After feeling like “12 years a slave” in a long-term relationship with a white man, Ryan – a 30-something Black woman who will do anything for the plot – is getting back in the Feeld (a dating app “for the open-minded”). Though she identifies as bi, Ryan finds women "intimidating," so begins the film only pursuing men. Brimming with confidence and curiosity, Ryan embarks on a journey for love with the "skeptical support" of her local queer barista, Kat, and learns sometimes the thing you are avoiding is what you've been looking for. Over the course of our film, Ryan overcomes her gay panic and, in doing so, finally goes after what she really wants: women. 

Our film highlights an important rite of passage in queer womanhood: actually pursuing women. More and more people are coming out later in life. Yet, we rarely see media about women who are stepping into a more queer existence in their 30s or 40s. Ryan is not wrestling with her queerness or discovering it. Instead, she is learning how to cross the threshold into queer dating, with all the clumsy pitfalls that come with it.

Our film provides an authentic, joyful playground for one Black woman’s sometimes naïve, often messy journey back to self and towards the love she so keenly deserves. This is not a recreation of the “strong-independent Black woman trope,” but a shattering of it. In our story, a Black woman does not have to be perfect to find her happily ever after; she just has to be herself. 

Dating apps have become the new norm for meeting people in “the wild." Gal pals host girls’ nights to discuss the latest round of horrors and hopefuls they have matched with, hoping to find the “one” (and praying they actually look like their picture). While a very common universal experience, there are very few comedies that center the dating experience of Black women, let alone Black queer women.  

I successfully outran my queerness for years before it finally caught me at twenty-three. Being Black and a woman felt like two strikes in America; how could I afford a third? After jumping on the dating apps, I met Alissa. I was a ball of nerves on our second date. We walked circles around the block of our movie theater, not wanting to go home, not knowing how else to stay. I stopped her in front of a used tire shop and asked if I could kiss her. Soft lips and fireworks. For the first time, being other felt right, felt home.

As a writer-director, I now embrace my otherness as my superpower. My goal as a writer-director is to be a bridge across culture, identity, and humanity that reminds the collective of all the things that connect us. Being a person who is intersectionally other gives me a lens through which I can better understand the struggle, oppression, and abandonment of others; and gives me a unique calling to celebrate the power, beauty, and resilience of intersectionally marginalized humans.

I am an out and proud lesbian. Beyond being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I identify as a queer artist. What that means is I approach all my work with a queer lens: one that disrupts the status quo and reimagines what is possible outside the binary, in the full spectrum of expression. I also see my work as inherently political, meant not only to shine a light on the issues facing humanity, but also to provide a vision for an alternative. 

My vision for this film is multifaceted: build Black queer art that collaborates with Black queer artists above and below “the line”; revolutionize the art-making process with an artist-first approach; and use storytelling of Black joy as an act of resistance to a world increasingly pushing conformity. 

How we work with artists to create the art is as important as the art itself. Our team is intentionally building a filmmaking environment that puts artists first, so that ends never justify the means. A set rooted in trust, respect, and genuine collaboration - all of which foster artists. Our set will be filled with wellness practices: crew-wide breathing circles, EFT ‘Tapping’ sessions, healthy meals, and shorter schedule days that enable artists to thrive in their creativity; all with a teamwork-led environment that trusts artists will work better when not burned out. 

As important as how we make art is who we make art with. Through our work, we are committed to creating more space for BIPOC, female/nonbinary, and LGBTQIA artists. Our team will ensure our department heads and full crew are at least: 50% BIPOC, 50% women or nonbinary/trans, and 50% LGBTQIA+.

This is not a new approach, but one that I've been consistently championing. On my last film:

• 50% of department heads and 55% of all artists were BIPOC,
• 94% of department heads and 88% of all artists women and nonbinary folks,
• and 65% of department heads and 50% of all artists were members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Supporting our film is supporting the work of all the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and women/nonbinary collaborators that join my team: the flock of talented, queer artists that are out here to make art that queers the status quo, instead of soothing it.

With the wholesome hope of To All the Boys I Loved Before, the awkward, cringe comedy of Insecure, the brash resolve of Sex Lives of College Girls, and the unwavering optimism of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, we aim to create a queer rom-com that nods to some of the great female-led comedies that came before us. 

We’ll include fun diary-themed pop-ups, bitingly honest voiceover, and whip-fast transitions to keep our audience gasping for air between laughs. 

Our film is broken up into two worlds: the queer world and the straight world.

