The Great Big Lesbian Yankee Swap
Boston, Massachusetts | Film Short
Comedy, LGBTQ
On the eve of their final holiday party, an aging lesbian couple's retirement dreams are derailed by the arrival of their messy adult son. YANKEE SWAP is a short film about queer family, holiday homecoming, and the lesbian community of Jamaica Plain, Boston, where our writer grew up.
The Great Big Lesbian Yankee Swap
Boston, Massachusetts | Film Short
Comedy, LGBTQ
1 Campaigns | Pennsylvania, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $20,161 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
130 supporters | followers
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On the eve of their final holiday party, an aging lesbian couple's retirement dreams are derailed by the arrival of their messy adult son. YANKEE SWAP is a short film about queer family, holiday homecoming, and the lesbian community of Jamaica Plain, Boston, where our writer grew up.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
**UPDATE - STRETCH GOAL**
We are INCREASING our goal to a stretch goal of $20,000!
One of our donors has agreed to MATCH all new gifts up to $5,000. That means we can extend our goal to help give this story the film it deserves.
Your contribution can help support travel and accommodations, more crew, pre-light and rehearsal time, and increased talent fees for a fantastic actress or two who wants to be involved.
Help us take this film to the next level with your gift today!
This is the story of Debbie and Jean: two old Patagonia-and-pearls lesbians. Debbie’s the kooky, lighthearted space cadet, and Jean’s the hard-headed butch.
They’re hosting their annual Christmas Eve white elephant party in the gayborhood of Boston, and a Winnebago-ful of their lesbian friends are on the way.
But this Yankee Swap will be the last. Next week, they’re moving off-the-grid to Vermont, where Jean can finally live out her dream of being a sculptor and raising goats and chickens. And while Debbie says she’s on board, she seems not quite ready to let go.
Enter Corey, their adult son, a lost, loveable fuckup hiding his immaturity in an Armani suit. A copywriter for condom ads, and 18 hours sober, he shows up with some surprising news: his fiance left him for another woman, and he needs a place to live.
Suddenly, Debbie has to make a choice: will she keep picking up after Corey’s mistakes? Or embark on a new chapter she may not be ready for? And what's been causing her to be so absent-minded lately?
With a Lilith Fair-meets-Ten Thousand Villages living room, Swedish Christmas carols, a broken baby Jesus and a diaper-wearing dog, THE GREAT BIG LESBIAN YANKEE SWAP is a comedic celebration of queer community, holiday homecoming, and family stepping up to be there for one another.
INSPIRATION
Our writer, Nick B. Parker, was raised by two gay moms in Jamaica Plain, Boston, where this story is set. It’s inspired by his parents and their friends, and what his family is going through.
The real-life Debbie and Jean met in the 1990s, a high water mark for lesbian culture and optimism. But sadly, our world has taken a step backward. We live in a precarious time where queer family and identity are under attack. At the same time, depictions of queer family in media are scarce, often idealized—and there are so few stories out there about gay parenting.
We are motivated to make this film about lesbian love and motherhood to honor Nick’s moms and their close knit community of friends.
LOOK & FEEL
Debbie and Jean's living room, where this film is set, consists of that perfectly eclectic blend of world art, vintage furniture, sapphic artwork, and handcrafted figurines that you'll only find in a lesbian's home. Nothing matches, and yet it all somehow works.
To capture this authentic look and feel, we plan to shoot this film at Nick's moms' house in Jamaica Plain, Boston.
Still: NYAD, 2023
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
This script has won multiple industry awards and recognition by festivals and competitions, including:
- Indie Short Fest, Best Short Script (Jan ‘26)
- LGBTQ+ Toronto & Los Angeles Film Festival, Short Script Selection (Dec ‘25)
- Hollywood Just4Shorts, Short Script Finalist (Dec ‘25)
HOW YOU CAN HELP
We're just getting started with the production process. We have a script, a director and producer, and we're pulling the rest of our team together to track towards a shoot in Boston this spring.
To hit our overall budget, we need to raise $15,000 on Seed & Spark to make this film. The funds we raise will go towards:
- Talent so we can cast some incredible actors to bring this to life and compensate them fairly.
- Crew, camera and equipment that will enable a professional production for our planned 2-day shoot.
