Sorority Court is a story about mental health, the stifling traditions of Greek Organizations on College campuses, and the ways repression can backfire.

So often, (to misquote Emma Chamberlain), people only care about your mental health once you've recovered. Folks struggle with the messy part that comes before that. It's hard to support someone in the throes of a mental health crisis, especially when their symptoms fall outside what's socially acceptable.

The star/producer, producer/co-writer, and writer/director, all during their regrettable sorority years.

In this story, Katie suffers from kleptomania, an irrepressable urge to steal. Most often, kleptomania presents as a symptom of a larger mental health issue like mood or personality disorders. 

And Katie's not alone. Mental health issues for college-aged people are on the rise, and there are few resources available to help.

• A 2018 report on mental health among college students stated that 3 out of 5 college students experienced "overwhelming anxiety" during the past year, and 39% reported experiencing a "significant mental health issue". (citation)
• Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among college- aged people in the US. (citation)
• Only 58% of four-year colleges have on-site psychiatric facilities. (citation)

Kleptomania and other impulse-control issues, are a not-so-uncommon symptom of more common mental illnesses, particularly among women.

• Kleptomania is more prevalent among women, and has a high comorbidity with major depressive disorder. (citation)
• According to the NIH, "kleptomania is characterized by an anxiety-driven urge to perform an act that is pleasurable in the moment but causes significant distress and dysfunction...kleptomania is characterized by the presence of guilt and remorse and the lack of theft motives such as monetary gain, personal use, stealing to impress someone, or stealing to support a drug habit."
• The prevalence of kleptomania in the US is estimated to be 6 per 1000 people, which translates to about 1.2 million people.

Today, I have a lot of mixed feelings about my sorority membership, but it’s also something I’ve never seen accurately represented on screen. In media, women in sororities are a homogenous bunch: white, blonde, rich, straight, and superficial. Occasionally they’re murdered. And occasionally they’re in porn. 

Image on left courtesy of "Legally Blonde". Image on right courtesy of "Scream Queens".

My experience was just different. My sorority was definitely more diverse than what I’d seen on screen, but it was by no means the girl-power-fueled utopia I was led to believe it was during rush. If anything, the constant insistence that the Greek system had moved beyond its problematic legacy just made differences in race, class, and sexual orientation bubble to the surface more. We found ourselves grappling with questions like:

"Why do these rituals mention Jesus so much?"

"Who got punished for breaking the rules and who got away with it?"

and "how the heck is everyone affording this?"

Image on left courtesy of UW-Madison, Chi Omega, 1909. Image on right, the director at William & Mary Tri Delta, 2015.

Membership in Greek organizations has been steadily dropping since the 1990s, and 2020 saw renewed interest in abolishing Greek life altogether.

• Today, about 400,000 women are part of sororities.
• According to a 2013 survey, 72% of Greek organization members identify as middle- or upper-middle class.
• Dues in Greek Organizations range from $500- $1500 per semester.
• Without fail, Greek organizations make headlines every year for doing something racist like this or this or this.

I think whether or not Greek Life should be abolished is an open-ended question in this film. Would Katie be acting out if she wasn't boxed in by the traditions of her sorority? Maybe. I think the real takeaway is that sorority women are complex subjects worthy of storytelling. Their relationships are as rich as anyone else’s, and their world is a complicated, intersectional, and occasionally absurd one.

Nowadays, I feel embarrassed that I was in a sorority- many former sorority girls I've spoken to express a similar sentiment. Maybe I should be embarrassed. But making this film was on opportunity for me to examine why. Is it because Greek life has a legacy of racism, classism, and exclusion? Is it because my own mental health issues kept me from showing up the way I would have liked to? Or is it because we're taught to believe that the lives young women are frivolous and vapid?

You'll just have to support the film to find out ;)

Filmmaking is an expensive process, and we want to tell this story as well as we possibly can. Female filmmakers are still underrepresented in the industry, and contributing to this film is a small way to change that! Our team is made up entirely of female-identifying filmmakers-- and we need to compensate them fairly! And rent equipment! AND feed everyone on set. It adds up fast.

One-hundred-percent of funds raised will go directly to the production. Here's a breakdown of how your contribution will help our story come to life:

We're in pre-production. The script is written, the storyboards are being drawn, and the director's treatment is being...treated? During this phase, we lock in all the details that will make this story come to life, like locations, set dressing, wardrobes, casting, cinematography and actor's rehearsals. Our goal is to shoot locally over a two-day period in September, work on post-production in the fall, then apply to festivals in early 2024. By Spring 2024, we should be premiering at festivals, and our movie will be available for all to see on Vimeo.

If you're interested in a behind-the-scenes look at our filmmaking process, this is a great point to get involved! We'll also be announcing film updates during the crowdfunding process to keep our followers abreast of new cast members, locations, and more! Here's a sneak peek at some of our inspo from the director's treatment:

Images courtesy of "The Initiation", "Pink Cadillac", and "Eyes Wide Shut"

If you've made it this far- THANK YOU! Remember that NO DONATION IS TOO SMALL!! 

We also totally get that this past year has been tough on all of us and if you don't have the means, it's 100% free to just follow our campaign and stay up-to-date on the latest Sorority Court news.

Seed & Spark rewards us for building our audience. The more followers we get, the more we unlock products, services, and festival fee waivers courtesy of Seed & Spark! 

Another free way to help us out is to just share our campaign to social media! Don't forget to tag us: @SororityCourtfilm 

We appreciate you. We couldn't tell this story without you and together we can create something amazing!