Once a victim of childhood bullying and homophobia himself, film director Elliot London (The Wedding Dance)
has embarked today on an empowering and
eye-opening campaign across America, hoping to bring awareness to the
plight of LGBT youth bullying, and the importance of support systems.
The
“Friend Project” is a new campaign showcasing two separate, yet
thematically connected digital vignettes from two teenagers in different
parts of rural America sharing their raw and tear-jerking stories of
growing up gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered in the conservative
heartland of America.
Starting
today, each week for the next two weeks, London will share a new video
with the public, with the ultimate goal of bringing these stories and
others to life through an upcoming feature film entitled Friend.
In
a completely hands-on and hybrid approach, both teenagers are also
acting as creative liaisons on the project, having helped integrate
their own life stories into the script.
“It’s
a film that will bring the narrative and the reality into one,” says
London. “We will be integrating a point of view from real life teenage
experiences, rather than from a room of writers in Hollywood.”
He
continues, “It’s so important that we continue to support and foster
true
independent American cinema. Unlike many other influential nations, we
do not have the luxury of much government funding, grants and support
they do for indie cinema, especially in a niche market.”
In
the first film, debuting today, viewers will get to meet Joseph, a
timid, yet courageous 16-year-old boy from Tennessee who once thought
suicide was the only way out from the pain and torment that bullying
carved into his impressionable young soul.
Anyone interested in becoming a part of Friend is encouraged to visit the project’s IndieGoGo campaign page. All donations are tax-deductible, as this film is being supported through Fractured Atlas, a registered 501(c)3.
