Gotham Cheer Documentary!
New York City, New York | Film Short
Documentary, Sport
This film invites audiences to experience the rebellious joy of camaraderie and queer visibility in sports. Gotham Cheer is NYC’s adult LGBTQ cheerleading team - a community rooted in thoughtfulness and hope, offering a space where belonging thrives for those who once felt it was out of reach.
Gotham Cheer Documentary!
New York City, New York | Film Short
Documentary, Sport
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
51 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$9,585
Goal: $10,870 for post-production
This film invites audiences to experience the rebellious joy of camaraderie and queer visibility in sports. Gotham Cheer is NYC’s adult LGBTQ cheerleading team - a community rooted in thoughtfulness and hope, offering a space where belonging thrives for those who once felt it was out of reach.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
*All images are taken from the current film footage.
This film follows members of Gotham Cheer from team tryouts to the fervor of Pride Month, an intense period that tests their resolve on physical, mental, and emotional fronts. The team comprises unique and diverse individuals who intertwine in a powerful narrative of unity and joy in daunting times.
THIS IS A STORY ABOUT
POSSIBILITY
VISIBILITY
& ATHLETICISM
Through Gotham’s unique style of joy.
Gotham has built a special space to transcend and transform narratives and become activists and athletes in our own community, and now we need your support to champion this message with a larger audience.
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Why me: I'm Allison, a filmmaker and proud Gotham Cheer alumni! My Journey with Gotham Cheer began in August 2023, a month after I unexpectedly lost my dear friend to cancer.
Uncertainty and fear filled me as I entered the high school gym for the Gotham Cheer Fall tryouts. I never thought that 20 years after high school I would ever become a cheerleader again, but my need for community and joy won me over. This team showed me care through humility and intentionality in those terrible early days of loss. Continuously showing up on Wednesday nights, amidst the shadow of grief, the team became a lifeline for me, offering a way to rise above my personal struggles and find solace within a collective embrace.
Why Now: I’ve been continuously moved by the spirit of this team and the resilience of its members. My time with the team has inspired me to share their story because I wholeheartedly believe it can uplift others. This is a story about living fearlessly, for ourselves, for each other, and for the communities we serve.
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Featured characters include team members: Jasmine, G, and Mitch.
Moving into the next phase and inviting you along for the journey
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To finish the film:
$420 - Hard Drives
$4,200 - Editor
$800 - Music
$900 - Sound Design and Mix
$1,300 - Color
$750 - Final Exports
$2,000 - Film Festival Entries
$500 - Key Artwork
Total
= $10,870
This film is a labor of love, but we need your support!
Pledge! - every contribution, no matter the size, gets us closer to creating something meaningful.
Follow us on Instagram to stay connected as our story grows! @allisonswankowen @GothamCheerFilm I will be especially active in sharing updates and content during Pride month!
LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE our posts to help amplify our story.
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Color
Costs $1,300
Gotham's world is full of color, the grading process will be a magical experience.
Sound Design and Final Mix
Costs $900
Sound design shapes the emotional tone and sense of place in the film.
Key Artwork
Costs $500
The key artwork is the visual identity for the film, i.e. the film poster, used across all promotional material and screenings forever.
Film Festival Entries and Travel
Costs $2,000
As I've found out with my previous films, this can add up quickly! Sky miles or hotel point would be of great benefit.
Final Exports
Costs $750
Online and final exports, especially a DCP export for cinema is the crucial final step in post production.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Director, Allison Swank
Allison (she/her) is an award-winning filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York. She has collaborated with Questlove’s music channels OkayAfrica and Okayplayer, working with renowned artists like Erykah Badu, Elvis Costello, A$AP Rocky, and Flying Lotus. Her first independent documentary Scum Boy (2021) gained her notoriety in METAL Magazine, PAPER, and others, winning "Best Short Documentary" at the IMDB Independent Shorts Awards in LA, and was an official selection for Shorts On Tap, London, Hot Docs, and was invited to screen at AFI Docfest. Her film Landspeed Liz (2025) won Best Short Documentary at the Grand Motoring Film Festival, and a runner-up at The International Auto Film Festival, Japan. It was an official selection at Nevada City Film Festival, and the Utah Arts Festival.
Her work seeks to explore human resilience by creating safe spaces to empower and uplift others. As a filmmaker, she sees vulnerability as a way to transcend fear, share pain, and collectively heal through storytelling.
She was nominated for “Best New Director” at AICP ‘24 (Association of Independent Commercial Producers) and Le Book ‘24.
