California Sober Film Post Production

Hi, I'm queer artist, writer and producer, Mark Timothy Hayward. I've been sober since 2018 after decades of alcohol and drug addiction. I'm working with Greek filmmaker Konstantinos Menelaou, founder of The Queer Archive, on an important new feature documentary, California Sober. The film examines specific issues for queer people grappling with addiction and recovery through personal narratives. This sex-positive project presents a spectrum of experiences and attitudes about recovery rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

What makes us overuse and abuse pleasure? Have we given too much credit to hollow acts of pleasure hoping they will benefit us? Have we been waiting for peace that never comes?

The film was shot in Los Angeles while Menelaou was a resident artist at the Tom of Finland Foundation in 2023. The funds raised by this campaign will be used to finalize the film edit and to do color correction and graphics for the film. The goal is to release the film in late 2023 or early 2024.