What does it mean for a woman to skillfully play the cards she was dealt under the inevitable rule of patriarchy?

Set in the present day, we start on a tour bus headed to New York City. Shot in mockumentary format, we're immersed into the hectic morning routines of the six groupies behind the image of Bobby Bass, an up and coming rock musician.

These characters are introduced through the lens of Yaya, one of the ladies more experienced to life on the road, who picks up a camera to make a documentary about her friends. We delve into the rich backgrounds of each woman, their individual motivations behind joining this rag tag group, and the unique ways each of them influence the music, style and journey that brought them all together.

WHY THIS? WHY NOW?

Well... why not?

Think of a dark-skinned, Gen-Z Black femme character.

Are you blanking? Because if we’re being honest, mainstream media usually does. And on the rare occasion a character does come to mind, they’re almost always stripped of the nuance, messiness, and complexity given to everyone else.

Dark skinned women are often written as supporting characters that fall into a series of tropes; the sassy best friend, the strong black woman, the jezebel, the mammy- all disposable archetypes with shallow plot lines.

It's about time we see more lead characters that accurately reflect the people who hold the essence behind the verbal and visual aesthetics that define this generation, no shade.

The provisional relationship of black woman to the cultural zeitgeist is apparent now more than ever and authentic portrayal is how this impact becomes recognized and credited.

GROUPIE creates a scenario that speaks to this uncredited influence. Through this film we subvert the condescending and superficial connotation of the word "groupie" to provide six genuine depictions of a demographic that is heard but never truly seen.

Set It Off, 1996

There are very few, if any, films that parallel F. Gary Gray's Set It Off because of its enticing portrayal of a friend group of black women in a dangerous situation that draws one in like no other. With so little representation, it's important now more than ever to create movies that capture black sisterhood to enshrine how it evolves from one generation to the next.

We wanted to tell a story like this specifically with characters that have dark skin to combat colorism present in casting choices for Black actresses in Hollywood.

CHIDI UDEH as SUGAR,  a veteran of the bus, is the mother to the girls that she never had herself.

CHIDI OBIESHI as REIGN, a former child actress who finds a second childhood on the bus, one unencumbered by the day to day responsibilities of a star career.

AK IKKO as YAYA who finds a sense of stability and a familial foundation with the girls, having been raised a military brat, moving from location to location because of her parents’ service.

MADDIE as AMBER and ADANAYA as COURT, friends of different economic backgrounds, find self identity on the bus: Court seeking “dirt under her fingernails”, an authenticity from her plastic, cookie cutter life passed down from her rich father, and Amber seeking the realization of her own star power after society has stated people who come from where she comes from are nothing.

DAMI as FAITH, an exotic dancer from a small town, seeking to expand her world past the city limits.

NDEH as BOBBY, a fragile rockstar from across the pond who's ego far exceeds his celebrity.

When the bus breaks down in the middle of nowhere, confrontation between Bobby and Faith ensues. Faith is the newest and youngest addition to the bus and, out of the six women, the most disillusioned with the “way things work” on the bus where each woman is expected to tend to a man like Bobby Bass- one with an outstretched ego to mask his many insecurities.

Faith stands up for herself when he ruins her real dream, soiling her fashion sketchbook in his chaotic hangover stupor without remorse or consideration. She demands respect and during the altercation we see the distinct ways each woman deals with managing the overcast that patriarchy has on this path they have chosen to pursue what fulfills them.

The environment of Groupie serves as a microcosm of our society, candidly observing the ways a woman has to operate when the route towards her purpose is inevitably governed by patriarchal assimilation. By exploring these women's lives, the film challenges the audience to look closely at the trade-offs society demands of them. Each woman’s story asks the questions- Is this the path that can truly lead her to what she desires out of life? Will it be worth it to shrink herself for the sake of this man? What does it mean for a woman to skillfully play the cards she was dealt under the rules of patriarchy? What are the ways for it to be a fruitful game for her?

BEHIND THE CURTAIN

Written & Directed by Aicha "AK" Keita and Bryce Edwards. This is our first short film together and our second time cowriting and directing a project. Last year we wrote and directed an original stage play that was performed in London as a theater workshop for a fashion week presentation. Since that went well we decided to up the ante and make a short film.

Inspired by the anecdotes of women like Anita Pallenberg told by Keith Richards in his autobiography "Life" and the captivating interviews of Faye Pridgon in the Jimi Hendrix 1973 documentary, we wanted to tell a story that centered women like these whose influence deserved to be properly archived as more than just a footnote in the stories of the musicians they were surrounded by.

For us, telling a story about black women means that our team should reflect that. 70% of our cast and crew are black women and with that, our characters have evolved as we brought on people who related to the characters we've written and have contributed their own experiences. Read more about us in the team tab above!

TIMELINE

We are currently well into pre-production (script locked, department heads onboarded, casting complete, locations scouted) and have been conducting rehearsals with our lovely cast. Here's what our timeline is looking like-

We are so close! Help us raise the final $45k to get cameras rolling.

SUPPORTING THIS CAMPAIGN HELPS US:

• Lock in our locations
• Rent cameras and gear
• Pay and feed our cast and crew for a 10 day shoot in NYC
• Afford props & wardrobe

Our stretch goal is $65,000.

$45,000: The Baseline

Secures the essentials to get cameras rolling.

• Professional standard daily rates for our crew and cast.
• Camera rentals, lighting packages, and secured locations.
• Production insurance, permits, and catering to feed the team.

$65,000: Stretch Goal

Elevates production value to the directors vision.

• Captures key sequences on 16mm film.
• Adds dedicated prep and wrap days to protect the crew and optimize performance.

$73,000: Full Stretch Goal

Finishes the movie and gets Groupie into the world.

• Complete editing, sound mixing, color grading, and VFX.
• Funds marketing, festival submissions, and distribution pushes.

So... what next?

• Click that beautiful blue button above to make a pledge!
• Follow us on Seed & Spark to stay updated on the process.
• Share with your muva, pops, uncle, granny, granny's neighbor, best friend, coworker you crushing on, ex-situationship, barber, pastor, imam, rabbi.... everyone.

Your support makes this film happen and we can't thank you enough for that!

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