Break
Little Rock, Arkansas | Film Short
Drama, LGBTQ
Miranda, an editor with Cerebral Palsy, must decide if she'll stay in her relationship when her partner, Julia, becomes angry and ableist after breaking her foot. Supporting this film will help disabled filmmakers and actors bring to life a nuanced disability story rarely seen in media.
Break
Little Rock, Arkansas | Film Short
Drama, LGBTQ
1 Campaigns | Arkansas, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $3,259 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
19 supporters | followers
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Miranda, an editor with Cerebral Palsy, must decide if she'll stay in her relationship when her partner, Julia, becomes angry and ableist after breaking her foot. Supporting this film will help disabled filmmakers and actors bring to life a nuanced disability story rarely seen in media.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
 (884 x 200 px).jpg)
For Miranda, finding love always felt like much more of a challenge than anything her disability could throw at her. Now that she's found Julia, she's content never to let her go. The two have been enjoying the initial bliss of the honeymoon phase when their peace (and Julia's foot) is shattered. No problem for Miranda, she's an expert at getting around with a little help navigating access barriers and dealing with aches and pains - Julia is in capable hands.
But when Julia rejects help, refuses mobility aids, and has a panic attack over using a mobility cart at the grocery store, Miranda is confronted with some difficult truths. Maybe Julia isn't the perfect match Miranda thought she was. Can they find a way to communicate again? Does Miranda even want to try?
 (884 x 200 px) (1).jpg)
Why this story?
It's important to tell more grounded stories about the realities of disabled life. Not every day is life or death, not every task is an insurmountable challenge. A lot of life is laundry, dishes, deciding what to make for dinner. Your home, with the accommodations you've made and the accessibility tools you have, can be your bastion of normalcy. Deciding who to let in is important. You want someone who makes you feel seen and understood, same as everyone. This story looks at the challenges of letting in someone who has only ever experienced disability through the limited lens of media and who still holds some of the ableist ideas that run rampant in society. You have to decide - is this person worth it? That answer can be yes for a while, until suddenly maybe it's not.
I've never seen this aspect of disability and relationships on screen before. It's an altogether new view.
Why now?
Did you know that more than 1 in 4 Americans (28.7%) have some type of disability? 61 million adults. What an enormous portion of the population with little to no representation in our media. This film looks to turn some of that poor representation around. So many advances have been made with representation media, so many improvements, but disability has been left behind. We want to show the industry that authentic casting and authentic stories can be told. You don't need millions of dollars to ensure a set is accessible. You can start anywhere, even in Arkansas. You can start with a short. You can start with Break.
 (884 x 200 px) (2).jpg)
We already have an amazing crew set up and ready to go, the funding we're looking for is to ensure we can grab an accessible location and cover travel and lodging that's accessible for our talent! The goal is not just to tell a more nuanced story about disability, but also to prove that authentic casting and accessibility aren't out of reach, even for a small crew in a small town.
We also want to be sure each frame of the film packs in personality and a sense of intimacy for the characters. We'll use funds to help build out their world with meaningful production design and select props ensuring our film isn't just telling a good story, but telling it beautifully.
Though we'll have a local premiere, we want as many eyes as possible on our film! Any additional funds raised beyond our goal go towards festival submissions and travel. We're already so close, and just need a final push to get us over the finish line and hopefully beyond!
If you want to follow our progress and meet more of our cast and team, check us out in Instagram @break_film_
Thank you so much!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Location
Costs $1,000
Goes towards securing a location that works best for our film and is also accessible to our cast and crew!
Talent Hires
Costs $1,000
Everyone gets paid for their work. This covers day rates for both leads throughout filming.
Travel/Lodging
Costs $1,000
We want to ensure everyone can get to Arkansas safely and comfortably. Covers accessible travel and lodging.
Production Design
Costs $400
We want to make every inch of the frame count! This goes towards making our rental house our character's home, plus props and costumes.
Crafty
Costs $300
People gotta eat! We want to be sure there's a good selection of tasty snacks that cover all diets.
Contingency
Costs $300
The best laid plans... We'll be sure, even if the unexpected happens, we're ready and can problem-solve!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Allison Ousnamer Writer/Director
Allison Ousnamer is a Senior at UCA finishing her degree in film. With her professional history in publishing and past work as a fiction editor, she plans to pursue a career as a writer/director. She’s worked on productions as a sound engineer, assistant director, cinematographer, and production designer. Allison has Cerebral Palsy and looks forward to improving the representation of disability in front of and behind the camera. Diversity includes accessibility – nothing about us without us
Kendell House Producer
Kendell House is a filmmaker from Little Rock. He primarily works as a producer, focusing on providing others with the tools they need to bring their vision from the page to the screen He enjoys traveling, playing chess and walking his dogs with his wife Melissa.
