Monday, May 2, 2016

Turning the Girl

Something pretty cool happened during the A-Z Blogging Challenge and a filmmaker called Samantha Kolesnik emailed me after reading some of my film posts.  She's working on a feature-length thriller with an all-female cast, a female production team, female writer, and female director.  Gender equality in the film industry is something I feel very passionately about, and something we're working really actively to promote where I work.  

So when she asked me to give her a hand getting the word out about this project, I jumped at the chance.  Especially since it sounds like a really cool concept.  But don't just believe me, see for yourself: 


Synopsis: 

Turning the Girl takes place at the Appleton Reformatory for Girls, a reformatory for wayward teens that has lingered past its prime. Four girls - Lindsey, Cameron, Leah, and Becca - all struggle to survive and coexist under the strict reign of Mrs. Greta Morgan, a buttoned-up teacher with dark compulsions. 

A new teacher suffering from a scarred past, Claire Wosslen, arrives at the school to fill Mrs. Cannin's position, and she clashes with the hyper-controlling, ultra-stern Greta Morgan, who rules her four wards with an obsessive eye. 

As the six go into the isolated wilderness, tensions rise and spiral out of control. The girls begin to wonder if they'll ever make it home, after all. 

The standouts of this film project are that it features complex, interesting (and gritty) roles for women. It's an entertaining, fast-paced thriller, but it also tells a story involving a social issue that is often overlooked and shoved under the proverbial carpet, so to speak - female-female sexual abuse. There are all kinds of secrets lurking at the Appleton Reformatory for Girls, and while Vanessa and I seek to provide an entertaining viewing experience for audiences, we also want to bring an under-discussed issue to the public forum for discussion. 

The film is set to be shot in the first half of September in New York with a talented core crew of Samantha Kolesnik, Vanessa Ionta Wright as co-producer and Director, and Henrik A. Meyer as Cinematographer. 

They will be doing a round of crowdfunding to help bring the film to life. The Indiegogo is not launched yet, but interested parties can sign up for updates here.

You can find out more about the project on Facebook or on the Turning the Girl website.


4 comments:

  1. It's always great when something you've written finds the right audience and leads to an opportunity.

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  2. That's so cool. It sounds like a really interesting concept. I hope they get funded.

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  3. That really is cool—the concept, as well as the all-female cast and crew. I also hope they get funded!!

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  4. Very cool! They'll find everything they could want in NY. I'm excited for them! :)

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