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Born Sinner follows the troubled life of a 17-year old Terrel, up until he receives an emotional visit from his parents in prison for an alleged crime under false accusations.
Director's Note:
Hello, I am Mark McNeil II. the Writer and Producer of our short film 'Born Sinner'. We’ve created this GoFundMe in hopes to raise enough funds to produce this story!
Synopsis:
The core of this film is centered around a drug-addicted 17-year-old's, Terrel (Mark McNeil II.) relationship with his parents, Lexus and Darnell, during a visit to jail. Terrel is now faced with the effects of his addiction and the harsh reality that he may serve the bulk of his life behind bars. Flashbacks reveal the last day in Terrel's life outside of prison, in which he's accompanied by his best friend, Darius, an 18-year-old single father, who's in some serious debt. On their way back home, Terrel becomes swept up in a criminal altercation with Darius that ended in tragedy. Thus, causing both teenagers to end up behind bars. Based on a multitude of true stories.
Themes:
The theme of this film is that an immoral environment creates an immoral person. The film will illustrate how easily someone from America's "ghettoes" can wind up behind bars in prison. In particular, Born Sinner plunges into the in-depth reality of many teenagers stuck in a neighborhood rife with drugs and crime including topics such as; the cycle of incarceration, drug addiction, and poverty. Set in the surrounding areas of Philadelphia, the film will confront Hollywood's stereotypical trope of a criminal.
This intimate story will allow us to explore the heartfelt emotions and human nature associated with such a horrific event. With a devoted crew and a talented cast, we’re all very excited to bring this story to life and explore the issues that many underprivileged communities deal with.
Goals:
The film will be showcased at various film festivals around the world -- in particular, I will be attending Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France in order to advocate for this film. In addition, we plan to release the film online by the end of the year 2022.
We intend to raise awareness and foundation for those who can not afford bail, are suffering from drug addiction, and/or mental illness. In order to do so, we intend to partner with local charities and donate to The Bail Project -- an organization dedicated to providing resources for those who can not afford bail or legal representation.
Crew:
Facts and Statistics:
According to the Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research and the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
- Among men, more than ¼ blacks and ⅙ Hispanics, compared to 1 in 23 whites, will enter prison at least once in their lifetime.
- There are 2 million people in the nation’s prisons and jails—a 500% increase over the last 40 years.
- The number of Americans incarcerated for drug offenses has skyrocketed from 40,900 in 1980 to 430,926 in 2019.
- In 1986, people released after serving time for a federal drug offense had spent an average of 22 months in prison. By 2004, people convicted on federal drug offenses were expected to serve almost three times that length: 62 months in prison.
- For Black men in their thirties, about 1 in every 12 is in prison or jail on any given day.
- Pennsylvania’s incarceration rates stand out internationally.
Why We Need Your Help:
In order to successfully produce our short student film, we created a budget of $2,500. The breakdown in which where the money will be funded is listed below:
- Acquiring necessary equipment
- Wardrobe - Police uniforms, Prisoner uniforms, etc.
- Acquiring Locations - Prison Visitation Center, Parking, etc.
- Accommodation and Travel
- Meals
- Make-up
- Publicity - including Film Festival Submission Fees)
- Set Design
Co-organizers (2)
Mark McNeil
Organizer
Coatesville, PA
Robert Greenwald
Co-organizer