Benchwarmer
Boston, Massachusetts | Film Short
LGBTQ, Comedy
In a colorful world, a young lesbian pines for her best friend from the sidelines of her soccer games. The pain of falling in love with your best friend in your adolescent years is nothing new for lesbians. “Benchwarmer” puts a dark and zany twist on a story that queer people know all too well.
Benchwarmer
Boston, Massachusetts | Film Short
LGBTQ, Comedy
1 Campaigns | Massachusetts, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $13,457 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
66 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
In a colorful world, a young lesbian pines for her best friend from the sidelines of her soccer games. The pain of falling in love with your best friend in your adolescent years is nothing new for lesbians. “Benchwarmer” puts a dark and zany twist on a story that queer people know all too well.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Benchwarmer is a film about breaking the rules.
It pokes fun at the unspoken rules of heterosexual suburbia, competitive sports, and gender roles.
The script...
- Was a Quarter-Finalist in the Slamdance Script competition
- Won second place in the Ivy Film Festival
After Rose shared this script with co-director Julia Cross, the two assembled a team of passionate queer producers to bring this story to life. Now, "Benchwarmer" is in partnership with WZRD Media and Invisible Arts.
"Benchwarmer's" goal is to have a successful festival run targeting major festivals before it finds a home online, where it can reach as vast of an audience as possible.
Our team is incredibly passionate about this project and we're so grateful you're checking it out!
17-year-old closet-case Amanda May is obsessed with her best friend, Juliet. Juliet is too preoccupied with her soccer career and heartthrob boyfriend Tyler to notice Amanda’s affections.
It isn’t until Tyler breaks his face in a soccer-related incident that Amanda can finally pursue the love she’s wanted for so long. Will her feelings be returned by Juliet? Or is there someone else who’s been eyeing her from the sidelines all along?
Statista reports that in 2023, lesbians made up 29% of LGBTQ+ characters in films, compared to 48% for gay men. That’s just for queer representation in front of the camera. Behind the camera, films spearheaded entirely by queer women are few and far between in an industry where women directors, writers, producers, and cinematographers made up only 23% of the 250 top grossing films of 2024 (Celluloid Ceiling Report).
On “Benchwarmer”, our writer, directors, and producers are all queer women. But we’re not *just* queer women, we’re filmmakers passionate about transgressive media and expanding the horizons of queer and non-queer audiences alike.
Rose Hanish brings experience writing/producing her dark-comedy short film, Walter (Dances With Films Festival NYC 2024), and stage-managing/producing the experimental theatre piece, PRUNE (FringePVD 2024, winner of “Audience Favorite: Social Commentary” award).
Julia Cross brings experience directing a slew of short films throughout and beyond her time attending Emerson College’s film program. Her most recent short, “Compulsive”, tells a classic coming-out story with a comedic twist and interspersed musical numbers.
Sannette Gaia brings experience as a seasoned producer, working across music videos to short and feature length films with clients like Vogue Giambri’s Bebop Productions, Alexi Wasser, and Sophia La Corte. Her short film credits have screened at festivals such as NYLFF, Miami Film Fest, & more.
Alexa Back brings experience producing multiple short films including "Something's Wrong With Kit", an official selection of the Big Apple Film Festival and Boston Short Film Festival, her film "Bunk Beds", a proof-of-concept pilot for a limited series, and more.
Lida Everhart brings experience producing queer shorts such as “Cauldrons and Kickflips”, “Bunk Beds”, and her thesis “Something’s Wrong With Kit”, an official selection of Boston Short Film Festival and more. She also brings experience directing and DPing music videos for artists like Mei Semones and JOBIE.
