Main fundraiser photo

The Root of Things Movie

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                                 OUR STORY

LOG LINE:
 
A young black couple and their roommate, a hapless middle-aged doctor from India, are on the verge of eviction, when they hatch a brilliant business plan that forces them to overcome their prejudices in the process.

OVERVIEW:
"The Root of Things" is a coming of age story centered around a group of roommates trying to find themselves in Los Angeles. Set in the mid-90s, our film is a social commentary told through each character's point of view, touching on relationships, drug abuse, religion, economic disparity, and LGBTQ rights. Although we tackle difficult topics, we also incorporate several comedic moments. You can best describe our film as Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" meets "Dear White People" with a Bollywood twist. 

"Do the Right Thing" (1989) trailer  
"Dear White People" (2014) trailer 

**Scroll down for details about and the rewards we offer to donors!**





                                                                       Our Team

Besides our unique story, what makes The Root of Things  stand out from other features is our diverse cast and crew. 
                                                              

DIRECTOR: Kiarra Graves is an American born writer and director, a U.S. Navy Veteran and Current Army Reserve, and is currently studying for a Masters of Science in Business Intelligence. The Root of Things  will be Kiarra's feature film debut. She and Rasheed Stephens have produced several features together: "Coffee & Cabbage", "Induced Effect", "Suicide Roadtrip", and  they are slated to produce the first indie feature by the creators of "LA Web Series".





WRITER: Rasheed Stephens is a stand up comedian, actor and writer. Originally from Atlanta, Rasheed developed the story behind The Root of Things  around his experience growing up with sisters. Rasheed will be playing the role of "Abo", Sophia's loving, but troubled, boyfriend. He is also a producer on the film. 





LEAD: A Youngstown, Ohio native, Naté Jones recently moved to Los Angeles from NYC where she trained and worked theatrically. She will be playing our lead, “Sophia”. This March Naté made her LA debut in Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra: The Musical” directed by NAACP Award winning director Gloria Gifford. Since, she has filmed lead roles in the indie films “The Shitty Things About Relationships” and “Choices”. She has also had roles in “A Raisin in The Sun”, “The Motherf*cker with The Hat”, “Hurlyburly”, and “Jitney”. In the fall, Naté will be studying at the Identity School of Acting. Accepted into the Advanced group, she will be a part of the first American class. Naté has a passion for uplifting women and found purpose when she founded the women’s empowerment brand Leaders in Lipstick. Naté is represented by Making Stars Talent Agency.





LEAD
: Sean Sun plays “Aditya”, Sophia and Abo’s roommate. Sean has trained with reputable teachers such as Matt Berry, in a wide range of performance and acting techniques. Sean is an engineer by profession, but acting is what truly kindles his creative spirit. His goal is to play leading roles in drama and adventure movies that have unique and compelling stories to tell.





“Goldie”: DeOtis Tole plays “Goldie”,  one of Sophia’s best friends, proudly transgender. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois; Tole found his second home in LA where he first found his passion in video editing at Colombia College Chicago. Overtime, Tole immersed himself in in front of the camera as an actor, rather than behind the camera. This granted him many more opportunities in the film industry and as a model. 




“Mena”: Ashley Carey plays “Mena”, one of Sophia’s best friends. Ashley is from Pomona, California. In addition to acting, Ashley loves working with youth in underserved communities. “ The Root of Things” will be Ashley’s first appearance in a feature film. She has trained at Elizabeth Mestnik Acting Studio as well as Margie Haber Acting Studio.





“Bunny B”: Armie Hick plays “Bun”, one of Abo’s best friends. Armie is known for roles in screen projects such as “Atlanta”, “'Coroner: I Speak for the Dead”, and “Escape the Great Dismal Swamp”. Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Armie Hicks starred in his own home made productions before earning praise for his role as an NBA player in Atlanta. Mr. Hicks studies under the tutelage of JD Lewis, one of the top acting coaches in America. Armie has continued to coach AAU basketball during the Summers. He also performs as a Karaoke host and rapper. 





CO-PRODUCER: Ben Berger is an American born Actor, Director, Writer, and Producer. He is best known for Nickelodeon's “Victorious”, “The L.A. Juice Cleanse” and “My Crazy Ex”. A rare breed, Ben is born and raised in Los Angeles.





CO-PRODUCER: Raised between Austin, TX and Mexico City, Diana Holtzman grew up bi-cultural and bilingual. She recently relocated from NYC where she worked as a Story Producer on a documentary about undocumented immigrants in danger of deportation seeking sanctuary.






                                                                          ASK

We are looking to raise $15,000. Your donation will go toward post production costs, marketing, and distribution. The T.R.O.T. team is so passionate about this story and are confident you will be too. We will be starting production at the end of August 2018.


FUNDING

The amount needed to complete the film is $15,000 and would permit:
• Editing
• Coloring
• Sound Mix/Scoring
• Marketing/Legal
• Film Festival Submissions

Our stretch goal is $20,000 and would permit:
• Advanced coloring 
• Music licensing 


REWARD LEVELS

$15 - A shout out on social media (@therootofthingsmovie).

$ 50 - A signed limited edition TROT poster + shout out on social media.

$100 - A V.I.P. invitation for two to attend a private TROT screening + a signed limited edition TROT poster + shout out on social media.

$250 - A special Thank you video from our cast and crew (+ everything above).

$500 - You're invited on the set of our film! (shooting end of August - early September) (+ everything above).

$1000 - A "Special Thanks" in the credits (+ everything above).

$5000 - Executive Producer credit.

Please help us by sharing our link, www.gofundme.com/trotmovie , with your friends and family in emails, texts, and on social media.

To celebrate the kick off of pre-production, we hosted a live table read in July. Stay tuned for updates – we will be posting pictures and videos.

We want to thank you for visiting our page. For updates on our project, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @therootofthingsmovie.

For any inquiries, please email [email redacted]

Organizer

TROT MOVIE
Organizer
Burbank, CA

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