatkinsonborrull.com
JEFFERSON WHITE (Executive Producer)
AMY OMAR (Producer): Amy Omar is a Turkish American writer, director, producer, and entertainment lawyer living in NYC. Amy is particularly interested in narratives around Middle Eastern / Muslim characters and themes of cultural isolation, superstitions, religion, and feminism.
Amy is a recipient of Wavelength Productions' WAVE (Women At the Very Edge) Grant for BIPOC, first time female filmmakers and wrote and directed her first short film, Breaking Fast with a Coca-Cola which premiered at SXSW in 2023 and also screened at various Oscar-qualifying festivals.
In Spring 2022, she produced the short film Letter Eight, a recipient of the Kodak Shot on Film Fund. Letter Eight premiered at the Santa Monica Film Festival in 2023.
Amy is currently in post-production on her second short film, Ayşegül on Tuesdays, which was a top three finalist for the Toy Cox Short Screenplay Award at the 2023 Nantucket Film Festival. Along with Breaking Fast with a Coca-Cola, Ayşegül on Tuesdays will be part of a three-part short film anthology centered around the Turkish-American experience.
Amy is also developing a feature film, Kismet, with the support of Stowe Narrative Labs. The screenplay for Kismet was a finalist for the 2023 Sundance Muslim Artist Accelerator and the Wscripted Cannes Screenplay List.
ADAM KINYON (Line Producer / UPM): With deep-rooted familial exposure to the film industry, Adam’s producing journey began on set at the age of three. This early exposure helped give life to a keen understanding of the dynamics and rhythm of producing, which has ultimately become an invaluable token to his career.
Adam’s proficiency in budgeting and scheduling, honed through years of hands-on experience and mentorship from the esteemed producer Korey Budd, coupled with an ability to effectively manage resources, ensures seamless execution across all his projects.
Adam’s been lucky enough to foster strong relationships with crew members and rental houses in key film hubs including New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Austin, and Canada. These relationships continue to pay dividends and have been a focal point of his successes. Adam understands the importance of wrapping a project with a crew in good spirits, believing that a happy crew is key to a successful production.
With such a robust skill set and expansive network, Adam's found himself well-poised to bring any script to life. His commitment to delivering projects that not only resonate with audiences but also foster a positive production environment is a testament to his unique approach to film production.
CAST (still growing!)
LAITH NAKLI (Baba) is a Syrian actor/writer. He graduated from the prestigious William Esper Studio Professional Actor Training Program. Laith made his stage debut in War at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater Company. Other credits include Cry of the Reed (Huntington), Inana (Denver Center), Aftermath (NYTW), Lidless (Page 73), Food & Fadwa (NYTW), and Cyrano (Goodspeed.) Laith had the world premiere of his first play, Shesh Yak, at the award-winning Off-Broadway Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in NYC. Laith is one of the regular characters in the HULU series Ramy and in the Marvel series Ms Marvel. Film credits: Swallow, 12 Strong, The Wall, The Visitor, Arranged, Sam & Amira.... TV credits include: FBI, Ten Year Old Tom, The Long Road Home, 24-Legacy, Inside Amy Schumer, Blindspot, The Blacklist, Third Watch, The Sopranos, among others. Laith will also be in A24’s upcoming feature Problemista.
MELIS AKER (Naz) (see above)
NICOLE ANSARI-COX (Siena)
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
BACKSTORY
Melis was inspired to write this screenplay after the premiere of her Off-Broadway play. It was an attempt to reclaim, expand and contract a story that she felt had more to excavate (and would not leave her alone!) She kept coming back to it from different avenues, which showed her that there was more to mine in this father-daughter relationship. It was a strike of serendipity when director Marc Atkinson-Borrull and executive producer Jefferson White approached her with the possibility of financing a short, and making this happen as a team.
BABA IN GRACELAND is part of a multidisciplinary cycle of Melis' work (like an anthology) that includes her Off-Broadway play and an upcoming "auto-fiction" novel, all focusing on, and unpacking loss: of a parent, a sense of self, and with that, a place to call "home." Inspired by many writers before her, Melis calls this process "variations on a theme," where she writes related stories that exist in various forms, containers and mediums to illuminate an alternative angle in her narratives.
Third culture folks may feel the need to mask both a loss of self, home, or person under costumes that help them assimilate in a foreign land, so that their grief doesn't stand out too much... BABA IN GRACELAND centres a Turkish woman, and her complicated relationship to her father. We believe it is important to portray seemingly foreign characters within the more recognisable road-trip genre and framework to, in turn, help familiarise these bodies, faces, names, and language with a primarily Western, American audience. It's a Trojan horse strategy, without the intention of war, and instead, with the full desire to build a bridge between cultures. This is a story that is close to our writer's heart, one that she occasionally calls "auto-fiction."
