"May the petals teach me the art of letting go." - Xan Oku

SYNOPSIS

THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS follows the life of a teenager directly after the death of her high school sweetheart. Mariam Miller and Isabel Lopez had been together since they were freshmen. When Isabel commits suicide the summer before their senior year, Mariam refuses to accept it. She believes, undoubtedly, that Isabel's father murdered her.

  Plagued by flashbacks of her memories with Isabel, Mariam spirals into her obsession with proving her girlfriend was killed. The sweet, innocent teenage romance contradicts Mariam's increasingly drastic and dangerous behaviours. But as negative memories bleed through, they distort the perfect relationship facade Mariam had been displaying. As does the reoccurring appearance of Mariam's father, an abusive addict, and the hallucinations she begins to experience.

  The title, THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS, refers to the countless occasions where bouquets are present: baby showers, births, dates, weddings, and funerals. Throughout life, flowers represent significant moments, joyful or sad. 

THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS plunges into the effects of trauma and abuse on relationships and world perspective. Vastly colourful, dramatic, and dark; this film follows a blooming young queer relationship in contrast to the unravelling of a grieving teenager harbouring a dangerous vendetta.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Though massive leaps have been made in the past few decades to combat the stigmas against queer people, POC, and minority groups, there is still an incredible amount of work to be done.

  According to the newest Gallop poll, approximately 7.2% of the population in the U.S. identify as LGBTQIA+. This sounds like a tiny percentage, and maybe in the grand scope, it is. Until it's factored in that of the estimated 336 million in the States, that would be around 24 million people.

  Continuing that math, the Trevor Project's 2022 National Survey had a sample size of nearly 34 thousand LGBTQIA+ youth between the ages of 13 and 24. 45% of respondents were POC, and 48% were transgender or nonbinary.

Rates of depression, suicide, and homelessness continue to be significantly higher for queer individuals than non-queer. There is also a higher chance of being a victim of assault, abuse, bullying, or homicide as an LGBTQIA+ person.

  There have been remarkable changes across the country to better the treatment and representation of these groups, including in film and media. But more and more every day, we are seeing our freedom to display ourselves and queer excellence be targeted and chipped away at.  

Taking advantage of being alive in a time of widespread technology, communication, and connection - as well as the celebration queer art and representation - is precisely what we aim to do with this film.

Through showcasing POC and LGBTQIA+ talent, finding inspiration in personal experiences, and pursuing our passions to the fullest potential, we can continue the positive change. This is why we are choosing now to pursue our project!

CHARACTERS

Mariam Miller (15-18 Years Old - Middle Eastern/White - Awkward/Lanky Build)

Mariam Miller is a shy kid, typically antisocial, but with a sly sense of humour. During the time they were together, Isabel helped build Mariam’s confidence and was her first healthy loving relationship since her mother’s passing.

  Mariam loved Isabel deeply, finding a true friend and confidant in her, as well as a partner. However, she never reveals her abusive home life to Isabel. And after her death, Mariam is once again alone.

  Having lost the person most important to her without explanation, Mariam spirals into an obsessive mission to prove Isabel was murdered, and her ability to differentiate right and wrong weakens. 

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Isabel Lopez (15-18 Years Old - Hispanic/Latina - Plus/Midsized)

Outgoing, passionate, and caring. She strives to be like her father, someone always willing to accept and help others. When she’s assigned to Mariam as a partner for a school project, Isabel immediately tries to be her friend.

  Despite Mariam’s natural awkwardness, Isabel breaks past her shell and bonds with her. Isabel is the first to make a move, and this continues throughout their relationship.

  It is a great shock to everyone when Isabel commits suicide, as she kept the severity of her depression a secret.

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Adrian Lopez (Late 40s, Hispanic/Afro-Latino)

An educated man with a gentle disposition and kind heart. When his daughter, Isabel, comes out to him, it takes him a moment to adjust. However, when deciding between siding with his previous prejudices and being there for Isabel, Lopez picks the latter.

  He chooses to embrace Isabel, taking on the role of a single father. From then on he strives to be her number-one supporter. He is absolutely devastated by his daughter’s death and is desperate to connect with Mariam to get closure.

