Fourteen
Toronto, Canada | Film Short
Drama, Teen
Fourteen is a coming-of-age dramedy about a 24-year-old woman who gets sucked into the memory of a sleepover that left her scarred from an online interaction with a young man. We are currently seeking funding to go to production in summer 2023 in Toronto, ON.
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This campaign raised C$9,300 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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Fourteen is a coming-of-age dramedy about a 24-year-old woman who gets sucked into the memory of a sleepover that left her scarred from an online interaction with a young man. We are currently seeking funding to go to production in summer 2023 in Toronto, ON.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
*If you've ever heard someone say the words: "we should go omegle," you are intitled to financial compensation.*
Fourteen is a coming-of-age short film about the dark side of sleepovers and the lasting effects of sexual exploitation. The film follows Dani on her 24th birthday as a panic attack causes her to get sucked back into the past and relive a sleepover from 2014.
When you read the word sleepover, what comes to mind?
The idea of the ‘girl’s sleepover’ has been hypothesized and oversexualized to death but the truth is sometimes there is a dark underbelly to it all. Staying up late googling dirty videos, chatting with strangers online, drinking, texting crushes, showing everyone your folder of nudes, sneaking boys in, looking up age of consent laws for when a certain celebrity rolls into town…
I’m not quite sure when sleepover activities transition from eating so many sweets you can’t fall asleep and seriously discussing when it’s the right time to start wearing a bra to the darker stuff, but I suspect it happens slowly and then all at once. Fourteen is a film about that shift and the danger it can hold.
Fourteen is...
the adventurous fun energy of Sleepover
-meets-
the gritty unnverving tension of Thirteen.
In doing research for this film, I was extremely saddened to see that although knowledge about the dangers of children and teens spending unsupervised time online is more widespread, sexual exploitation cases are steadily on the rise. The deep isolation of the pandemic plus unchecked long hours spent on phones have created a recipe for disaster. There is still a huge stigma around all kinds of sexual exploitation, and I want to create Fourteen to spread awareness about these incidents and to show survivors that they are not alone in their pain.
I’m also interested in showing how nuanced sexual violence can be. In film, it’s often shown in a way that is very violent with a clear victim and assaulter. However, there are a lot more situations that feel like they exist in a grey area which leaves survivors even more conflicted and unsure if they are deserving of help. I want Fourteen to let them know that are 100% deserving of getting help to heal and that what happened to them was wrong. Lastly, I want to centre Black girls in this narrative because they are a group who are often oversexualized from a young age but are often left of the conversations regarding sexual violence.
Teens & Technology:
What do teens really do on their phones? Not in a gotcha way but in a way that holds nostalgia and contempt for the consequences of having the world at your fingertips before you’ve had your first kiss.
Coming of age:
The desire to grow up and mature vs. the reality of what that can entail. What are we ready for and what do we just think we’re ready for? Being a teen often means blurring these lines and learning hard lessons along the way.
Trauma:
Sometimes it’s the littlest things that trigger bad memories and threaten to traumatize you again and again and again.
Angus Thongs and Pefect Snogging (2008).
Follow our Seed and Spark campaign!
Follow us on here. It’s free and can help us reach a wider net of supporters on here. It will also allow you to keep up the production as we make updates!
Stay connected!
Follow my production company on Instagram @2nd_adolescence and twitter @2nd_adolescence for more updates!
Tell a friend or an enemy…
Once you follow us please share our campaign posts and announcements!
Make it your own!
If you feel passionately about this project, feel free to make your own posts or even send text, or emails to your freinds and family supporting us! We are a small team and really appreciate any extra reach we can get!
13 Going on 30 (2004).
If you are feeling like you could benefit from talking to someone about these topics or are inclined to research organizations that help survivors of sexual exploitation here is a list of organizations:
- Cybertip.ca
- Boost - Internet Child Exploitation (ICE)
- What’s Up Walk-in
- Child Develop Institute
- Kids Help Phone
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Set Decoration & Costumes
Costs C$800
Help us make the teen girl bedroom of our 2014 dreams!
Location Location Location
Costs C$1,000
Help us rent a house to use as our single location!
Share this update!
About This Team
JAHNELLE JONES - WRITER/DIRECTOR
Jahnelle Jones is a Toronto based emerging writer, actor, director, and winner of the “Most Well Rounded” student award (circa 6th grade). She’s been a member of the Toronto theatre community since 2014 and is currently a member of the indie theatre collective Rookies with Friends. Aside from theatre, Jahnelle is currently developing and writing multiple independent projects for tv and film. With her creative partner, Kat Khan, Jahnelle started Second Adolescence Productions, a production company focused on creating diverse coming-of-age stories. Last year they won the IPF x CMF development funds for Fan Club a dramedic short form series about two friends trying to win tickets to their favourite boyband's concert. Together the duo are now developing Fan Club as a feature that will be pitched at the upcoming Banff Media Festival.