"Before I started writing Benchwarmer over a year ago now, I was stuck in a pretty devastating bout of writer’s block. I mean I literally locked myself up in a city apartment for an entire month, just attempting to churn out some worthwhile idea for a film—a film that I would actually want to see. It was only upon returning to my hometown in upstate New York that I was finally able to break out of my slump. Just the drive through our little suburban village had me feeling oddly…queasy…
The gorgeously manicured front lawns, the picture-perfect lines of boxy houses, row after row, street after street, the yappy golden retrievers being toted around by equally yappy PTA mothers —both pairs attempting to out-best the other. In a place so meticulously crafted, everything seems so intentional…So what happens when things don’t go to plan? What happens to the out of place things? What becomes of you, DEAR READER, when instead of growing up into the beautiful suburban soccer mother you were destined to become…you realize that you’d definitely rather lez out on her?
All these questions are posed in the spirit of the script. At its core, Benchwarmer is a raucous celebration of lesbian youth—what it really feels like, how it’s understood in our memory.
Don’t let this posturing fool you though, our story doesn’t take itself too seriously. This short film trades in any obvious sentimentality for crass laughs. Picture the striking, colorful set pieces of But I'm a Cheerleader (1999) combined with the costuming and outrageous performances of Greener Grass (2019). Our directing team’s creative vision for this film integrates the queer, grime-y feeling from the filmic style of John Waters, Alexis Langlois, and Gregg Araki with the ultra-modern humor of box office hits like Bottoms (2023) and Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022). Our producing team believes that, if the commercial success of these dyke-led comedies are any indication, non-lesbian audiences are also craving comedies that aren’t afraid of getting a little vulgar, surreal, and sleazy.
If sojourning into our outlandish world sounds at all exciting to you, please consider contributing to our campaign. It would mean everything to us to be able to share our fully realized vision with you!" ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
If not now, when? Between the white house signing anti-trans executive orders that prevent young people from receiving gender-affirming care, to attacking diversity programs that protect queer people (and unfortunately so much more), queer people are having their rights threatened in the United States.
Our team believes that not only is queer media important to foster a sense of belonging in an increasingly isolating political climate, but to provide opportunities for young queer artists to express themselves in a world that wants them silent.
We believe that “the medium is the message”. In other words, It’s not just the storyline of “Benchwarmer” that’s important, the way it’s told is important, too. “Benchwarmer” will show that queer art can be indulgent, scandalous, ridiculous, and fun, and still be an act of defiance. This focus on joy and indulgence makes this film relevant and necessary in 2025.
We’ve secured almost our entire stellar crew and cast, 90% of our locations, lodging, access to equipment, and locked our shooting dates. Our main focus right now is achieving funding for this ambitious short.
To help our film and its mission reach as vast of a queer audience as possible, we’ve been advertising all over Boston and New York. From our Queer Open Mic Night “Bitch Fit”, to hosting a sponge race at LESBOS field day, to our biggest fundraiser yet, a drag show at Rose Mont Bar in Brooklyn , we’re dedicated to making ourselves seen and heard.
We are still $15,000 short of our production budget. The money raised from this campaign will go directly towards production funds that will allow us to make this short film. Any additional funding we raise over our goal will allow us to expand the production design and costume budgets, market our film while it's in post-production, and ensure we're able to realize the film as our directors envision it.
After principal photography wraps, we'll start sending out our incentives! Merch grab bags, Script feedback, links to a behind-the-scenes documentary, and more! After post-production wraps, we'll begin our festival campaign.
If want to see "Benchwarmer" come to life...
Make a Pledge, follow, and share this page!
With your help, we’ll be able to spread the word about our project, achieve our fundraising goals, and focus on supporting our crew to craft the best film experience possible.
Our total project budget is $25,000
$15,000 of which we hope to make through crowdfunding!
Our biggest expenses are...
