Anne, a teenager in the Canoga Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, tries to navigate high school, young love, and her love for biking.
Anne, a teenager in the Canoga Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, tries to navigate high school, young love, and her love for biking.
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Story
About The Project
Anne Santos, of the San Fernando Valley, is seventeen, Hispanic, and gay. And she's about to experience her first love.
There are things you can't change. Your ethnicity. Your sexual orientation. The way you look. The way you talk. But Anne will try. She'll alternately embrace and reject her ethnicity, her sexuality, even the way she talks, all in the name of fitting in.
I gravitate towards stories of youth in crisis. THE YOUNG KIESLOWSKI was about someone who didn't want to be a parent but pretended like he did. FIRST GIRL is in a sense the opposite. She's ready to be herself, to have her first love. But this will not be easy to admit.
The next generation is going to come along and figure this all out a lot better than we have. Being gay is becoming less ‘a difference to tolerate' and more something that simply is. It's not about acceptance or rejection. It's not about being proud or ashamed of who you are or where you come from.
For me, it really all comes down to love. And, as Anne will discover, before you can really love someone, first you have to love yourself.
-Kerem Sanga, writer/director
Incentives
$10
It's time to groove.
You’ll receive a Spotify playlist of songs that inspired the tone and feel of the film, personally curated by writer/director Kerem Sanga.$25
Appreciation Station.
You’ll get a shout-out on our social media pages – Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. You’ll be famous on the internet and get the above reward too.$50
Udabest.
You’ll receive a personalized “thank you” video from the director & producers, as well as the above rewards too.$100
Movie Night.
You’ve supported our film. We want you to be the first to see it! On the date of our festival premiere, you'll receive a link to an on-line full copy of FIRST GIRL I LOVED that will stay live for a full week. And all of the above rewards are included too!$200
That’s a Wrap.
Party like an indie filmmaker at the FIRST GIRL wrap party in LA (transportation not provided). And, of course, the above rewards too.$250
Noted.
Producer/script reader Ross Putman will do a one-on-one phone consult on your script! **this reward includes above rewards, but is not included in any higher reward.$500
Meet the Filmmakers.
Ever wanted to visit a set? Your wish is our command. This reward level gives you a curated set visit from a producer and all above rewards too!$750
Hungry? Why wait?!
Dinner with director Kerem Sanga and the producers (in LA only). We’ll pick the venue. You’ll eat some food. We’ll get the bill. And it includes all above rewards too!Claimed: 0 of 6
$1,000
A Star is Born.
If you're in LA, you'll appear in the first scene in the movie in an non-speaking capacity. We just need you to look good (but you already do, don’t you?) All above rewards, too!$1,500
Looking Good!
In FIRST GIRL I LOVED, Anne and Sasha's first meet-up is at a local thrift store. You'll return to this exact filming location, accompanied by director Kerem Sanga, for a $100 shopping spree, on us. And all the above rewards are included, too.Claimed: 0 of 4
$3,500
Wanna be a Big Wig?
Get an exclusive invite to a “rough cut” screening of the film as it’s being edited in LA. See it before anyone else, and tell us what you think! All above rewards included too!Claimed: 0 of 4
$5,000
Action.
This level gets you (2) tickets to the festival premiere of the movie! Transportation will not be provided, but we’ll get you in to the screening. All other rewards included, too.Claimed: 0 of 2
$10,000
You're Gonna Go Far, Kid.
At this level, you get an Associate Producer credit on the film! Your name in lights! And, you get every other reward (including the festival premiere tickets!)Claimed: 0 of 4
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$10
It's time to groove.
You’ll receive a Spotify playlist of songs that inspired the tone and feel of the film, personally curated by writer/director Kerem Sanga.$25
Appreciation Station.
You’ll get a shout-out on our social media pages – Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. You’ll be famous on the internet and get the above reward too.$50
Udabest.
You’ll receive a personalized “thank you” video from the director & producers, as well as the above rewards too.$100
Movie Night.
You’ve supported our film. We want you to be the first to see it! On the date of our festival premiere, you'll receive a link to an on-line full copy of FIRST GIRL I LOVED that will stay live for a full week. And all of the above rewards are included too!$200
That’s a Wrap.
Party like an indie filmmaker at the FIRST GIRL wrap party in LA (transportation not provided). And, of course, the above rewards too.$250
Noted.
Producer/script reader Ross Putman will do a one-on-one phone consult on your script! **this reward includes above rewards, but is not included in any higher reward.$500
Meet the Filmmakers.
Ever wanted to visit a set? Your wish is our command. This reward level gives you a curated set visit from a producer and all above rewards too!$750
Hungry? Why wait?!
Dinner with director Kerem Sanga and the producers (in LA only). We’ll pick the venue. You’ll eat some food. We’ll get the bill. And it includes all above rewards too!Claimed: 0 of 6
$1,000
A Star is Born.
If you're in LA, you'll appear in the first scene in the movie in an non-speaking capacity. We just need you to look good (but you already do, don’t you?) All above rewards, too!$1,500
Looking Good!
In FIRST GIRL I LOVED, Anne and Sasha's first meet-up is at a local thrift store. You'll return to this exact filming location, accompanied by director Kerem Sanga, for a $100 shopping spree, on us. And all the above rewards are included, too.Claimed: 0 of 4
$3,500
Wanna be a Big Wig?
Get an exclusive invite to a “rough cut” screening of the film as it’s being edited in LA. See it before anyone else, and tell us what you think! All above rewards included too!Claimed: 0 of 4
$5,000
Action.
This level gets you (2) tickets to the festival premiere of the movie! Transportation will not be provided, but we’ll get you in to the screening. All other rewards included, too.Claimed: 0 of 2
$10,000
You're Gonna Go Far, Kid.
At this level, you get an Associate Producer credit on the film! Your name in lights! And, you get every other reward (including the festival premiere tickets!)Claimed: 0 of 4
- Updates
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Current Team
About This Team
Kerem Sanga, Ross Putman, and Dave Hunter began collaborating as graduate students at USC, where they were a part of the MFA Writing for Screen and Television program. Together, they developed a screenplay that became Kerem's debut feature, THE YOUNG KIESLOWSKI. It premiered at the 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival, where it won the audience award for "Best Narrative Feature." The film then went on to play the Bend, Mill Valley, Twin Cities, Chicago International, Woodstock, Leiden, Sonoma, Cleveland, and Reno/Taho Film Festivals. It won the audience award at the Cleveland International, Bend, and Mill Valley Film Festivals, and the Jury Award at the Sonoma International Film Festival.
With Kerem as a writer/director and Ross & Dave as producers, they founded PSH Collective, a production company focused on bringing unique points of view, fresh voices, and young talents to the screen. FIRST GIRL is their follow-up film, though they are also producing the punk-rock rom com DINNER IN AMERICA, and the female-driven comedy ESKIMO SISTERS, with Danny Leiner (HAROLD AND KUMAR) directing.
Seth Caplan is an award-winning producer known for producing the 2007 indie hit IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and sold to IFC, later winning the Cassavettes award at the Independent Spirit Awards. He has been actively producing indie film for the past decade, mostly recently the action thriller THE WELL, which Dark Sky is releasing this summer, and KIESLOWSKI, alongside Ross and Dave. Seth has been a fan of Kerem's writing for years, having first noticed him while Kerem was still a student at UT-Austin.
Mickey Cottrell is the publicist for FIRST GIRL's campaign, having served as the publicist for THE YOUNG KIESLOWSKI, both at LAFF and for its upcoming theatrical release.
Also returning are cinematographer Ricardo Diaz, editor Ryan Brown, and composer John Swihart.
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