Love is love. On screen our leads Adam and Patrick give life to this truth, which pushes the audience to root for their love regardless of sexual orientation. Our director leads a dynamic cast and brings together a kick ass crew of women and men with diverse backgrounds and beliefs.

GIVE is a multi-layered tale of the passionate romance between Adam, a contemporary composer-pianist, and Patrick, a classical singer. The two have a special gift... music. It's what brought them to each other. Adam finds comfort with each stroke of the piano. And when Patrick sings, everyone listens. When they play together, their connection is palpable. Each passing day brings ordinary and extraordinary moments to them. They live a night at a diner with the same intensity as a dreamy day at the beach. But once their love crescendos, Adam is forced to process the loss and betrayal the only way he knows how.

 

In this queer narrative short film, a lyrical and contemplative score and snippets of poetic voiceover support Adam and Patrick's dreamlike memories. With minimal dialogue, the film foregrounds the heartbeat of the story: the music. This essential component of the film, composed by our director Kenya Gillespie, will be recorded by a small chamber orchestra at world-class recording studio Wire Road Studios in Houston, TX.

 

This project is a thesis film for the MFA program in film & media production at The University of Texas at Austin. This highly selective program brings together talented storytellers from all over the world.

 

Characters

 

Mood Boards

 

A Note From The Director 

GIVE is a highly personal project. Eight years ago I created a multimedia piece for live orchestra and video as a music composition master's student at Rice University. Though I did not immediately realize it, the writing and performance of the piece became a vehicle for me to deal with my emotions, specifically those that I had been feeling around an emotional breakup. I see GIVE as my love letter to music and film, a nexus of my personal experiences as a composer, my memories of my past relationships, and my evolution as a filmmaker. My hope is that in telling this story, I am able to emphasize the compelling connections between film and music and the ways in which they both serve as powerful tools for empathy and personal transformation.

Financial Needs

Your contribution is essential to produce the rhythm and beauty each frame requires. The funds raised from this campaign will contribute to expenses related to securing locations, casting, music recording and wardrobe. Since the music is integral to the film narrative, we want it to have a full, textural quality that can only be achieved by recording live musicians in the studio. Without these elements, our film will lack heart and authenticity. Join us on this journey to make a unique, queer, cinematic experience!

 

 

 

COVID-19 Protocol 

The health and safety of our cast and crew is our top priority. The production will adhere to the following four safety practices: COVID-19 testing, social distancing, personal protective equipment (PPE), and disinfecting on set. We consider these new guidelines absolutely necessary, not only to maintain the safety and health of our community, but also to maintain a high level of production.