- Paying our crew (37.8% of our budget)
- Renting camera equipment (20.98% of our budget)
- Paying our cast (10.49% of our budget)
- Feeding our crew (10.49% of our budget)
- Paying for NYC and Boston locals to travel to our filming location in Scarsdale (5.54% of our budget)
We know that not everyone is in a financial spot to make a pledge. If you want to support this project without making a pledge, it would mean the world to us if you followed and shared this page. Here's a template you can copy and paste to share it:
" ★ Hi everyone! These filmmakers are making a queer comedy film about soccer. They're crowdfunding right now and they're asking for pledges or for people to spread the word so that they can reach their goal! ★
If you want to learn more about the film, you can follow this link: https://seedandspark.com/fund/benchwarmer
Thank you! "
If you take a chance on us and make a pledge to this production, we would be over the moon! ⏾⋆.˚
We need to raise at least 80% of our funds to keep the money we raise and make this movie, so we urge you to pledge whatever you can to help us reach that 80%. While 15K is our goal, we would be so grateful to make our stretch goal of 20K.
Thank you for taking the time to hear about our plan to bring this short film to life. Thank you for supporting queer art.
Follow @Benchwarmer_Shortfilm on IG:
https://www.instagram.com/benchwarmer_shortfilm/
Check out our Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/BenchwarmerFilm
Check out our website:
Thank you X 1000000,
Rose, Jules, Sannette, Lida, and Alexa ♡
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Talent
Costs $2,500
To ensure stellar performances, we need to fairly compensate our actors who are giving their all to this project.
Production Design
Costs $2,500
Surreal and suburban set dressing pieces, props, and our PD team and art director are included in our Production Design budget.
Costumes
Costs $1,100
The wardrobe for our characters blends 80s suburbia with kitsch sportswear. This cost includes all costumes and our costume designer.
Makeup and SFX
Costs $700
Our makeup and SFX budget covers our MUA, her colorful makeup kit, and the materials we need for our soccer disaster SFX.
Camera Equipment
Costs $4,800
To capture "Benchwarmer" the way our directing team envisions it, we need to rent camera equipment for 5 days. That costs a pretty penny!
Truck Rental
Costs $900
All that camera equipment needs to get to and from set somehow. This item covers the cost of a truck rental for 5 days.
Crafty
Costs $2,500
Our crafty cost goes to feeding our hard-working crew and cast two meals a day with lots of snacks (and energy drinks) in between.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Rose Hanish is an actor and screenwriter based in New York. She may be known, most recently, from writing/producing her dark-comedy short film, Walter (Dances With Films Festival NYC 2024), and stage-managing/producing the experimental theatre piece, PRUNE (FringePVD 2024, winner of “Audience Favorite: Social Commentary” award). Rose graduated from Emerson College in May 2024 with a degree in Theatre & Performance, and she seeks to blend her practical knowledge of theatrical acting with her previous experience of directing actors on film.
Julia Cross is a Boston-based director and screenwriter who brings a theatrical lens and steadfast commitment to the aesthetics of every project she works on. In 2024 she graduated from Emerson College with a B.A. in Media Arts Production and a Minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies. Her most recent film, “Compulsive” (2025) uses dance and music to explore a young woman’s lesbian awakening. She aims to explore queerness, performance, and sex in her genre-straddling and music driven work.
Sannette Gaia is one third of the producing team for Benchwarmer. Hailing from Salem, OR, now based in Brooklyn, NY, her credits span across plays, music videos to short and feature length films working closely with clients such as Vogue Giambri’s Bebop Productions, Alexi Wasser, Sophia La Corte, along with multiple short film credits in which have participated in festivals such as NYLFF, Miami Film Fest, & more. She graduated from NYU’s Tisch in 2022 with a degree in Film & Television and a minor in Public Relations. In 2024, she launched her own LLC. titled ‘Bleeding Dove Pictures’.
Alexa Back is a New-York based Director and Producer whose focus lies in comedy, grief media, and television. She's produced multiple short films including "Something's Wrong With Kit", an official selection of the Big Apple Film Festival and Boundless Film Festival, her film "Bunk Beds", a proof-of-concept pilot for a limited series, and more. She graduated Emerson College with a major in Media Arts Production and a minor in Journalism. Her interest in queer storytelling contributes not only to her film work but also to her Journalism, with published articles featuring prominent queer figures.