Rowan Thomas Unit Production Manager
Rowan Thomas is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently based in Conway, Arkansas. Raised in Fort Smith, Arkansas, she moved to Conway to pursue filmmaking and cinema studies with a passion for creative self-expression at the University of Central Arkansas. She has worked on several undergraduate and graduate film sets across various genres, including American Heterosexual Story and Treachery. Her range of experience includes screenwriting, acting, directing, producing, sound, gaffing, and assistant directing. She loves to write and direct her own films and help create stories about relationships, identity, and exploring the unknown.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
For Miranda, finding love always felt like much more of a challenge than anything her disability could throw at her. Now that she's found Julia, she's content never to let her go. The two have been enjoying the initial bliss of the honeymoon phase when their peace (and Julia's foot) is shattered. No problem for Miranda, she's an expert at getting around with a little help navigating access barriers and dealing with aches and pains - Julia is in capable hands.
But when Julia rejects help, refuses mobility aids, and has a panic attack over using a mobility cart at the grocery store, Miranda is confronted with some difficult truths. Maybe Julia isn't the perfect match Miranda thought she was. Can they find a way to communicate again? Does Miranda even want to try?
Why this story?
It's important to tell more grounded stories about the realities of disabled life. Not every day is life or death, not every task is an insurmountable challenge. A lot of life is laundry, dishes, deciding what to make for dinner. Your home, with the accommodations you've made and the accessibility tools you have, can be your bastion of normalcy. Deciding who to let in is important. You want someone who makes you feel seen and understood, same as everyone. This story looks at the challenges of letting in someone who has only ever experienced disability through the limited lens of media and who still holds some of the ableist ideas that run rampant in society. You have to decide - is this person worth it? That answer can be yes for a while, until suddenly maybe it's not.
I've never seen this aspect of disability and relationships on screen before. It's an altogether new view.
Why now?
Did you know that more than 1 in 4 Americans (28.7%) have some type of disability? 61 million adults. What an enormous portion of the population with little to no representation in our media. This film looks to turn some of that poor representation around. So many advances have been made with representation media, so many improvements, but disability has been left behind. We want to show the industry that authentic casting and authentic stories can be told. You don't need millions of dollars to ensure a set is accessible. You can start anywhere, even in Arkansas. You can start with a short. You can start with Break.
We already have an amazing crew set up and ready to go, the funding we're looking for is to ensure we can grab an accessible location and cover travel and lodging that's accessible for our talent! The goal is not just to tell a more nuanced story about disability, but also to prove that authentic casting and accessibility aren't out of reach, even for a small crew in a small town.
We also want to be sure each frame of the film packs in personality and a sense of intimacy for the characters. We'll use funds to help build out their world with meaningful production design and select props ensuring our film isn't just telling a good story, but telling it beautifully.
Though we'll have a local premiere, we want as many eyes as possible on our film! Any additional funds raised beyond our goal go towards festival submissions and travel. We're already so close, and just need a final push to get us over the finish line and hopefully beyond!
If you want to follow our progress and meet more of our cast and team, check us out in Instagram @break_film_
Thank you so much!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Location
Costs $1,000
Goes towards securing a location that works best for our film and is also accessible to our cast and crew!
Talent Hires
Costs $1,000
Everyone gets paid for their work. This covers day rates for both leads throughout filming.
Travel/Lodging
Costs $1,000
We want to ensure everyone can get to Arkansas safely and comfortably. Covers accessible travel and lodging.
Production Design
Costs $400
We want to make every inch of the frame count! This goes towards making our rental house our character's home, plus props and costumes.
Crafty
Costs $300
People gotta eat! We want to be sure there's a good selection of tasty snacks that cover all diets.
Contingency
Costs $300
The best laid plans... We'll be sure, even if the unexpected happens, we're ready and can problem-solve!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Allison Ousnamer Writer/Director
Allison Ousnamer is a Senior at UCA finishing her degree in film. With her professional history in publishing and past work as a fiction editor, she plans to pursue a career as a writer/director. She’s worked on productions as a sound engineer, assistant director, cinematographer, and production designer. Allison has Cerebral Palsy and looks forward to improving the representation of disability in front of and behind the camera. Diversity includes accessibility – nothing about us without us
Kendell House Producer
Kendell House is a filmmaker from Little Rock. He primarily works as a producer, focusing on providing others with the tools they need to bring their vision from the page to the screen He enjoys traveling, playing chess and walking his dogs with his wife Melissa.
Rowan Thomas Unit Production Manager
Rowan Thomas is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently based in Conway, Arkansas. Raised in Fort Smith, Arkansas, she moved to Conway to pursue filmmaking and cinema studies with a passion for creative self-expression at the University of Central Arkansas. She has worked on several undergraduate and graduate film sets across various genres, including American Heterosexual Story and Treachery. Her range of experience includes screenwriting, acting, directing, producing, sound, gaffing, and assistant directing. She loves to write and direct her own films and help create stories about relationships, identity, and exploring the unknown.