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Caleb Miller (Late 40s, White/Ambiguous, Large Build)

To the public, Miller is a happy, caring, kind man. In private, Miller blames Mariam for limiting him and his achievements. He is an alcoholic, often drunk from the early hours of the day, with a short temper and a tendency for violence.

  His image is what matters most to him, always paranoid about being laughed at or looked down on. His deepest insecurities revolve around his passed wife and Mariam's mother, Layla Yasser.

LOGISTICS

Initial crowdfunding will hopefully help us nail down the first chunk of our necessary budget! Our goal overall is around 35k minimum and a 50k goal - essentially to provide quality pay for our cast & crew and boost production design. We're pursuing our funding in several ways. Alongside our campaign, we are also submitting for grants and sourcing investors! 

  Once funding is acquired, THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS will be shot in Summer/Fall in Western Montana! There will be a 14-day shoot featuring towns such as Plains, Frenchtown, Arlee, Missoula, and Polson. 

  The pandemic caused a huge shift in the film world, from the way people audition to on-set & filming policies. With that in mind, to our benefit, THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS mainly follows Mariam independently from other characters, with her interactions outside her memories of Isabel limited.

  What that means is that for about 75% of the shoot, our team will consist of our essential crew (director, camera, DP, sound, gaffer, design, & PA) and between one to four actors (Mariam, Isabel, Miller, & Lopez)- making our job of keeping everyone safe and healthy a bit simpler - from testing to sanitation!

  For that other 25% - scenes that include extras and featured characters (the high school, for example), we are set to follow all of Montana's Health & Safety Guidelines (and adhere to best practices recommended at the federal level) with the help of our Background Casting Director.

  However, we are a small production so even our largest scenes will not surpass more than 15-20 people at a time - both cast & crew included. 

For more information, check out COVID-19 Production Guidelines: State-by-State.

  With that in mind, we are currently accepting online submissions nationally for our main & supporting characters through Backstage. Other supporting & featured characters, as well as background actors, will all be sourced in Montana. We are excited to include the local talent and feature LGBTQ+ and POC actors!

  For post-production, we aim to spend 6-12 months editing and then begin submitting to film festivals in 2024. Then for streaming release, this film will be available on Vimeo & Youtube and hopefully also on services such as The Criterion Channel, MUBI, IndieFlix, Amazon Prime, & Google TV. 

STAY IN THE LOOP



1. Follow Our Campaign & stay in the loop with all that's new for THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS!  It's 100% free! :)

One of the ways this can help is 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!

2. Contribute & Pledge! You can make a contribution to our film by making a pledge!  

We have to collect 80% of our crowdfunding goal to keep our funds.  You can choose an incentive or make a pledge to a specific wishlist item. You can choose any pledge and incentive amount that fits your budget.  No pledge is too small. Every dollar makes a difference in making our film possible!

3. Loans & Donations! Can't make a monetary pledge but have services or items you can donate or loan?  Check out our wishlist!  We can offer credit and/or advertising. Feel free to make a loan request in our "Wishlist" tab!

Reach out to us about donating food/craft services for our cast & crew- we want to prioritize that everyone is fed and comfortable on our set! If you are in the area and are interested in on-set involvement, we'd love to hear from you! We are eager to incorporate local talent as much as we can.

4. Share this Page! Show us off to your friends, partners, siblings, parents, queer peers and allies, and whoever else you'd like! Tell them we have a cute dog! 

The only way we will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks. YOU can make a difference in our success! Please share our campaign via your social media, email, and word-of-mouth - however you want! 

We can't do this without you!

Here are some examples. Feel free to copy and paste!

Help @yumnajane by supporting her film THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS! "After her girlfriend dies, a teenager investigates, unearthing dangerous and troubling truths about herself in the process."Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/there-should-be-flowers

I just watched the THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS Promotional Video and WOW, you've got to support this LGBTQ+ feature film!  Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/there-should-be-flowers

I'm so excited to see the feature film THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS, by @yumnajane, be made in Missoula, Montana this summer! Support them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/there-should-be-flowers

Thank you so much for your invaluable support through our adventures with

THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS.

We truly appreciate contributions, in any shape or form, and we cannot wait to bring this film to life!