Lida Everhart’s directorial projects have screened at Boston Short Film Festival, Chattanooga Film Festival, Big Apple Film Festival, and Junk Dump Mag Film Festival at the Museum of the Moving Image. Her producing portfolio includes music videos and short film projects. Her noteable producing projects include her own thesis "Something's Wrong With Kit", the proof-of-concept pilot "Bunk Beds", and the queer fantasy short "Cauldrons and Kickflips".
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Benchwarmer is a film about breaking the rules.
It pokes fun at the unspoken rules of heterosexual suburbia, competitive sports, and gender roles.
The script...
- Was a Quarter-Finalist in the Slamdance Script competition
- Won second place in the Ivy Film Festival
After Rose shared this script with co-director Julia Cross, the two assembled a team of passionate queer producers to bring this story to life. Now, "Benchwarmer" is in partnership with WZRD Media and Invisible Arts.
"Benchwarmer's" goal is to have a successful festival run targeting major festivals before it finds a home online, where it can reach as vast of an audience as possible.
Our team is incredibly passionate about this project and we're so grateful you're checking it out!
17-year-old closet-case Amanda May is obsessed with her best friend, Juliet. Juliet is too preoccupied with her soccer career and heartthrob boyfriend Tyler to notice Amanda’s affections.
It isn’t until Tyler breaks his face in a soccer-related incident that Amanda can finally pursue the love she’s wanted for so long. Will her feelings be returned by Juliet? Or is there someone else who’s been eyeing her from the sidelines all along?
Statista reports that in 2023, lesbians made up 29% of LGBTQ+ characters in films, compared to 48% for gay men. That’s just for queer representation in front of the camera. Behind the camera, films spearheaded entirely by queer women are few and far between in an industry where women directors, writers, producers, and cinematographers made up only 23% of the 250 top grossing films of 2024 (Celluloid Ceiling Report).
On “Benchwarmer”, our writer, directors, and producers are all queer women. But we’re not *just* queer women, we’re filmmakers passionate about transgressive media and expanding the horizons of queer and non-queer audiences alike.
Rose Hanish brings experience writing/producing her dark-comedy short film, Walter (Dances With Films Festival NYC 2024), and stage-managing/producing the experimental theatre piece, PRUNE (FringePVD 2024, winner of “Audience Favorite: Social Commentary” award).
Julia Cross brings experience directing a slew of short films throughout and beyond her time attending Emerson College’s film program. Her most recent short, “Compulsive”, tells a classic coming-out story with a comedic twist and interspersed musical numbers.
Sannette Gaia brings experience as a seasoned producer, working across music videos to short and feature length films with clients like Vogue Giambri’s Bebop Productions, Alexi Wasser, and Sophia La Corte. Her short film credits have screened at festivals such as NYLFF, Miami Film Fest, & more.
Alexa Back brings experience producing multiple short films including "Something's Wrong With Kit", an official selection of the Big Apple Film Festival and Boston Short Film Festival, her film "Bunk Beds", a proof-of-concept pilot for a limited series, and more.
Lida Everhart brings experience producing queer shorts such as “Cauldrons and Kickflips”, “Bunk Beds”, and her thesis “Something’s Wrong With Kit”, an official selection of Boston Short Film Festival and more. She also brings experience directing and DPing music videos for artists like Mei Semones and JOBIE.
"Before I started writing Benchwarmer over a year ago now, I was stuck in a pretty devastating bout of writer’s block. I mean I literally locked myself up in a city apartment for an entire month, just attempting to churn out some worthwhile idea for a film—a film that I would actually want to see. It was only upon returning to my hometown in upstate New York that I was finally able to break out of my slump. Just the drive through our little suburban village had me feeling oddly…queasy…
The gorgeously manicured front lawns, the picture-perfect lines of boxy houses, row after row, street after street, the yappy golden retrievers being toted around by equally yappy PTA mothers —both pairs attempting to out-best the other. In a place so meticulously crafted, everything seems so intentional…So what happens when things don’t go to plan? What happens to the out of place things? What becomes of you, DEAR READER, when instead of growing up into the beautiful suburban soccer mother you were destined to become…you realize that you’d definitely rather lez out on her?