- Post-production including editing, sound and color mix.
- Marketing and distribution so we can get this film out to festivals where it deserves to be seen.
Together with our existing resources, if we meet our goal, we'll be fully funded. If we're lucky enough to have your support for this film exceed our goal, that money can go towards increasing our available pay for team and talent so we can elevate this project even further. Going forward, we intend to submit this film to festivals -- especially those focusing on queer stories -- and potentially use this as a proof of concept to adapt the story as a scripted series.
We quite simply can't make this film without your help. Together with you, we can give this story the production it deserves, and create this a love letter to the gay community of Jamaica Plain. Join us today!
OUR TEAM
Photo credit: Dan Rhodan
WRITER
NICK B. PARKER
was born in Boston and currently based in Philadelphia, PA. He writes with Sawhorse Productions, where he has been a creative director since 2023. His TV scripts have placed in the PAGE Awards, Final Draft Big Break, and Script Pipeline competitions, and he was a Stowe Story Labs participant in 2025. He is the head writer for the second season of Walzon Prime (releasing 2025), an Ambie-award nominated audiodrama. Nick’s theatrical work has been featured at the Corkscrew Theatre Festival and The Johnny Mercer Songwriters’ Foundation, and his humor writing can be read at McSweeney's and Points In Case.
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DIRECTOR
ROBIN CLOUD
is a multifaceted director, writer, and comedian whose work spans television and film. A graduate of the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women, she has screened films at BFI, Tribeca, TIFF, and NewFest, and was a 2023 Blacklist x WIF Feature Residency Writer, where she developed her feature About Face. In 2025, she was named an Alliance for Women Directors Rising Director Fellow, mentored by Steve McQueen, and wrote and directed a proof of concept for About Face. Her film This Old House is streaming on Hulu, her docuseries Passing: A Family in Black & White (Topic Studios) premiered at Tribeca and is available on Amazon, and she was selected by Warner Bros. as one of six directors to reimagine classic films for the studio’s 100th anniversary, directing Calamity Jane, now streaming on MAX. She is represented by MetaMorphic Entertainment.
PRODUCER
AMALIA BRADSTREET
is a creative producer who specializes in producing bold, character-driven stories and championing and amplifying underrepresented voices. She has produced projects for Hulu, ESPN, Adidas, Google and Apple. Her work has screened at Cannes, Sundance, SXSW and the Tribeca Film Festival.
PRODUCER
ARIEL ZUCKER
(she/they) is an LA-based producer from Atlanta, powered by teamwork and well-timed snacks. A member of the Television Academy's Producers Peer Group and Gotham TV Expanding Communities Fellow, Ariel has produced over 100 episodes of television at Dropout TV — including the 2025 Webby People's Voice Award-winning series Very Important People, Make Some Noise, Dimension 20, and Um, Actually. As a Technical Director they have facilitated virtual live events for clients including YouTube, Disney+, E3, and Expo 2020 Dubai. Last year Ariel served as Studio Director for the 107-day Harris/Walz campaign, directing streams featuring Beyoncé, Cardi B, Maggie Rogers, and more. Their short "Checking Out" won Best US Short Film at the Seattle International Film Festival, and "This Is Not a Love Letter" took home Best Experimental Film at Women's Voices Now. A Carnegie Mellon alum (John Wells Directing Program + Heinz School of Business), their work has been recognized by Outfest, AT&T Film Awards, and Variety.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Post-Production
Costs $4,000
That's a wrap! This will help support editing, sound and finishing needs.
Marketing & Distribution
Costs $1,000
Baby Jesus had "Angels We Have Heard On High". We, on the other hand, have to pay for marketing needs (and festival submissions!)
Talent
Costs $4,000
The only thing you really need for a party is guests. Help us pay some fabulously talented actors!
Production Team
Costs $6,000
Camera, sound, lights -- somebody's gotta film these lesbians! Support this line to contribute to paying our sensational crew.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
WRITER
NICK B. PARKER
was born in Boston and currently based in Philadelphia, PA. He writes with Sawhorse Productions, where he has been a creative director since 2023. His TV scripts have placed in the PAGE Awards, Final Draft Big Break, and Script Pipeline competitions, and he was a Stowe Story Labs participant in 2025. He is the head writer for the second season of Walzon Prime (releasing 2025), an Ambie-award nominated audiodrama. Nick’s theatrical work has been featured at the Corkscrew Theatre Festival and The Johnny Mercer Songwriters’ Foundation, and his humor writing can be read at McSweeney's and Points In Case.
