Dude.
Austin, Texas | Film Short
Drama, LGBTQ
"Dude." is a student-directed coming-of-age drama that follows a closeted man forced to confront his repressed romantic feelings for his alcoholic best friend, a story where overcoming suppression and finding acceptance within yourself is key to repairing relationships with those you care for most.
Green Light
This campaign raised $4,785 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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"Dude." is a student-directed coming-of-age drama that follows a closeted man forced to confront his repressed romantic feelings for his alcoholic best friend, a story where overcoming suppression and finding acceptance within yourself is key to repairing relationships with those you care for most.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
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Logline: When his alcoholic best friend disappears on his birthday, a closeted man goes out to find him, forced to confront his repressed romantic feelings along the way.
Synopsis: Dude is a coming-of-age queer drama short film that follows 21-year-old Sean struggling to maintain a friendship with his alcoholic roommate, Bolton. When Bolton goes missing, Sean ditches his own birthday to go out and find him. He runs into Mira, who pushes him to confront how his feelings for Bolton have led him to neglect his own needs. This story revolves around characters who are forced to recognize what exactly they’re suppressing, how that suppression is hurting them, and how self-destructive habits have hurt the people they love most.
"Dude is my sophomore passion project and is my most ambitious endeavor yet. After spending the entirety of 2025 writing for these characters and this world and these concepts, I am eager to share a story that deserves to be told.
As a writer, I aim to create stories that I hope will make certain people feel less alone. I’m also making the exact kind of films I would want to see on screen, or even something I may have needed when I was younger. Dude falls into the latter.
Through handling loaded topics like being closeted and tying that suppression to the effects of addictions, such as alcoholism, I want to emphasize how looking out for yourself by setting boundaries is just as important as looking out for those around you. It is a myth that you have to give up everything you have to be by someone else’s side.”
- Stephen Nguyen, Director of Dude.
As we're a group of student filmmakers here at the University of Texas at Austin, we don't have the big budgets that studio films do, so every single dollar really counts!! Your support goes right to the heart of our production: feeding our cast and crew, securing locations, renting gear, building our art department, finishing the film in post, getting it out into the world through festivals and distribution, and keeping a small contingency for the unexpected. Being a student-led project, your contribution genuinely makes a difference between what we hope to do and what we're actually able to put on screen.
A pledge to this film of any size would mean the world to a dude like me. If you are not able to pledge to our campaign, please follow @stephenbaofilms on Instagram to stay updated on other ways to support us. You can always help us just by spreading the word, whether it's by resharing our crowdfunding pitch video or just talking about it to your friends, family, coworkers, anybody! You can also use Seed&Spark’s share tools to send this campaign to others who may be interested.
We could not be more excited to start this journey with you, Dude.
Photography by Spencer O’Neal. Production Design by Nina Cairo. Graphics by Stephen Nguyen.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Talent
Costs $450
This includes modest stipends for our actors, which help us respect their time and enable them to concentrate fully on the performance.
Gear & Equipment
Costs $2,000
Funds our cameras, lenses, audio gear, lighting, grip equipment; helps us rent the tools needed to give the film a professional look.
Locations
Costs $200
This helps us secure safe, film-friendly spaces and cover any necessary permits or location fees.
Production Design & Art Department
Costs $400
This category supports props, set dressing, wardrobe, and design elements that bring the world of our film to life.
Distribution
Costs $250
Festival submission fees and materials for screenings allow our film to have a wider reach and represent our team on a professional level.
Contingency
Costs $300
A small safety buffer, just in case of those unexpected costs—because student projects often come with surprises!
Post-Production
Costs $400
Funds our editing, sound mixing, color grading, and final exports-everything needed to bring the film to its polished final form.
Crafty/Food
Costs $1,200
Good food keeps a set energized and running smoothly. Your support will ensure our cast and crew stay fueled through long days of filming.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Stephen Nguyen, Director
Stephen is a 20-year-old filmmaker studying Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin. He often creates stories that package his own vulnerability underneath fictional narratives that act as character studies of relationships, whether it’s in friendships, romance, or family. Dude is his most ambitious leap yet in narrative directing.
Dominik Widyaratne, Producer
Hello, my name is Dominik Widyaratne, and I am a senior Radio-Television-Film student here at UT Austin. I've produced several student films, and I have directed a few projects myself. I'm all about crafting unique, surreal, fun tales that deal with topics of communities that do not usually get showcased on the big screen. A queer filmmaker myself, I care deeply about the representation of queerness in film and telling stories that speak to our experiences with honesty and heart.
KC Cerda, Producer
KC Cerda is a Latino director, writer, producer and actor based in San Antonio, Texas, who was last credited as a writer and casting director of the pilot Let There Be Light. They have also performed in theatre productions from The University of Texas at Austin and The Zach Theatre. Being a queer filmmaker, they immerse themselves in projects that deal with individuality, social issues, and overall representation of the LGBTQIA+, as well as productions having to do with family values.