All these questions are posed in the spirit of the script. At its core, Benchwarmer is a raucous celebration of lesbian youth—what it really feels like, how it’s understood in our memory.
Don’t let this posturing fool you though, our story doesn’t take itself too seriously. This short film trades in any obvious sentimentality for crass laughs. Picture the striking, colorful set pieces of But I'm a Cheerleader (1999) combined with the costuming and outrageous performances of Greener Grass (2019). Our directing team’s creative vision for this film integrates the queer, grime-y feeling from the filmic style of John Waters, Alexis Langlois, and Gregg Araki with the ultra-modern humor of box office hits like Bottoms (2023) and Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022). Our producing team believes that, if the commercial success of these dyke-led comedies are any indication, non-lesbian audiences are also craving comedies that aren’t afraid of getting a little vulgar, surreal, and sleazy.
If sojourning into our outlandish world sounds at all exciting to you, please consider contributing to our campaign. It would mean everything to us to be able to share our fully realized vision with you!" ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
If not now, when? Between the white house signing anti-trans executive orders that prevent young people from receiving gender-affirming care, to attacking diversity programs that protect queer people (and unfortunately so much more), queer people are having their rights threatened in the United States.
Our team believes that not only is queer media important to foster a sense of belonging in an increasingly isolating political climate, but to provide opportunities for young queer artists to express themselves in a world that wants them silent.
We believe that “the medium is the message”. In other words, It’s not just the storyline of “Benchwarmer” that’s important, the way it’s told is important, too. “Benchwarmer” will show that queer art can be indulgent, scandalous, ridiculous, and fun, and still be an act of defiance. This focus on joy and indulgence makes this film relevant and necessary in 2025.
We’ve secured almost our entire stellar crew and cast, 90% of our locations, lodging, access to equipment, and locked our shooting dates. Our main focus right now is achieving funding for this ambitious short.
To help our film and its mission reach as vast of a queer audience as possible, we’ve been advertising all over Boston and New York. From our Queer Open Mic Night “Bitch Fit”, to hosting a sponge race at LESBOS field day, to our biggest fundraiser yet, a drag show at Rose Mont Bar in Brooklyn , we’re dedicated to making ourselves seen and heard.
We are still $15,000 short of our production budget. The money raised from this campaign will go directly towards production funds that will allow us to make this short film. Any additional funding we raise over our goal will allow us to expand the production design and costume budgets, market our film while it's in post-production, and ensure we're able to realize the film as our directors envision it.
After principal photography wraps, we'll start sending out our incentives! Merch grab bags, Script feedback, links to a behind-the-scenes documentary, and more! After post-production wraps, we'll begin our festival campaign.
If want to see "Benchwarmer" come to life...
Make a Pledge, follow, and share this page!
With your help, we’ll be able to spread the word about our project, achieve our fundraising goals, and focus on supporting our crew to craft the best film experience possible.
Our total project budget is $25,000
$15,000 of which we hope to make through crowdfunding!
Our biggest expenses are...
- Paying our crew (37.8% of our budget)
- Renting camera equipment (20.98% of our budget)
- Paying our cast (10.49% of our budget)
- Feeding our crew (10.49% of our budget)
- Paying for NYC and Boston locals to travel to our filming location in Scarsdale (5.54% of our budget)
We know that not everyone is in a financial spot to make a pledge. If you want to support this project without making a pledge, it would mean the world to us if you followed and shared this page. Here's a template you can copy and paste to share it:
" ★ Hi everyone! These filmmakers are making a queer comedy film about soccer. They're crowdfunding right now and they're asking for pledges or for people to spread the word so that they can reach their goal! ★
If you want to learn more about the film, you can follow this link: https://seedandspark.com/fund/benchwarmer
Thank you! "
If you take a chance on us and make a pledge to this production, we would be over the moon! ⏾⋆.˚
We need to raise at least 80% of our funds to keep the money we raise and make this movie, so we urge you to pledge whatever you can to help us reach that 80%. While 15K is our goal, we would be so grateful to make our stretch goal of 20K.
