As a Black woman from a Southern background, my goal is to make distinctive art. Our stories are told incorrectly or not, and that gap in the film industry needs filling. God's Gift is thrilling but provides a level of realness lacking in America's depiction of Black woman in film.

WILLOW (29) is a conscientious, diligent plantswoman and marijuana grower. Her careful and methodical approach has gained recognition throughout the world of legal and illegal growing and selling.

Fresh out of a botched engagement, Willow plans to move on with her life and business until she realizes that her ex-fiancé, SEAN (29), has been spying on her via CASSIDY (21), a long-time client along the illegal route, and has no plans to leave the business.

Never one to go down without a fight, Willow lures Cassidy in, convincing her to be a pawn in a plot to get rid of Sean for once and for all.

As the legal use of marijuana grows in popularity, the controversy surrounding the well loved - and equally hated plant grows. Finding out that some people with legal licenses to grow and dabble on the illegal side fascinated me. I was attracted to the crime, noir, and suspense of using a legal business as a front for a more lucrative, tax-free, more dangerous, illegal one. During this time, I also learned that some 24-hour donut shops, abundant in the Los Angeles area - but suspiciously always empty - are used for money laundering, and decided to incorporate this into the story. I immediately knew that I wanted to tell this story from a diverse, inclusive lens that includes Black people and queer Black women. 

In spite of the growing acceptance and legality of marijuana, the plant's disparity and stigma remain. 

A Black person is 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana than a white person (ACLU, 2020). Black people made up for 86% of marijuana arrests in New York in 2017 (Politco, 2018), while 99% of license holders are Caucasian (McClatchy DC Bureau, 2018). 

Despite these alarming numbers and disparities, the number of Black people growing and selling weed is expected to grow throughout the coming decade. 

Although God's Gift is not directly about the disparities, it's impossible to tell this story without acknowledging them. I hope God's Gift opens minds to what a marijuana grower looks and acts like while making something thrilling, entertaining, and mysterious. Artistic integrity, originality, and representation is essential to me. While both the marijuana and film industries have been slow to open up to diversity and Black people, my goal is to make a film that breaks barriers in both facets. 

God's Gift is also woman-centric. My goal is to make as many dynamic depictions of Black women as possible. Our stories get told incorrectly, if at all, and I want to make as many developed, thought-provoking depictions as possible. 

We need it! Making movies is expensive, and even though my previous films have come out of my pocket and personal funds, I want to go as big as possible production-wise for my thesis film. We have a PD (production design) heavy script.

To make sure we're able to build a beautiful grow room with all the prop marijuana plants, florescent lighting, garden, and a home that is unique to our protagonist, we will need a heftier budget than usual. Even though I'm a student, I strive for high-quality films that don't look or function like the typical student film. For reference, please check out my short film, Mary Jane and the Marvelous Menacing Tabs.

An ample amount of the budget will also go to crafty and paying actors and outside crew. The school is giving us a budget for PPE; however, I plan to have extra PPE and sanitizing stations on set.

Every cent you donate will go to the production, post, and festival submissions for God's Gift. 

 

 

Character Descriptions (In order of appearance)

Willow (29)- A quiet, intuitive young woman who uses her green thumb to grow and sell marijuana. Former business partner and ex-fianceé to Sean, uses Cassidy to do her dirty work. Her cold demeanor is a result of her dysfunctional relationship, but she’s not the victim that she appears to be.

Buyer (25+) - Heard through the phone only. A legal buyer who doubts Willow's ability to run the business without Sean.

Cassidy (21)- Sweet, sensitive, quick on her feet drug dealer who gets caught between Willow & Sean’s mess. Masculine and dominant, yet naive in the most unsuspecting of ways.

Sean (29)- Willow’s ex-fiancé, hell bent on making sure his ex continues to share the weed business with him. Abusive, but aloof and not the kingpin that sees himself as.

My inspiration for the character design and development is simple: diversity. All different types of Black people exist - we are not a monolith. The three main characters, Willow, Cassidy, and Sean, are all very different from one another, yet their lives intersect in all directions. Although cold personality-wise, Willow has a physical softness that Cassidy doesn't have. Cassidy appears cold physically, while her personality is much softer. Willow and Sean both know that Cassidy is young and impressionable, and therefore, an easy pawn. 

FULL CAST COMING SOON! The casting process is ongoing, and we will update this section with headshots and information on the cast as soon as it is finalized. Stay tuned. ✨

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have any questions, reach out to me personally via my social media, call, text, or email [email protected]gmail.com. Thank you! We appreciate every single one of you from the bottom of our hearts.

 

 

 

 

 

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