BFA Film Thesis
For my BFA film thesis, I knew I had to do something bigger than myself. And with the contemporary and contentious political tide of tapering reproductive rights, I decided to create a film about a young woman seeking to terminate an unwanted pregnancy with an abortion. And in gratitude to friends, family, and faculty, I was able to spin this short into a viable and comedic story that challenges the way reproductive rights has been traditionally conveyed in film and television.
Historically, the illegality of the abortion practice has been underpinned by criminal and social deviance - so I decided to draw attention to that sociological discrepancy by having absurd prices provoke our protagonist into selling cocaine in order to pay for her procedure. But beyond the imposed barriers of affordable access, the film is also about friendship in a coming-of-age narrative. I know this is a hot-button issue with social stigma, but watch and read with an open mind.
Please feel free to share this post and check out ways to help Planned Parenthood: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/get-involved
I wouldn't have been able to do this without my film partner and collaborator, Jamie Henschel who in spite of living in a different state, helped with every step of the way.
Thank you to my core cast: Val DeGroot, Victoria Lacoste, Melanie Iris Schultz, Soraya Latiff, Madeleine Ours
Thank you to my core crew: Brette Robertson, Erin Neitzel, Yimeng Shao, Youyou Xia, Rea McLaughlin, Taylor Berger, Hannah Marie Wold
Thank you: Star Goldstein, Kimberly Preston, Billy Macdonald, Nicky Lyan, Matt Strand -Jordan, Zach Myers, Cyrus Tan, Gabi Rudin, Audrey Wilson, Devon Holt, Le Weatherman Sekuler, Hayden Bebber, Adam Hawk Dickinson, Luke Garlock, Keenan Olsen, Meghan Mackenzie Beans, Daniel Peaslee, Mikey Kahn, Andrew McGraw, Autumn Braley, Allea Ortega, Aaron Dillon, Adam Elbeck, Alex Wilcox, Andy Ricardo Jack Dorfman
Special Thanks to my thesis advisor and honorary queen: Geoff Marslett and thank you "Mel B" Melinda Barlow, "Kare Bear" Kerry Reilly, and "DG" David Gatten(the rest of the faculty committee) and Cathy Comstock for cheerleading me along the way
And if you're curious or have any questions or concerns about the context of reproductive rights in cinema: here is the link to my dissertation (your homegirl is a citation now) http://scholar.colorado.edu/honr_theses/1340/