Thank you for taking the time to hear about our plan to bring this short film to life. Thank you for supporting queer art.
Follow @Benchwarmer_Shortfilm on IG:
https://www.instagram.com/benchwarmer_shortfilm/
Check out our Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/BenchwarmerFilm
Check out our website:
Thank you X 1000000,
Rose, Jules, Sannette, Lida, and Alexa ♡
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Talent
Costs $2,500
To ensure stellar performances, we need to fairly compensate our actors who are giving their all to this project.
Production Design
Costs $2,500
Surreal and suburban set dressing pieces, props, and our PD team and art director are included in our Production Design budget.
Costumes
Costs $1,100
The wardrobe for our characters blends 80s suburbia with kitsch sportswear. This cost includes all costumes and our costume designer.
Makeup and SFX
Costs $700
Our makeup and SFX budget covers our MUA, her colorful makeup kit, and the materials we need for our soccer disaster SFX.
Camera Equipment
Costs $4,800
To capture "Benchwarmer" the way our directing team envisions it, we need to rent camera equipment for 5 days. That costs a pretty penny!
Truck Rental
Costs $900
All that camera equipment needs to get to and from set somehow. This item covers the cost of a truck rental for 5 days.
Crafty
Costs $2,500
Our crafty cost goes to feeding our hard-working crew and cast two meals a day with lots of snacks (and energy drinks) in between.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Rose Hanish is an actor and screenwriter based in New York. She may be known, most recently, from writing/producing her dark-comedy short film, Walter (Dances With Films Festival NYC 2024), and stage-managing/producing the experimental theatre piece, PRUNE (FringePVD 2024, winner of “Audience Favorite: Social Commentary” award). Rose graduated from Emerson College in May 2024 with a degree in Theatre & Performance, and she seeks to blend her practical knowledge of theatrical acting with her previous experience of directing actors on film.
Julia Cross is a Boston-based director and screenwriter who brings a theatrical lens and steadfast commitment to the aesthetics of every project she works on. In 2024 she graduated from Emerson College with a B.A. in Media Arts Production and a Minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies. Her most recent film, “Compulsive” (2025) uses dance and music to explore a young woman’s lesbian awakening. She aims to explore queerness, performance, and sex in her genre-straddling and music driven work.
Sannette Gaia is one third of the producing team for Benchwarmer. Hailing from Salem, OR, now based in Brooklyn, NY, her credits span across plays, music videos to short and feature length films working closely with clients such as Vogue Giambri’s Bebop Productions, Alexi Wasser, Sophia La Corte, along with multiple short film credits in which have participated in festivals such as NYLFF, Miami Film Fest, & more. She graduated from NYU’s Tisch in 2022 with a degree in Film & Television and a minor in Public Relations. In 2024, she launched her own LLC. titled ‘Bleeding Dove Pictures’.
Alexa Back is a New-York based Director and Producer whose focus lies in comedy, grief media, and television. She's produced multiple short films including "Something's Wrong With Kit", an official selection of the Big Apple Film Festival and Boundless Film Festival, her film "Bunk Beds", a proof-of-concept pilot for a limited series, and more. She graduated Emerson College with a major in Media Arts Production and a minor in Journalism. Her interest in queer storytelling contributes not only to her film work but also to her Journalism, with published articles featuring prominent queer figures.
Lida Everhart’s directorial projects have screened at Boston Short Film Festival, Chattanooga Film Festival, Big Apple Film Festival, and Junk Dump Mag Film Festival at the Museum of the Moving Image. Her producing portfolio includes music videos and short film projects. Her noteable producing projects include her own thesis "Something's Wrong With Kit", the proof-of-concept pilot "Bunk Beds", and the queer fantasy short "Cauldrons and Kickflips".