CHARACTERS AND STORY

MARIE

Honestly explores the character of Marie, a thirty-something oddball with a passionate obsession for Vikings. She speaks Olde Norse, reenacts marauding in her backyard, and plans a trip to Norway to discover her ancestors. She toggles between working as a docent at the Natural History Museum and the Viking Voyage ride at Adventureland amusement park, and takes her positions VERY SERIOUSLY.

DAVID

The film is framed in a documentary created by an aspiring filmmaker named David. He has dreams of getting into USC and Marie is the perfect subject of an attention-getting documentary. They become unlikely friends and bond over being the two weirdos in their conservative Long Island town.

THERESA AND VITO

In stark contrast to the strapping strides of fair Marie are her very short, stereotypical Italian American parents.

Through filming this project we come to know there's a secret to Marie’s identity: her parents used a sperm donor to make her. All along the Viking connection was a ruse to convince Marie they were all genetically linked, as the Vikings invaded Sicily, so that’s how she got her height and bearing.

MARIA

Marie's grandmother sees through their excuses, but she knows that it's not her place to tell Marie the truth. Instead, she tries to guide Marie to becoming more independent and grounded and is hoping that no one finds out that she feeds Marie’s frogs pizza.

WHY US?

My (Lauren, the writer) experience is a jumping off point for this project. I was the Norwegian Gulliver in a family of Sicilian Lilliputians, and when I asked my parents why they told me, “You’re crazy, there’s nothing to see here!” Then my grandfather, not knowing I was DC, found an article to explain the situation: “The Vikings invaded Sicily 1000 years ago.” For this story I imagined: What if I chose to go all-in on this theory and being a Viking became my identity. That’s where the main character Marie was born. 

Growing up people would see me with my family and ask: Was I the family friend? I learned to dissociate, perhaps too well, because my parents brought me for testing at a deaf school. I was fine but they looked at me and asked, “Is she adopted?” The disconnection led to anxiety and depression, many things too sad to put in a comedy film pitch, and now, the worst of all, I’m a comedian. We hope to encourage people to be honest with children about their origins.

This film speaks to the other outcast misfit weirdos who feel like they don't fit. I get you!

WHY NOW?

In the United States there are no laws requiring parents to tell children the truth, nor restricting how many times someone can donate gametes. There is also no official way for donors to update medical information, nor to connect half-siblings with each other. Many donors lie on their applications without consequence. (My friend wrote “Harvard” when he worked at Dollar Tree.) No data exists on how the offspring of assisted reproduction fare, because once we’re born there is not a profit incentive to collect data on our well being.

Stories like mine will only become more common:

• Donor-conceived advocacy groups call for legislation, like at a 2019 UN Convention, but the multi-billion dollar fertility industry fights their attempts. 

• Rising infertility is increasing and more people use donor gametes. Each year tens of thousands of donor kids are created in the United States. Many parents do not plan on telling the donor kids the truth of their conception.

• Technology has created more ways to find sperm via matching apps, Facebook groups, and TikTok(!) videos.

• More people are doing DNA tests and finding out the truth of their genetic origins and seeking answers. 

And no one is asking: how are the DC kids doing?

FILM INSPIRATIONS

The film is Elf inspired simultaneously by Grey Gardens and Absolutely Fabulous with a character lovable and eccentric as Pee-wee Herman.

WHERE ARE WE IN THE PROCESS?

In June we shot the film over a long weekend in Medford, NY. It was a beautiful experience of collaboration and, most importantly, fun. With joy and intention we made art about which we are proud.

Now comes post production. or what you might know as the editing process. This is when Honestly gets transformed from images filmed on set into a real film. It involves an editor, sound design, music composition, coloring grading, sound mixing and mastering all to make a shiny finished product. And this project deserves all the glimmer; when the final "cut" was sounded by our director, Kelly Sater, we knew that we created something special.

After post production comes getting the film into the world. This includes marketing, film festivals, and PR.

Sounds like a lot? Because it is. Our work has only begun.

WHY WE NEED YOU

So where does your money go exactly? You ask really good questions!

$7,000: Creating the Film in Post-Production: editor, sound mixing, color correction, titles and motion graphics

$2,500: Spreading the Message of the Film Into the World: festival submissions, marketing (poster and ads), and getting to festivals (train/flights/lodging)

Every cent you give us is going to support the film; we are not paying ourselves. Most of it goes to paying other artists.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

1. CONTRIBUTE AND PLEDGE: You can make a contribution by making a pledge (we need to collect at least 80% of our crowdfunding goal to keep our funds). You decide what fits your budget. Seriously, no pledge is too small. Every dollar makes a difference in making our film possible! And every person who contributes is part of our community!

2. FOLLOW US ON SEED AND SPARK, ALSO INSTAGRAM AND EMAIL

Be sure to follow us here on Seed&Spark, it makes a difference about how people see this project. Also follow the journey on Instagram, or monthly on my email list.

3. SPREAD THE WORD

Have a misfit friend? This film is for them. Share our posts, campaign page, and our backer updates!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONSIDERING OUR PROJECT :)