.jpg)
DIRECTOR
ROBIN CLOUD
is a multifaceted director, writer, and comedian whose work spans television and film. A graduate of the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women, she has screened films at BFI, Tribeca, TIFF, and NewFest, and was a 2023 Blacklist x WIF Feature Residency Writer, where she developed her feature About Face. In 2025, she was named an Alliance for Women Directors Rising Director Fellow, mentored by Steve McQueen, and wrote and directed a proof of concept for About Face. Her film This Old House is streaming on Hulu, her docuseries Passing: A Family in Black & White (Topic Studios) premiered at Tribeca and is available on Amazon, and she was selected by Warner Bros. as one of six directors to reimagine classic films for the studio’s 100th anniversary, directing Calamity Jane, now streaming on MAX. Cloud graduated cum laude from Howard University and holds a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of Architecture; she is represented by MetaMorphic Entertainment.
PRODUCER
AMALIA BRADSTREET
is a creative producer who specializes in producing bold, character-driven stories and championing and amplifying underrepresented voices. She has produced projects for Hulu, ESPN, Adidas, Google and Apple. Her work has screened at Cannes, Sundance, SXSW and the Tribeca Film Festival.
PRODUCER
ARIEL ZUCKER
(she/they) is an LA-based producer from Atlanta, powered by teamwork and well-timed snacks. A member of the Television Academy's Producers Peer Group and Gotham TV Expanding Communities Fellow, Ariel has produced over 100 episodes of television at Dropout TV — including the 2025 Webby People's Voice Award-winning series Very Important People, Make Some Noise, Dimension 20, and Um, Actually. As a Technical Director they have facilitated virtual live events for clients including YouTube, Disney+, E3, and Expo 2020 Dubai. Last year Ariel served as Studio Director for the 107-day Harris/Walz campaign, directing streams featuring Beyoncé, Cardi B, Maggie Rogers, and more. Their short "Checking Out" won Best US Short Film at the Seattle International Film Festival, and "This Is Not a Love Letter" took home Best Experimental Film at Women's Voices Now. A Carnegie Mellon alum (John Wells Directing Program + Heinz School of Business), their work has been recognized by Outfest, AT&T Film Awards, and Variety.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
**UPDATE - STRETCH GOAL**
We are INCREASING our goal to a stretch goal of $20,000!
One of our donors has agreed to MATCH all new gifts up to $5,000. That means we can extend our goal to help give this story the film it deserves.
Your contribution can help support travel and accommodations, more crew, pre-light and rehearsal time, and increased talent fees for a fantastic actress or two who wants to be involved.
Help us take this film to the next level with your gift today!
This is the story of Debbie and Jean: two old Patagonia-and-pearls lesbians. Debbie’s the kooky, lighthearted space cadet, and Jean’s the hard-headed butch.
They’re hosting their annual Christmas Eve white elephant party in the gayborhood of Boston, and a Winnebago-ful of their lesbian friends are on the way.
But this Yankee Swap will be the last. Next week, they’re moving off-the-grid to Vermont, where Jean can finally live out her dream of being a sculptor and raising goats and chickens. And while Debbie says she’s on board, she seems not quite ready to let go.
Enter Corey, their adult son, a lost, loveable fuckup hiding his immaturity in an Armani suit. A copywriter for condom ads, and 18 hours sober, he shows up with some surprising news: his fiance left him for another woman, and he needs a place to live.
Suddenly, Debbie has to make a choice: will she keep picking up after Corey’s mistakes? Or embark on a new chapter she may not be ready for? And what's been causing her to be so absent-minded lately?
With a Lilith Fair-meets-Ten Thousand Villages living room, Swedish Christmas carols, a broken baby Jesus and a diaper-wearing dog, THE GREAT BIG LESBIAN YANKEE SWAP is a comedic celebration of queer community, holiday homecoming, and family stepping up to be there for one another.