TIMELINE
Sept - Nov 2023 (Pre- Production)
We will spend this time attaching all of our elements (e.g. cast and crew) in preparation for production.
Nov 2023 (Production)
We will shoot BABA IN GRACELAND in the New York Metropolitan area and state.
Dec 2023 - Feb 2024 (Post Production)
We will collaborate with a skilled post production team to finalize the film for festival submissions.
March 2024 onwards (Festival Submissions)
The film will be submitted to top tier film festivals domestically (e.g. Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, Telluride, TIFF) and internationally (e.g. Cannes, Berlin, Venice, BFI) for maximum industry exposure.
FINANCING PLAN
We are currently entering our pre-production phase for our short film, aiming to shoot in November 2023. We have secured $30,000 via two main investors, $4000 from the Sundance Interdisciplinary grant, and $500 from the DGF Bridge grant. Our estimated budget for production (to be shot in and around NY state) is $45,441. This leaves us with $10,941 to cover for our current production needs. With the help of you all, our goal is to reach $9,000 on Seed&Spark.
FESTIVAL & DISTRIBUTION PLAN
The goal is to submit this to as many festivals as possible to maximise exposure and impact. Festivals are specifically looking for compelling, untold stories, which makes BABA IN GRACELAND a strong contender given that it blends the familiar road-trip framework with characters who have not often been explored on American screens. One of our producers Amy Omar and DP Steven Breckon have had films accepted into festivals all over the world, with their latest shorts premiering at SXSW and Cannes. As a team combined, we have extensive industry contacts at many of the top festivals where we will be submitting our film. The script itself has already received positive coverage from submissions to Shore Scripts, BlueCat Screenplay Awards, and Slamdance Screenplay Competition, and is in the running.
WHY YOU SHOULD DONATE
By investing in this short, you will provide us the opportunity to share this story with a larger audience and help us with our goal of completing production, and ultimately our plan of expanding BABA IN GRACELAND into a feature film. This short is a calling card to interact with the gatekeepers and tastemakers of the industry, and eventually partner with larger independent companies like A24, Sister, Annapurna, Neon, Film4, IFC, etc.
WRITER'S NOTE: AN ORIGIN STORY
I (Melis) cannot call myself a second-generation American or Brit, though I've somehow spent almost more time living in both the U.S. and U.K. combined than my native Turkey. Displacement (or as I've called it, "cultural dysmorphia") is a common theme in my writing, and it is no different for BABA IN GRACELAND. The crux of this story has haunted me for quite some time: a father, much like my own, obsessed with the problematic Western icon that is Elvis Presley.
You may be asking yourself: Why Elvis?! Good question. Well, I was once told that re-appropriation was an act of reclaiming yourself. Seeing yourself for who you are, or perhaps, for who you want to be. When an object, or an icon changes context, meaning and resonance, it becomes yours. Suddenly, it has its own history. It becomes your own mirror to reflect, and deflect. And for some, a means to grieve. My own baba (and family) has worshiped at the altar of the West ever since I can remember. It has always been their way of distancing themselves from the (self)hatred they felt for their surroundings, their home, and towards their lack of belonging to any particular place or notion.
In BABA IN GRACELAND, I see the character of Baba's alcoholic personality and obsession with Elvis as a gateway towards constructing a new identity. One that is in close proximity to the way he imagined he might be if he were, in fact, an actual Westerner (he has convinced himself that he is, in fact, of the West, and I have very much been raised this way myself.)
This persona is Baba's way of othering himself in the eyes of a conservatism that he thought chained his country, culture, relationships and, well, him. A means to escape the loss he felt, of a sense of home. And of course, with alcoholism comes the Western mythos of excess, of hedonism, abundance, and reckless abandon… Enter: Elvis Presley. The epitome of debauchery. A symbol of a very problematic, very white, hyper-masculine American youth and false promise. One that has, itself, stolen and appropriated recklessly. One that is free of responsibility, and consequence. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be at the top of the food chain like that?!
Of course, no one ever talks about the fall of Elvis (or the American Dream.) At least, Baba never does. Nor does he care for that part of the narrative. What he cares about is the feeling of belonging he found behind the symbol. Nobody can know who Elvis was behind the symbol, and frankly, I don’t think the character of Baba knows who he himself is behind the costuming of this Western identity. As vapid as it has always felt to Naz, she grows to recognize that it all means something to Baba and her late mother. So, why not join the Ultimate Elvis Contest, and be a part of something? Can it aid the grief of it all?
