Honestly: The Short Film
I want you to be a part of this but first you gotta know the story:
Growing up the jokes I made and the jokes often made about me were about how much I didn't look like my Italian family. One of the theories presented to me about how this could be: the Vikings invaded Sicily and that's why sometimes people like me or born. That's legit what I told people when they'd express doubt when I'd tell them I was of 100% Southern Italian descent.
Until a few years ago when I did a DNA test and found out that my parents has used a sperm donor to make me.
Some people say: wow that must been traumatic.
It was the best thing that ever happened to me. Finally, I could put words to my experience. I was not crazy for feeling like something was off!
Getting to know the Donor Conceived (that's what we're called) community I learned a new vocabulary and one of those terms was Genealogical Bewilderment.
Stay with me here!
Genealogical Bewilderment is the experience of not understanding what you look like because you are not certain of your origins. The process of creating an accurate image of yourself in your mind doesn't proceed normally.
I've tried to express Genealogical Bewilderment by joking about it onstage, but it felt like a lecture. I've tried clown numbers and character sketches that weren't satisfying. It wasn't until I wrote this short film called Honestly that I feel like I nailed it.
The reason that the medium of film works so well to explore this complicated experience is that it allows for nuances of relationships and character development not possible in shorter form comedy.
The film came out of me absurd and it fits as the tenor of the situation is absurd from lab cup to elaborate coverup. The main character, Marie, is weird, believably outrageous and speaks to donor conceived people, but also to the misfit weirdos who never felt like they fit.
In June myself and other brilliant creative shot this film, at my mom's house in Long Island (she moved there from Queens, and yes, she was the craft services department and, yes, it was GOOD!).
I assembled a team of mostly women and LGBTQ+ people who were talented, and also positive, hardworking, and kind. As I'll be talking about in videos in the next 30 days we proved that you can art while being joyful and having fun. When the final "cut" was sounded by our director, Kelly Sater, we knew that we created something special.
But now we need your help to finish the film.
For years I've been making comedy content by "side pocketing" (paying for it myself) and giving it away for free. My intention has always been to deliver lightness and joy in this crazy, dark world, inspiring people to be themselves.
This is the first time I'm asking you to make art with me.
And I'm inviting you to join me in the Honestly the short film in our crowdfunding campaign.
You can contribute in so many ways!
1) Donate and claim a cool reward:
We have lots of fun prizes including: custom Viking name, Norse Oracle Reading, VIP tickets to comedy shows, "special thanks" in the film credits, exclusive viewing link, IMDB credit, custom family crest -- and more!
2) "Follow" the campaign on Seed&Spark!
Once we hit 250 "followers," regardless of how many people pledge, we'll start unlocking creator discounts for this and future projects. You gotta create an account. but this doesn't take more than 2 minutes, and then you'll be able to help more friends with campaigns for no cost.
3) Share the following on your social media:
Help @laurenlogi and a group of diverse independent filmmakers by supporting the absurd comedy short film #Honestly on @seedandspark! Join us here: https://seedandspark.com/fund/honestly#story
4) Forward this email:
Pass this onto anyone you know that might enjoy our antics! Particularly any friends who like to support independent artists.
No matter how you become part of Honestly you are making a difference! When the studio system is only interested in making Marvel movie after Marvel movie, we're making a statement that that people who say that heartfelt, complex, outrageous and funny content is what we want to see.