INSPIRATION
Our writer, Nick B. Parker, was raised by two gay moms in Jamaica Plain, Boston, where this story is set. It’s inspired by his parents and their friends, and what his family is going through.
The real-life Debbie and Jean met in the 1990s, a high water mark for lesbian culture and optimism. But sadly, our world has taken a step backward. We live in a precarious time where queer family and identity are under attack. At the same time, depictions of queer family in media are scarce, often idealized—and there are so few stories out there about gay parenting.
We are motivated to make this film about lesbian love and motherhood to honor Nick’s moms and their close knit community of friends.
LOOK & FEEL
Debbie and Jean's living room, where this film is set, consists of that perfectly eclectic blend of world art, vintage furniture, sapphic artwork, and handcrafted figurines that you'll only find in a lesbian's home. Nothing matches, and yet it all somehow works.
To capture this authentic look and feel, we plan to shoot this film at Nick's moms' house in Jamaica Plain, Boston.
Still: NYAD, 2023
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
This script has won multiple industry awards and recognition by festivals and competitions, including:
- Indie Short Fest, Best Short Script (Jan ‘26)
- LGBTQ+ Toronto & Los Angeles Film Festival, Short Script Selection (Dec ‘25)
- Hollywood Just4Shorts, Short Script Finalist (Dec ‘25)
HOW YOU CAN HELP
We're just getting started with the production process. We have a script, a director and producer, and we're pulling the rest of our team together to track towards a shoot in Boston this spring.
To hit our overall budget, we need to raise $15,000 on Seed & Spark to make this film. The funds we raise will go towards:
- Talent so we can cast some incredible actors to bring this to life and compensate them fairly.
- Crew, camera and equipment that will enable a professional production for our planned 2-day shoot.
- Post-production including editing, sound and color mix.
- Marketing and distribution so we can get this film out to festivals where it deserves to be seen.
Together with our existing resources, if we meet our goal, we'll be fully funded. If we're lucky enough to have your support for this film exceed our goal, that money can go towards increasing our available pay for team and talent so we can elevate this project even further. Going forward, we intend to submit this film to festivals -- especially those focusing on queer stories -- and potentially use this as a proof of concept to adapt the story as a scripted series.
We quite simply can't make this film without your help. Together with you, we can give this story the production it deserves, and create this a love letter to the gay community of Jamaica Plain. Join us today!
OUR TEAM
Photo credit: Dan Rhodan
WRITER
NICK B. PARKER
was born in Boston and currently based in Philadelphia, PA. He writes with Sawhorse Productions, where he has been a creative director since 2023. His TV scripts have placed in the PAGE Awards, Final Draft Big Break, and Script Pipeline competitions, and he was a Stowe Story Labs participant in 2025. He is the head writer for the second season of Walzon Prime (releasing 2025), an Ambie-award nominated audiodrama. Nick’s theatrical work has been featured at the Corkscrew Theatre Festival and The Johnny Mercer Songwriters’ Foundation, and his humor writing can be read at McSweeney's and Points In Case.
DIRECTOR
ROBIN CLOUD
is a multifaceted director, writer, and comedian whose work spans television and film. A graduate of the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women, she has screened films at BFI, Tribeca, TIFF, and NewFest, and was a 2023 Blacklist x WIF Feature Residency Writer, where she developed her feature About Face. In 2025, she was named an Alliance for Women Directors Rising Director Fellow, mentored by Steve McQueen, and wrote and directed a proof of concept for About Face. Her film This Old House is streaming on Hulu, her docuseries Passing: A Family in Black & White (Topic Studios) premiered at Tribeca and is available on Amazon, and she was selected by Warner Bros. as one of six directors to reimagine classic films for the studio’s 100th anniversary, directing Calamity Jane, now streaming on MAX. She is represented by MetaMorphic Entertainment.
PRODUCER
AMALIA BRADSTREET
is a creative producer who specializes in producing bold, character-driven stories and championing and amplifying underrepresented voices. She has produced projects for Hulu, ESPN, Adidas, Google and Apple. Her work has screened at Cannes, Sundance, SXSW and the Tribeca Film Festival.