Naz may call her father's obsession colonialism, but he calls it joy. So… I guess this story is my attempt at trying to hold both truths together at once.
COMPARABLES IN TONE
Little Miss Sunshine
Paris, Texas
Goodbye Solo
Transamerica
Arizona Dream
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
Dead Man
Nebraska
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Location expenses
Costs $3,496
* Day rentals for a diner, office space, and open road and safety control for car scenes
Camera
Costs $1,509
* Additional camera equipment needs for DP team
Set design
Costs $3,995
* Production design needs for set dressing
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
CREATIVE TEAM & CREW
MELIS AKER (Writer/Screenwriter): Named a “Woman to Watch” by the Broadway Women’s Fund, Melis Aker is a writer, actor, and musician from Turkey based between London and New York. She currently has a series in development with Skybound Entertainment, and the Off-Broadway premiere of her play with music Hound Dog, co-produced by Ars Nova and The Play Company, was named one of the “30 Best Shows to See” by Time Out. She will next be receiving the London premiere of musical play Hundred Feet Tall she wrote with Benjamin Scheuer, adapted from the eponymous children’s book. She will also be voicing a role in a new audio series from the creators of “Archive 81.”
Melis is the recipient of the Sundance Interdisciplinary Program grant, the New York Community Trust/Van Lier Fellowship, and was recently named as the Signature Theatre Company’s LaunchPad resident playwright. She has previously had writing commissioned by and developed at Atlantic Theatre Company (Middle East Mixfest), Ars Nova (Play Group member), New York Theatre Workshop (2050 fellow), Dramatists Guild (DGF fellow), The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Goodspeed Writers Grove, New Group, Roundabout Theatre Company’s Space Jam, LaMaMa, the Lark, 24 Hour Plays, Magic Theatre and BRICLab in the U.S., as well as the Finborough and Park theatres in the U.K.
Melis’ screenplay “ARI” (“Bee”) was at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival as part of Maison des Scenaristes, and her series pilot for “MANAR” was selected for the Orchard Project’s Episodic Lab, and IFP week. She has also worked on the development of a screenplay with Revelations Entertainment headed by Morgan Freeman.
Her stage plays include: Field, Awakening (2019 Kilroy’s List, Columbia@Roundabout finalist, Sundance finalist, Berkeley Rep Ground Floor semifinalist, Playwrights Realm finalist); Dragonflies (Sundance finalist); Scraps and Things (Playing on Air, starring Carol Kane, directed by Neil Pepe, featured on the New York Times); AZUL (O’Neill NMTC, recipient of NYC Women’s Fund); Mother and the Beast (previously called: When My Mama Was a Hittite) (Columbia@Roundabout finalist); Fractio Panis (Homebound Project/No Kid Hungry, starring Brian Cox and Nicole Ansari, directed by Tatiana Pandiani); Hound Dog; Manar (Columbia@Roundabout finalist, Theatre503 Playwriting Award semifinalist); 330 Pegasus: A Love Letter (Jerome NY Fellowship finalist); Indigo Dreams; OPET Diaries (Page73 semifinalist); and Gilded Isle.
Acting and music credits include “The Equalizer” (CBS, starring Queen Latifah), "The Blacklist: Redemption" (NBC), “Seneca” (HBO Max), Love in Afghanistan (Arena Stage & Roundabout Theatre Company), We Live in Cairo (New World Stages), Proof (Edinburgh Fringe). As a singer-songwriter, Melis has released a quartet of seasonal session EPs with acoustic versions of songs. Her song “The Unknowing” was in the final reel of the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk contest.
Melis has worked as Ayad Akhtar’s assistant, and given a StoryCorps and TEDx talk. She has taught at NYU, The New School, and is working on her debut novel through her PhD at King's College London, where she will also be teaching. She holds an MFA from Columbia University, a Certificate for Acting from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and a BA from Tufts University.
Representation: CAA & Brillstein Entertainment Partners. www.melisaker.com
MARC ATKINSON-BORRULL (Director): Marc Atkinson Borrull is a NYC and Dublin based director, originally from Ireland and Catalonia. Recent work includes the first major revival of Bedbound by Enda Walsh (Galway International Arts Festival & Olympia Theatre), the critically-acclaimed Beginning by David Eldridge & Constellations by Nick Payne (Gate Theatre), Little Gem by Elaine Murphy, starring Marsha Mason (Irish Rep, Off-Broadway NYC/Outer Critics’ Circle Award), Hamlet starring Ruth Negga (Gate Theatre & St. Ann’s Warehouse, NYC - Associate), Children of the Sun by Maxim Gorky (Primary Stages & 59E59 NYC), Outlying Islands by David Greig (Connelly Theater, NYC & Samuel Beckett Theatre, Dublin), Wall (Druid Theatre Company - Workshop), Three Sisters (The Lir Academy, Dublin), & Last Night in Inwood by Alix Sobler (Signature Theater, NYC). Marc also recently directed the workshop of Kwaku Fortune’s It’s Cool in the Shade at Dublin Theatre Festival.
