The Darker the Berry, an indy film

When was the last time you saw a feature film about DC that didn’t involve monuments, the Capitol, or the White House? That actually featured the neighborhoods of the District?
When was the last time you saw a feature film about DC that had nothing (or at least not too much) to do with politics?

How about a film that instead looks at the lives of the kind of people who actually live in the DMV? A film that tackles “colorism” with a splash of humor, funk, and a lot of art?

I'm Norman Kelley , the screenwriter, producer and director of the proposed film, The Darker the Berry.

The goal of this Go Fund Me project is to spark interest in The Darker the Berry and attract potential backers by doing a stage reading of the script in April 2017.

Let’s face it -- DC is not a narrative-film friendly town. It tends to cater to documentary production more so than narrative films, due to the city's politics-policy-issues matrix. And if a Hollywood film features DC, it’s all about espionage, international intrigue, or corrupt and ineffective politicians.

That’s why the The Darker the Berry  team -- people who live in and around the nation’s capital -- are trying to think outside the box to create buzz and attract investors. A stage reading would give film aficionados and investors a taste of the project and give people who want to promote DC filmmaking a pleasant evening to get together, hear more about the film, and sample some good food and wine.

We need $6,000 to produce the stage reading. This would include an Audio Visual team and 10 actors (the script has 25 speaking roles).  The reading, tentatively, will be held at the Church of the Pilgrims in Washington,  D.C.

Film Synopsis:

Though she’s smart and beautiful, some people never let Tisha McInness forget that she doesn’t look like Beyoncé due to her exquisitely black complexion. Harry, her brother, is one of those people.  On the other hand, Miles, her cousin and close friend, considers her a "dark rose." Her parents, James and Sharon, are leading members in DC’s black professional class (he's a former CIA operative now in security; she's a world-class academic). They don’t get involved -- though they’re on Tisha’s side they have ignored Harry’s abuse.

One night, Tisha lets Harry know how she really feels about his relentless teasing: she slaps him at their father’s birthday party. It makes a noise -- in more ways than one. Harry, the self-absorbed host of cable TV’s "Black Like That," usually gets away with his off-screen assholery. However, he has an important interview coming up: a face-to-face with the president of the United States. The appearance of a pro-black TV talk show host having a problem with a very dark black woman, who is his sister no less, quickly gets tricky for the son who wants a bigger profile in TV infotainment journalism.

Harry and Tisha’s confrontation goes viral -- courtesy of April, a colleague of Harry's,  and his sometime squeeze -- and threatens to derail his interview with the president. All of a sudden, Tisha has the upper hand in their sib rivalry. Harry tries to get back into his sister's good graces to save his job, but he’s not happy about that necessity. Tisha, a museum curator, is meanwhile busy trying to establish Carlos, a hunky struggling black street-artist, as the “next big thing in art.” The battle is on, with Tisha's family trying to her to be "nice" to her brother, and her friends -- Naimah, Yolanda, and Miles -- supporting her.  She's a sweet woman in a sour world.


Why this film?

There are virtually no significant films that tell the story of a black female lead who is very, very dark. The closest is a documentary, Dark Girls (2011) that has dark-complexioned women telling of the real difficulties they face going through life. Another was Precious (2009).

The Darker the Berry isn't that sort of film; it's a comedy/drama. Yes, it is a film about "colorism, " but not at the main character's expense. Tisha is not a woe-is-me  person; she's a can-do woman who exposes her brother's problem with her complexion at his expense but with a sense of humor and bite.

The stage reading is just one way we’re working hard to attract investors to make this film. The film's proposed budget is $500,000 to $1 million.  We would like to begin production in spring 2018 and have the film finished by fall/winter 2018. And with the stage reading in February 2017, we can spark some interest and get things off to a good start.

We aim to raise all funds by mid-January 2017. This campaign begins Dec. 4, 2016 and ends Feb. 1, 2017

Why this film is important

Other than Precious  (2009) there has not been a narrative film about an African American woman of a darker hue. While Precious was a successful film that accrued $63 million dollars worldwide, it still portrayed a black family within the black pathology motif. The only other film, specifically about dark-skinned black women, is the 2011 documentary Dark Girls ; it showcased a series of women dealing with their unusual place in American society.  The truth is that, in any context, such beauty, as shown in the video above, is seldom recognized or celebrated. Consider the story of Khoudia Diop  (also see her here ).

Even when trying to assist black females,  some efforts still tend to portray them as a downtrodden class . The Darker the Berry   will be a counterpoint to this dysfunctional narrative about black women. It is also part of a larger effort to help build a new independent film movement in DC. 

This is very important. DC doesn't have a film persona separate from the federal government or being the "nation's capital."   Cities such as Baltimore, Austin and Atlanta have filmmakers--John Waters and Barry Levinson; Richard Linklater; Tyler Perry-- who have  used their cities to tell the stories of its denizens. Why not DC?

When people think of Washington it is always the usual suspects -- the White House, the Capitol and monuments -- not  Anacostia, or Dupont Circle,  Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Georgetown, U Street,  Meridian Hill, or Adams-Morgan.

DC (and the DMV) needs an independent film movement about the people of the DC area who are not "faceless bureaucrats" or kick-ass action movie stars sifting through the wreckage of official Washington after a terror attack. It needs to show the city's political leaders that only DC's indigenous, home-grown filmmakers -- not typical Hollywood film productions -- can create unique films that show the tone, moods, and textures of the Old and New Washington as it progresses into the 21st century.

We only need 120 people to donate $50 each to reach the goal of $6,000. It can be done, and we need you. And if you donate, you win.

Premiums:

* If you live in the DC/DMV area, you'll be invited to the reading and invited to meet the actors taking part, many of whom have experience in film and TV.

* If you  don't live in the DC/DMV area, you'll be invited to see the reading online via a private video posting.

* Everyone who donates will get a “TDTB” T-shirt to help get the word out.

Be part of kicking off a film revolution in DC. 

Help make The Darker the Berry a film about DC -- not the White House, not the Capitol, and not about monuments.

IMPORTANT UPDATE NOTICE: Since we have not met our funding goal for a staged reading, we have moved on to "Plan B.1."  We have decided to use what money we have raised to film a 3-minute or less teaser/proof of concept video. We have informed previous donors and they have approved change of plan.

This video is scheduled to be shot May 2017.  It will be placed on the project's website, Facebook,  and other venues of  fine viewing .

We will use this video, once again, to raise the issue of colorism, alert the public about this intended DC film production, and secure financing for the full film.

If you like the idea, we're still seeking support.

Thank you,

Norman Kelley
Producer