Jahnelle enjoys creating and consuming work that centers racialized women, especially Black women, in spaces she feels they are underrepresented in. Jahnelle feels it’s important to push past stereotypes of Black women to create characters that are three dimensional with their own flaws, dreams, and interests. Jahnelle is excited to contiunue to work on her craft as a director through Fourteen.
KAT KHAN - LEAD ACTOR
Kat Khan is a mixed race creator, director, actor, and writer based in Toronto, Ontario. Kat holds an BFA in Acting from York University (2020) and she was a 2022-23 resident of The Canadian Film Centre CBC Actors Conservatory. She is the co-founder of Second Adolescence Productions inc, where her projects are centered around amplifying underrepresented voices in the coming-of-age genre. Kat’s work is inspired by her experiences navigating identity, personal development and vulnerability, all things she values and is driven by.
Kat won the 2022 IPF/CMF Development fund for her series Fan Club, where she works as the creator, director, showrunner, and executive story editor alongside Jahnelle Jones. On screen, Kat can be found as a main cast member on Gay Mean Girls (KindaTV). Other selected screen credits include: Verona (KCFF/Telefilm), The Handmaid’s Tale(Hulu), Ghostwriters (Apple TV), Fear Thy Roommate (Discovery ID), TallBoyz (CBC), and Better At Texting (Reel World’22) Kat is passionate about telling stories that prioritize people of colour, queer folk, and young women and hopes to create work where BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ people can see themselves in lenses that are vulnerable and loving.
LOLA GAFAAR - PRODUCER
Temilola Gafaar is a director/ producer-in-training, who explores her passion for storytelling in both film and theater. From a production standpoint, she has facilitated for several creative teams in long form independent scripted content, theater and commercials; including her most notable experience as the Production Coordinator for the CBC Gem web series Revenge of the Black Best Friend. She served as a Co- Producer for the Canada Arts Council granted Short Film September 10th as well as the IPF Development Funded Trailer – Fan Club. She is delighted to join Jahnelle in bringing this project to life.
ASMAA ER-ROUHI - DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Asmaa is a Cinematographer and a Lighting Technician in the booming Toronto film industry. She graduated Humber College in 2017 and has since freelanced as a grip and spark to gain invaluable lighting and camera experience. Asmaa started taking on the Director of Photography roll in 2020 with many opportunities to grow and practice her craft. Since her debut as a DP, Asmaa got a chance to work on many short format projects including short films, teasers and commercials and has work screened in film festivals around the country and the world. Asmaa is currently working on boosting her cinematography portfolio and looking to
get into the long format realm.
Cast and crew safety is our top priority! No set is worth someone's health or peice of mind. We are going to be following all provincial and federal health guidelines regarding COVID-19. We will also be doing rapid tests on the day of the shoot and wearing PPE to keep everyone safe. We are also very mindful about the subject matter of the film and want to keep the minors working on the film safe and make sure to keep the energy of the set light and fun even when dealing with heavy subjects.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
*If you've ever heard someone say the words: "we should go omegle," you are intitled to financial compensation.*
Fourteen is a coming-of-age short film about the dark side of sleepovers and the lasting effects of sexual exploitation. The film follows Dani on her 24th birthday as a panic attack causes her to get sucked back into the past and relive a sleepover from 2014.
When you read the word sleepover, what comes to mind?
The idea of the ‘girl’s sleepover’ has been hypothesized and oversexualized to death but the truth is sometimes there is a dark underbelly to it all. Staying up late googling dirty videos, chatting with strangers online, drinking, texting crushes, showing everyone your folder of nudes, sneaking boys in, looking up age of consent laws for when a certain celebrity rolls into town…
I’m not quite sure when sleepover activities transition from eating so many sweets you can’t fall asleep and seriously discussing when it’s the right time to start wearing a bra to the darker stuff, but I suspect it happens slowly and then all at once. Fourteen is a film about that shift and the danger it can hold.
Fourteen is...
the adventurous fun energy of Sleepover
-meets-
the gritty unnverving tension of Thirteen.
In doing research for this film, I was extremely saddened to see that although knowledge about the dangers of children and teens spending unsupervised time online is more widespread, sexual exploitation cases are steadily on the rise. The deep isolation of the pandemic plus unchecked long hours spent on phones have created a recipe for disaster. There is still a huge stigma around all kinds of sexual exploitation, and I want to create Fourteen to spread awareness about these incidents and to show survivors that they are not alone in their pain.
I’m also interested in showing how nuanced sexual violence can be. In film, it’s often shown in a way that is very violent with a clear victim and assaulter. However, there are a lot more situations that feel like they exist in a grey area which leaves survivors even more conflicted and unsure if they are deserving of help. I want Fourteen to let them know that are 100% deserving of getting help to heal and that what happened to them was wrong. Lastly, I want to centre Black girls in this narrative because they are a group who are often oversexualized from a young age but are often left of the conversations regarding sexual violence.
Teens & Technology:
What do teens really do on their phones? Not in a gotcha way but in a way that holds nostalgia and contempt for the consequences of having the world at your fingertips before you’ve had your first kiss.