Marc co-founded the company Sugarglass whose work has been presented internationally, including the Irish Premiere of Tender Napalm by Philip Ridley (Project Arts Centre, Dublin), All Hell Lay Beneath (Irish Times ‘Cultural Highlight of the Year’), Five Minutes Later by Ellen Flynn (The Lir, Dublin) and Ethica: Four Shorts by Samuel Beckett which was presented in the residence of the Irish President to celebrate International Human Rights Day (Krastyo Theatre, Bulgaria; Happy Days Festival, Enniskillen; Áras an Uachtaráin).
Marc's Associate/Assistant Director credits include working with Anne Bogart at SITI Company; Selina Cartmell at the Gate Theatre; Daniel Fish at BAM and COIL Festival; Joe Murphy at The Old Vic & Abbey Theatre; and Ivo van Hove at Toneelgroep Amsterdam and the Rhurtriennale Festival.
MFA - Columbia University, BA - Trinity College Dublin. Proud member of SDC - a national theatrical labour union. www.marcatkinsonborrull.com
JEFFERSON WHITE (Executive Producer)
AMY OMAR (Producer): Amy Omar is a Turkish American writer, director, producer, and entertainment lawyer living in NYC. Amy is particularly interested in narratives around Middle Eastern / Muslim characters and themes of cultural isolation, superstitions, religion, and feminism.
Amy is a recipient of Wavelength Productions' WAVE (Women At the Very Edge) Grant for BIPOC, first time female filmmakers and wrote and directed her first short film, Breaking Fast with a Coca-Cola which premiered at SXSW in 2023 and also screened at various Oscar-qualifying festivals.
In Spring 2022, she produced the short film Letter Eight, a recipient of the Kodak Shot on Film Fund. Letter Eight premiered at the Santa Monica Film Festival in 2023.
Amy is currently in post-production on her second short film, Ayşegül on Tuesdays, which was a top three finalist for the Toy Cox Short Screenplay Award at the 2023 Nantucket Film Festival. Along with Breaking Fast with a Coca-Cola, Ayşegül on Tuesdays will be part of a three-part short film anthology centered around the Turkish-American experience.
Amy is also developing a feature film, Kismet, with the support of Stowe Narrative Labs. The screenplay for Kismet was a finalist for the 2023 Sundance Muslim Artist Accelerator and the Wscripted Cannes Screenplay List.
ADAM KINYON (Line Producer / UPM): With deep-rooted familial exposure to the film industry, Adam’s producing journey began on set at the age of three. This early exposure helped give life to a keen understanding of the dynamics and rhythm of producing, which has ultimately become an invaluable token to his career.
Adam’s proficiency in budgeting and scheduling, honed through years of hands-on experience and mentorship from the esteemed producer Korey Budd, coupled with an ability to effectively manage resources, ensures seamless execution across all his projects.
Adam’s been lucky enough to foster strong relationships with crew members and rental houses in key film hubs including New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Austin, and Canada. These relationships continue to pay dividends and have been a focal point of his successes. Adam understands the importance of wrapping a project with a crew in good spirits, believing that a happy crew is key to a successful production.
With such a robust skill set and expansive network, Adam's found himself well-poised to bring any script to life. His commitment to delivering projects that not only resonate with audiences but also foster a positive production environment is a testament to his unique approach to film production.
CAST (still growing!)
LAITH NAKLI (Baba) is a Syrian actor/writer. He graduated from the prestigious William Esper Studio Professional Actor Training Program. Laith made his stage debut in War at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater Company. Other credits include Cry of the Reed (Huntington), Inana (Denver Center), Aftermath (NYTW), Lidless (Page 73), Food & Fadwa (NYTW), and Cyrano (Goodspeed.) Laith had the world premiere of his first play, Shesh Yak, at the award-winning Off-Broadway Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in NYC. Laith is one of the regular characters in the HULU series Ramy and in the Marvel series Ms Marvel. Film credits: Swallow, 12 Strong, The Wall, The Visitor, Arranged, Sam & Amira.... TV credits include: FBI, Ten Year Old Tom, The Long Road Home, 24-Legacy, Inside Amy Schumer, Blindspot, The Blacklist, Third Watch, The Sopranos, among others. Laith will also be in A24’s upcoming feature Problemista.
MELIS AKER (Naz) (see above)
NICOLE ANSARI-COX (Siena)