Spencer O’Neal, Director of Photography
Spencer O’Neal is an Austin native dedicated to capturing raw emotion and mood through various mediums. Spencer blends cinematic techniques with documentary-like intimacy, bringing an authentic and textured aesthetic to every frame.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Logline: When his alcoholic best friend disappears on his birthday, a closeted man goes out to find him, forced to confront his repressed romantic feelings along the way.
Synopsis: Dude is a coming-of-age queer drama short film that follows 21-year-old Sean struggling to maintain a friendship with his alcoholic roommate, Bolton. When Bolton goes missing, Sean ditches his own birthday to go out and find him. He runs into Mira, who pushes him to confront how his feelings for Bolton have led him to neglect his own needs. This story revolves around characters who are forced to recognize what exactly they’re suppressing, how that suppression is hurting them, and how self-destructive habits have hurt the people they love most.
"Dude is my sophomore passion project and is my most ambitious endeavor yet. After spending the entirety of 2025 writing for these characters and this world and these concepts, I am eager to share a story that deserves to be told.
As a writer, I aim to create stories that I hope will make certain people feel less alone. I’m also making the exact kind of films I would want to see on screen, or even something I may have needed when I was younger. Dude falls into the latter.
Through handling loaded topics like being closeted and tying that suppression to the effects of addictions, such as alcoholism, I want to emphasize how looking out for yourself by setting boundaries is just as important as looking out for those around you. It is a myth that you have to give up everything you have to be by someone else’s side.”
- Stephen Nguyen, Director of Dude.
As we're a group of student filmmakers here at the University of Texas at Austin, we don't have the big budgets that studio films do, so every single dollar really counts!! Your support goes right to the heart of our production: feeding our cast and crew, securing locations, renting gear, building our art department, finishing the film in post, getting it out into the world through festivals and distribution, and keeping a small contingency for the unexpected. Being a student-led project, your contribution genuinely makes a difference between what we hope to do and what we're actually able to put on screen.
A pledge to this film of any size would mean the world to a dude like me. If you are not able to pledge to our campaign, please follow @stephenbaofilms on Instagram to stay updated on other ways to support us. You can always help us just by spreading the word, whether it's by resharing our crowdfunding pitch video or just talking about it to your friends, family, coworkers, anybody! You can also use Seed&Spark’s share tools to send this campaign to others who may be interested.
We could not be more excited to start this journey with you, Dude.
Photography by Spencer O’Neal. Production Design by Nina Cairo. Graphics by Stephen Nguyen.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Talent
Costs $450
This includes modest stipends for our actors, which help us respect their time and enable them to concentrate fully on the performance.
Gear & Equipment
Costs $2,000
Funds our cameras, lenses, audio gear, lighting, grip equipment; helps us rent the tools needed to give the film a professional look.
Locations
Costs $200
This helps us secure safe, film-friendly spaces and cover any necessary permits or location fees.
Production Design & Art Department
Costs $400
This category supports props, set dressing, wardrobe, and design elements that bring the world of our film to life.
Distribution
Costs $250
Festival submission fees and materials for screenings allow our film to have a wider reach and represent our team on a professional level.
Contingency
Costs $300
A small safety buffer, just in case of those unexpected costs—because student projects often come with surprises!
Post-Production
Costs $400
Funds our editing, sound mixing, color grading, and final exports-everything needed to bring the film to its polished final form.
Crafty/Food
Costs $1,200
Good food keeps a set energized and running smoothly. Your support will ensure our cast and crew stay fueled through long days of filming.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Stephen Nguyen, Director
Stephen is a 20-year-old filmmaker studying Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin. He often creates stories that package his own vulnerability underneath fictional narratives that act as character studies of relationships, whether it’s in friendships, romance, or family. Dude is his most ambitious leap yet in narrative directing.
Dominik Widyaratne, Producer
Hello, my name is Dominik Widyaratne, and I am a senior Radio-Television-Film student here at UT Austin. I've produced several student films, and I have directed a few projects myself. I'm all about crafting unique, surreal, fun tales that deal with topics of communities that do not usually get showcased on the big screen. A queer filmmaker myself, I care deeply about the representation of queerness in film and telling stories that speak to our experiences with honesty and heart.
KC Cerda, Producer
KC Cerda is a Latino director, writer, producer and actor based in San Antonio, Texas, who was last credited as a writer and casting director of the pilot Let There Be Light. They have also performed in theatre productions from The University of Texas at Austin and The Zach Theatre. Being a queer filmmaker, they immerse themselves in projects that deal with individuality, social issues, and overall representation of the LGBTQIA+, as well as productions having to do with family values.
Spencer O’Neal, Director of Photography
Spencer O’Neal is an Austin native dedicated to capturing raw emotion and mood through various mediums. Spencer blends cinematic techniques with documentary-like intimacy, bringing an authentic and textured aesthetic to every frame.