Coming of age:
The desire to grow up and mature vs. the reality of what that can entail. What are we ready for and what do we just think we’re ready for? Being a teen often means blurring these lines and learning hard lessons along the way.
Trauma:
Sometimes it’s the littlest things that trigger bad memories and threaten to traumatize you again and again and again.
Angus Thongs and Pefect Snogging (2008).
Follow our Seed and Spark campaign!
Follow us on here. It’s free and can help us reach a wider net of supporters on here. It will also allow you to keep up the production as we make updates!
Stay connected!
Follow my production company on Instagram @2nd_adolescence and twitter @2nd_adolescence for more updates!
Tell a friend or an enemy…
Once you follow us please share our campaign posts and announcements!
Make it your own!
If you feel passionately about this project, feel free to make your own posts or even send text, or emails to your freinds and family supporting us! We are a small team and really appreciate any extra reach we can get!
13 Going on 30 (2004).
If you are feeling like you could benefit from talking to someone about these topics or are inclined to research organizations that help survivors of sexual exploitation here is a list of organizations:
- Cybertip.ca
- Boost - Internet Child Exploitation (ICE)
- What’s Up Walk-in
- Child Develop Institute
- Kids Help Phone
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Set Decoration & Costumes
Costs C$800
Help us make the teen girl bedroom of our 2014 dreams!
Location Location Location
Costs C$1,000
Help us rent a house to use as our single location!
Share this update!
About This Team
JAHNELLE JONES - WRITER/DIRECTOR
Jahnelle Jones is a Toronto based emerging writer, actor, director, and winner of the “Most Well Rounded” student award (circa 6th grade). She’s been a member of the Toronto theatre community since 2014 and is currently a member of the indie theatre collective Rookies with Friends. Aside from theatre, Jahnelle is currently developing and writing multiple independent projects for tv and film. With her creative partner, Kat Khan, Jahnelle started Second Adolescence Productions, a production company focused on creating diverse coming-of-age stories. Last year they won the IPF x CMF development funds for Fan Club a dramedic short form series about two friends trying to win tickets to their favourite boyband's concert. Together the duo are now developing Fan Club as a feature that will be pitched at the upcoming Banff Media Festival.
Jahnelle enjoys creating and consuming work that centers racialized women, especially Black women, in spaces she feels they are underrepresented in. Jahnelle feels it’s important to push past stereotypes of Black women to create characters that are three dimensional with their own flaws, dreams, and interests. Jahnelle is excited to contiunue to work on her craft as a director through Fourteen.
KAT KHAN - LEAD ACTOR
Kat Khan is a mixed race creator, director, actor, and writer based in Toronto, Ontario. Kat holds an BFA in Acting from York University (2020) and she was a 2022-23 resident of The Canadian Film Centre CBC Actors Conservatory. She is the co-founder of Second Adolescence Productions inc, where her projects are centered around amplifying underrepresented voices in the coming-of-age genre. Kat’s work is inspired by her experiences navigating identity, personal development and vulnerability, all things she values and is driven by.
Kat won the 2022 IPF/CMF Development fund for her series Fan Club, where she works as the creator, director, showrunner, and executive story editor alongside Jahnelle Jones. On screen, Kat can be found as a main cast member on Gay Mean Girls (KindaTV). Other selected screen credits include: Verona (KCFF/Telefilm), The Handmaid’s Tale(Hulu), Ghostwriters (Apple TV), Fear Thy Roommate (Discovery ID), TallBoyz (CBC), and Better At Texting (Reel World’22) Kat is passionate about telling stories that prioritize people of colour, queer folk, and young women and hopes to create work where BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ people can see themselves in lenses that are vulnerable and loving.
LOLA GAFAAR - PRODUCER
Temilola Gafaar is a director/ producer-in-training, who explores her passion for storytelling in both film and theater. From a production standpoint, she has facilitated for several creative teams in long form independent scripted content, theater and commercials; including her most notable experience as the Production Coordinator for the CBC Gem web series Revenge of the Black Best Friend. She served as a Co- Producer for the Canada Arts Council granted Short Film September 10th as well as the IPF Development Funded Trailer – Fan Club. She is delighted to join Jahnelle in bringing this project to life.
ASMAA ER-ROUHI - DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Asmaa is a Cinematographer and a Lighting Technician in the booming Toronto film industry. She graduated Humber College in 2017 and has since freelanced as a grip and spark to gain invaluable lighting and camera experience. Asmaa started taking on the Director of Photography roll in 2020 with many opportunities to grow and practice her craft. Since her debut as a DP, Asmaa got a chance to work on many short format projects including short films, teasers and commercials and has work screened in film festivals around the country and the world. Asmaa is currently working on boosting her cinematography portfolio and looking to
get into the long format realm.
Cast and crew safety is our top priority! No set is worth someone's health or peice of mind. We are going to be following all provincial and federal health guidelines regarding COVID-19. We will also be doing rapid tests on the day of the shoot and wearing PPE to keep everyone safe. We are also very mindful about the subject matter of the film and want to keep the minors working on the film safe and make sure to keep the energy of the set light and fun even when dealing with heavy subjects.