PRODUCER
ARIEL ZUCKER
(she/they) is an LA-based producer from Atlanta, powered by teamwork and well-timed snacks. A member of the Television Academy's Producers Peer Group and Gotham TV Expanding Communities Fellow, Ariel has produced over 100 episodes of television at Dropout TV — including the 2025 Webby People's Voice Award-winning series Very Important People, Make Some Noise, Dimension 20, and Um, Actually. As a Technical Director they have facilitated virtual live events for clients including YouTube, Disney+, E3, and Expo 2020 Dubai. Last year Ariel served as Studio Director for the 107-day Harris/Walz campaign, directing streams featuring Beyoncé, Cardi B, Maggie Rogers, and more. Their short "Checking Out" won Best US Short Film at the Seattle International Film Festival, and "This Is Not a Love Letter" took home Best Experimental Film at Women's Voices Now. A Carnegie Mellon alum (John Wells Directing Program + Heinz School of Business), their work has been recognized by Outfest, AT&T Film Awards, and Variety.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Post-Production
Costs $4,000
That's a wrap! This will help support editing, sound and finishing needs.
Marketing & Distribution
Costs $1,000
Baby Jesus had "Angels We Have Heard On High". We, on the other hand, have to pay for marketing needs (and festival submissions!)
Talent
Costs $4,000
The only thing you really need for a party is guests. Help us pay some fabulously talented actors!
Production Team
Costs $6,000
Camera, sound, lights -- somebody's gotta film these lesbians! Support this line to contribute to paying our sensational crew.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
WRITER
NICK B. PARKER
was born in Boston and currently based in Philadelphia, PA. He writes with Sawhorse Productions, where he has been a creative director since 2023. His TV scripts have placed in the PAGE Awards, Final Draft Big Break, and Script Pipeline competitions, and he was a Stowe Story Labs participant in 2025. He is the head writer for the second season of Walzon Prime (releasing 2025), an Ambie-award nominated audiodrama. Nick’s theatrical work has been featured at the Corkscrew Theatre Festival and The Johnny Mercer Songwriters’ Foundation, and his humor writing can be read at McSweeney's and Points In Case.
DIRECTOR
ROBIN CLOUD
is a multifaceted director, writer, and comedian whose work spans television and film. A graduate of the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women, she has screened films at BFI, Tribeca, TIFF, and NewFest, and was a 2023 Blacklist x WIF Feature Residency Writer, where she developed her feature About Face. In 2025, she was named an Alliance for Women Directors Rising Director Fellow, mentored by Steve McQueen, and wrote and directed a proof of concept for About Face. Her film This Old House is streaming on Hulu, her docuseries Passing: A Family in Black & White (Topic Studios) premiered at Tribeca and is available on Amazon, and she was selected by Warner Bros. as one of six directors to reimagine classic films for the studio’s 100th anniversary, directing Calamity Jane, now streaming on MAX. Cloud graduated cum laude from Howard University and holds a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of Architecture; she is represented by MetaMorphic Entertainment.
PRODUCER
AMALIA BRADSTREET
is a creative producer who specializes in producing bold, character-driven stories and championing and amplifying underrepresented voices. She has produced projects for Hulu, ESPN, Adidas, Google and Apple. Her work has screened at Cannes, Sundance, SXSW and the Tribeca Film Festival.
PRODUCER
ARIEL ZUCKER
(she/they) is an LA-based producer from Atlanta, powered by teamwork and well-timed snacks. A member of the Television Academy's Producers Peer Group and Gotham TV Expanding Communities Fellow, Ariel has produced over 100 episodes of television at Dropout TV — including the 2025 Webby People's Voice Award-winning series Very Important People, Make Some Noise, Dimension 20, and Um, Actually. As a Technical Director they have facilitated virtual live events for clients including YouTube, Disney+, E3, and Expo 2020 Dubai. Last year Ariel served as Studio Director for the 107-day Harris/Walz campaign, directing streams featuring Beyoncé, Cardi B, Maggie Rogers, and more. Their short "Checking Out" won Best US Short Film at the Seattle International Film Festival, and "This Is Not a Love Letter" took home Best Experimental Film at Women's Voices Now. A Carnegie Mellon alum (John Wells Directing Program + Heinz School of Business), their work has been recognized by Outfest, AT&T Film Awards, and Variety.