Consulting Producer, Darcy McKinnon
Darcy McKinnon (she/her) is a documentary filmmaker based in New Orleans whose recently production credits include Natchez, (Best Documentary, Tribeca 2025); A King Like Me, (SXSW 2024); Roleplay, (SXSW 2024); Commuted (PBS 2024); Algiers, America (Hulu 2023); Under G-d (Sundance 2023); Look at Me! XXXTENTACION (SXSW, Hulu 2022); and The Neutral Ground (Tribeca, POV 2021). Current projects in production include Jason Fitzroy Jeffers’ The First Plantation, Abe Felix’s Turnaround, CJ Hunt’s Unlearned, Nicole Craine’s Kinfolk, and Zac Manuel’s The Instrument.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
*All images are taken from the current film footage.
This film follows members of Gotham Cheer from team tryouts to the fervor of Pride Month, an intense period that tests their resolve on physical, mental, and emotional fronts. The team comprises unique and diverse individuals who intertwine in a powerful narrative of unity and joy in daunting times.
THIS IS A STORY ABOUT
POSSIBILITY
VISIBILITY
& ATHLETICISM
Through Gotham’s unique style of joy.
Gotham has built a special space to transcend and transform narratives and become activists and athletes in our own community, and now we need your support to champion this message with a larger audience.
Why me: I'm Allison, a filmmaker and proud Gotham Cheer alumni! My Journey with Gotham Cheer began in August 2023, a month after I unexpectedly lost my dear friend to cancer.
Uncertainty and fear filled me as I entered the high school gym for the Gotham Cheer Fall tryouts. I never thought that 20 years after high school I would ever become a cheerleader again, but my need for community and joy won me over. This team showed me care through humility and intentionality in those terrible early days of loss. Continuously showing up on Wednesday nights, amidst the shadow of grief, the team became a lifeline for me, offering a way to rise above my personal struggles and find solace within a collective embrace.
Why Now: I’ve been continuously moved by the spirit of this team and the resilience of its members. My time with the team has inspired me to share their story because I wholeheartedly believe it can uplift others. This is a story about living fearlessly, for ourselves, for each other, and for the communities we serve.
Featured characters include team members: Jasmine, G, and Mitch.
Moving into the next phase and inviting you along for the journey
To finish the film:
$420 - Hard Drives
$4,200 - Editor
$800 - Music
$900 - Sound Design and Mix
$1,300 - Color
$750 - Final Exports
$2,000 - Film Festival Entries
$500 - Key Artwork
Total
= $10,870
This film is a labor of love, but we need your support!
Pledge! - every contribution, no matter the size, gets us closer to creating something meaningful.
Follow us on Instagram to stay connected as our story grows! @allisonswankowen @GothamCheerFilm I will be especially active in sharing updates and content during Pride month!
LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE our posts to help amplify our story.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Color
Costs $1,300
Gotham's world is full of color, the grading process will be a magical experience.
Sound Design and Final Mix
Costs $900
Sound design shapes the emotional tone and sense of place in the film.
Key Artwork
Costs $500
The key artwork is the visual identity for the film, i.e. the film poster, used across all promotional material and screenings forever.
Film Festival Entries and Travel
Costs $2,000
As I've found out with my previous films, this can add up quickly! Sky miles or hotel point would be of great benefit.
Final Exports
Costs $750
Online and final exports, especially a DCP export for cinema is the crucial final step in post production.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Director, Allison Swank
Allison (she/her) is an award-winning filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York. She has collaborated with Questlove’s music channels OkayAfrica and Okayplayer, working with renowned artists like Erykah Badu, Elvis Costello, A$AP Rocky, and Flying Lotus. Her first independent documentary Scum Boy (2021) gained her notoriety in METAL Magazine, PAPER, and others, winning "Best Short Documentary" at the IMDB Independent Shorts Awards in LA, and was an official selection for Shorts On Tap, London, Hot Docs, and was invited to screen at AFI Docfest. Her film Landspeed Liz (2025) won Best Short Documentary at the Grand Motoring Film Festival, and a runner-up at The International Auto Film Festival, Japan. It was an official selection at Nevada City Film Festival, and the Utah Arts Festival.
Her work seeks to explore human resilience by creating safe spaces to empower and uplift others. As a filmmaker, she sees vulnerability as a way to transcend fear, share pain, and collectively heal through storytelling.
She was nominated for “Best New Director” at AICP ‘24 (Association of Independent Commercial Producers) and Le Book ‘24.
Consulting Producer, Darcy McKinnon
Darcy McKinnon (she/her) is a documentary filmmaker based in New Orleans whose recently production credits include Natchez, (Best Documentary, Tribeca 2025); A King Like Me, (SXSW 2024); Roleplay, (SXSW 2024); Commuted (PBS 2024); Algiers, America (Hulu 2023); Under G-d (Sundance 2023); Look at Me! XXXTENTACION (SXSW, Hulu 2022); and The Neutral Ground (Tribeca, POV 2021). Current projects in production include Jason Fitzroy Jeffers’ The First Plantation, Abe Felix’s Turnaround, CJ Hunt’s Unlearned, Nicole Craine’s Kinfolk, and Zac Manuel’s The Instrument.