• The Straight World holds all of Ryan’s dates with men. It is monochromatic, angular, and static, representing the box society is trying to squeeze Ryan into. 
• The Queer World holds a spectrum of color, movement, and shape, representing the diversity of the queer community and the fluidity of queer expression.

Queer Spaces

Kat’s Coffee Shop is the vibrant epicenter and emotional core of our story. This home base is where Ryan bonds and strategizes with Kat. It represents a safe haven that can hold Ryan’s full expression of self. Colorful, spacious, modern, plush. 

Ryan’s apartment is her safe space. Deeply personal to her evolution, this space is warm, inviting and reflective of the woman she’s grown into post-relationship. The diverse color palette will have some parallels to Kat’s Coffee Shop, heightening the sense that Ryan feels “at home” with Kat. 

Straight Spaces

We have three separate locations for Ryan’s three dates, which reflect the version of straight manhood that Ryan is meeting. These locations belong to the Straight World and must adhere to the acceptable, narrow range of “straight masculinity.” The color palettes in these spaces will be monochromatic, only showing one “shade” of masculine expression at a time.

Wardrobe is a key component to world-building in our film. Just as with the camera framing, lighting, and locations, wardrobe will be distinctly different between the Queer World and Straight World. 

Queer World: Ryan, Kat, and customers in the Coffee Shop will wear colorful, vibrant wardrobe with unique cuts and styles that showcase the accessible freedom of expression available to them. 

Straight World: The dates Ryan encounters in the straight world will wear more neutral tones, blending seamlessly into the background. Their more restrictive color palette becomes armor between their inner-worlds and the world they must conform to. 

Our Queer World will use fluid camera movements to capture the energy of and between queer characters. Horizontal whip pans will be used for comedic reactions, vertical boom shots will punch reveals, and circular arc shots will build intimacy between queer characters as they fluidly switch roles outside of heteronormativity.

Our Straight World will employ more static camera shots to heighten the sense of rigidity Ryan feels in dating men. All straight characters will remain in fixed frames, fitting well into the box society has outlined for them. Ryan will still be captured by fluid camera movement in the straight world, just as she remains queer in identity. This will heighten the sense of disconnect that the audience perceives between Ryan and her male dates.

RYAN (she/her) is a hope-full romantic. She believes in the genuine good nature of others and approaches dating with beaming optimism. Ryan identifies as bisexual but has exclusively dated men because she finds dating women intimidating.

KAT (they/she) is the tatted, queer barista at Ryan’s local coffee shop. Witty and dry, Kat has the kind of quiet confidence that is fueled by self-awareness. She’s highly perceptive with an opinion about everything, but holds off on dishing out advice unless invited (after many years of therapy). Kat finds humor in sitting back and watching the reality tv of people’s lives, but also isn’t afraid to step out and go after what she wants.

NATE (he/him)'s favorite topics of conversation are Burns, manifestation, and the divine masculine and feminine. He is Ryan’s first date… and brings along his primary partner, Tina. Though Tina is less than enthused that they are exploring a more open relationship, Nate thinks she’ll come around and see the light. 

JEFFREY (he/him) is a sub looking for someone to tell him exactly what to do. Bi-curious if not out as bisexual. Jeffrey could range from a finance bro who is sick of taking the lead at his corporate job to a WeHo twink looking for a Zaddy or Zommy. He is Ryan’s second date. 

ZION (he/him) is an energy healer who is tragically addicted to woo woo Kool-Aid and spiritual capitalism. He is one of Ryan’s overconfident dates, who believes his enlightenment and recent pilgrimage back to Africa make him the ultimate catch. A hotep with dreadlocks.

Last Man Standing is a film about the beauty of finding and accepting who you are and what you want, especially when it comes to finding your happily ever after. In a time when it’s hard to connect and find your voice in the chaos, we want to be that beacon of light and love for every hopeful romantic out there. Joining our community, donating to our campaign, and spreading the word will help us achieve this goal as we tackle each stage of the filmmaking process.

We have hit the ground running. We have completed our Creative Development phase and are deep into Pre-Production, which includes finalizing the script, onboarding team members, scouting locations, and casting our talent. By donating to this campaign, you will give us the ability to fund the next crucial phase: Production. 

