Help us make Church Hat, an LGBTQ based short film

Concept: A young Black boy secretly likes to pose and play dress up by wearing his Mom’s elaborate church hats. When she discovers him trying on one of her new purchases, instead of being in trouble, they have a heartfelt conversation about what he is questioning (the 'Q" in LGBTQ), unconditional love, roles, gender and acceptance. How did we get from a children's book to making an animated short film?:

Background

Church Hat focuses on a revealing conversation between the main character and his Mother when she finds him secretly trying on her fancy hats. Instead of being in trouble, he experiences a joyful exchange that gives him the comfort of knowing that he can be curious without judgment or trauma. Using the unique technique of stop-motion paper puppetry animation, the story captures a parent's loving guidance and the joy of a child's emotional safety in being accepted in a home where he knows he belongs. Representation matters. Young people need to see films about other children who look like them and are going through similar experiences. Based on a children's book by the author and executive producer, Debra Williams, Church Hat is being brought to life, from a simple story to the screen, by a talented team in the Baltimore Filmmaker's Collective, a not-for profit organization.

The Baltimore Filmmaker’s Collective is our fiscal sponsor and totally supports the educational opportunity for the film to open up family, community and group discussions around the subjects addressed in the film. We have already raised $25,000 in seed money to make initial payments to the talented creative team already working on this production. All funds will go towards the making of the film, and any donation amount will help make an impact by supporting a positive story about a child's emotional safety, with a happy ending. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this project that means so much to me. Follow our progress at www.ChurchHatTheFilm.com , and on Instagram @storytoscreen.

Everyone who helps to financially support the film will be listed in the film credits. For those of you who contribute

Everyone will be a part of the most important message…. that love always wins.

Here’s what you will be helping us with to bring the animation to life (this is not an exhaustive list):

Debra Williams, the author and EP will not be taking any money out of the project.

Information about the creative team producing Church Hat, the animated short film:

Debra Williams - Executive Producer is an empowerment coach of Caribbean descent and author of the children's book that this is based on. Both women broke generational trauma and challenged stigma in the Caribbean community as they showed acceptance, love and understanding to everyone in a large family with relatives and friends who were members of LGBTQ communities. Church Hat is a tribute to their example that love always wins and the importance of solidarity and allyship. A long-time volunteer at the Toronto International Film Festival, she started taking time off to attend the festival as a movie lover and met Eric Cotten in line at a Midnight Madness screening. When she published her children's book, Eric read it and saw its potential to become an animated short film. It has been as a result of his encouragement that she has pursued this creative venture with him and Miceal O'Donnell.

Eric Cotten, producer, has written/directed or produced 28 short films including AFRONAUT (Sundance 2014). He has also:

Miceal O’Donnell is our talented animator and experienced director of animation with Cagesafe Productions who specializes in stop-motion paper puppetry. He has made micro-budget features and short films, shot a short film in Berlin, and taught acting and screenwriting workshops. His films have played at several festivals, including the Maryland Film Festival, New Orleans Film Festival, Nights on the Fringe, L.A. Shorts International Film Festival, and the Baltimore International Black Film Festival.

He has worked on dozens of character-driven independent films and is bringing his vision to this project to transform the book with engaging animation.

What is stop-motion paper puppetry?

Paper puppet animation is a type of stop-motion animation involving paper figures that are animated frame-by-frame. Animators create a physical three-dimensional scene, like a small theatre, where the action will take place. This 'cutout animation' uses flat characters, props and backgrounds cut from various materials such as paper, cardstock, stiff fabric or photographs. Click here for an example of Miceal's previous work. Debra Williams really likes this animation style, and thinks it suits the tone of the story.

Follow along with updates on this GoFundMe page, and on Facebook & Instagram @storytocreen as progress will shared frequently.

Once again, THANK YOU! Only your donations will take us through production of this important story about the safety and support that every child deserves.