Reaching our goals will allow us to hire our experienced crew, pay them industry rates, and foster a nourishing environment for them on set. Your support will also give us the ability to lock in our locations: Ryan’s chaotic date night spots and Kat’s coffee shop, the heart and soul of our film and the incubator for Kat and Ryan’s blooming connection. All funds will also go towards production design and gear rentals for camera, lighting, and audio so that we can bring Ryan’s world to life. 

Upon completion of the film, your contribution will also enable us to share the final film with our donors.  We will submit to both domestic and international film festivals. Then we will follow up our festival run with private screenings via Kinema and additional online distribution platforms. We invite all donors and members of our community to follow our Instagram @lastmanstandingfilm for regular updates on where and when to attend festival screenings in-person or virtually, as well as links to the Kinema and online viewing options.

If we surpass our initial fundraising milestones for this campaign, our stretch goals will enable us to enhance our post-production services, including additional weeks for our editor, support for sound design and score, as well as final color. Additional funding will also allow us to expand our festival run for more screening opportunities as well as the ability to travel producers, cast, and crew to each screening to celebrate the work. It will also give us the means to market our film and amplify our overall message beyond our community.

Please see the details on our funding milestones below:

Our budget is $39,750 to fund the production of our film. To collect any donations, we must raise 80% of this cost on Seed & Spark within 30 days  (~$32,000). 

$39,750 will afford us: 

• Paying our Cast including 2 principal roles, 3 supporting roles, and background talent
• Paying our Crew including Assistant Director, Producers, PAs, Director of Photography, 1st and 2nd Assistant Camera, Gaffer, Grip, Sound Mixer, Script Supervisor, Intimacy Coordinator, Hair and Makeup, Wardrobe 
• Renting Equipment including cameras, lighting, and sound
• Paying for Production Design Elements including set dressing, props, wardrobe and location rentals
• Feeding our Team during 3 days of production with healthy meals and crafty (snacks)

$49,550, will enable us to fund post-production including hiring:

• Editor
• Sound Designer / Mixer
• Composer 
• Graphic Designer
• Colorist
• Special Effects Artist

$54,250, will enable us to fund Festival Submissions so that our film can be seen in a town near you!

$60,750, will enable us to pay our cast and crew industry-standard rates.

2026

• January - March
• First draft of script completed
• Producers onboarded
• Began applying to grants and screenwriting competitions
• Received Initial Investment to launch casting
• April - June 
• Pre-Production began
• Locked in casting director, cinematographer, production designer
• Set visual style and tone of the film
• Earned "Finalist" placements at multiple screenwriting competitions
• Launched social media presence 
• July 
• Finalize script
• Location scouts commence
• Lock department heads
• Outreach for in-kind donors and vendors
• Launch 45-day Seed & Spark campaign
• Plan crowdfunding party  
• August
• Lock cast 
• Lock crew
• Finalize locations
• Lock vendors and in-kind donors
• Finalize merch designs and orders
• Crowdfunding party
• September
• Shoot: Sep 12 to Sep 14
• Post-Production begins
• October - December
• Edit and Post-Production continues

2027

• Jan - March
• Friends & Family Screening 
• Festival submissions

1. Join our team by making a pledge on this page. You'll receive cool incentives, our utmost gratitude, and you’ll be an important part of bringing more queer stories to life.

2. Follow/Subscribe to our campaign on Seed & Spark for updates on our progress. More followers qualify us for Seed & Spark support packages.

3. Follow us on Instagram @lastmanstandingfilm.

4. Share our page with any friends and family ❤️

5.) Spread the word!

The only way we’ll be able to reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks. If you’d like to be a part of supporting queer, BIPOC, and women filmmakers, please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you want! We can't do this without you! Feel free to copy and paste the text below for social media!

Sample Text: I just donated to a queer rom-com indie film and think it may be a great project for you to check out! The film is led by a BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and woman-led film team championing a values- and artist-first approach to filmmaking. All donations are tax deductible and come with cool incentives. Check it out at tinyurl.com/lmsfilm27

Sample Social Posts:

• Help filmmakers @alex.dauphin and @biancagabriellewilson by supporting their heartfelt and hilarious rom-com LAST MAN STANDING about a 30-something Black woman who overcomes a series of unfortunate hetero dating events before finding her queer happily ever after. Join them on @seedandspark ; https://seedandspark.com/fund/last-man-standing

• I'm so excited to see the queer rom-com short film LAST MAN STANDING, by @biancagabriellewilson and director/writer @alex.dauphin, be made in Los Angeles this fall!  Support them on @seedandspark ; https://seedandspark.com/fund/last-man-standing

THANK YOU!