Aloha kākou! I'm Nicholas B Gianforti and I'm the writer and director of the short film Oli. In 2019, I was fortunate enough to have been accepted into the prestigious ʻOhina Labs where I worked with three wonderful mentors to help develop the finished Oli script. After a very long pause due to COVID and numerous other challenges, we are finally moving forward to bring the script to screen. To produce this film at the level this story deserves we need your help. I'm investing my own savings into making this film a reality. We hope you'll come join us on this journey by investing in Oli and our team!

What is Oli about?

Oli follows Paʻakai -- a kānaka maoli veteran who, after returning home struggles with PTSD, survivor's guilt, connecting with his mother and culture and living.

Why this film and why now?

Quite simply, there's no film that covers the kānaka maoli or Pacific Islander veteran experience and there are few films highlighting the LGBTQIA+ community's military experience. Considering the current environment in the military, it's important to tell stories of both the LGBTQIA+ and under-represented communities.

How much are you trying to raise?

To do this the right way and pay all crew and principal cast members a living wage, we need to raise $20,000.

Where will your money go?

Paying cast and crew. Oftentimes, as independent filmmakers we're asking cast and crew to donate their time and effort to producing art. We are dedicated to paying the principal cast and crew on this film.

Camera and Lighting. Ensuring the film is shot on a quality camera and with amazing lenses to give it the look and feel it deserves costs thousands.

Wardrobe and Props: Since we have a combat scene, we must purchase uniforms and tactical gear...even used uniforms/gear is expensive. Additionally, to make the film as accurate as possible, we're renting airsoft replicas of the M4 rifles that Soldiers are issued. One donation of $100 pays for one airsoft rifle rental.

Craft Services and Catering: It's fairly common in small independent shorts and even features, that pizza becomes the set standard for fueling cast and crew. We won't do that! We want to partner with local companies to ensure we can not only provide healthy snacks and drinks but also healthy meals to our entire cast and crew each day. Every $20 donation feeds one person on set per day!

Post-production: Editing, visual effects, sound design, musical composition, and color correction are instrumental in making this film look, feel, and sound truthful. With your help, we can elevate Oli to the level it deserves!

Film Festivals Submission Fees. These add up quite quickly and range from $50-200 or more depending on the festival.

Come join us on this amazing journey of turning a script into a film. We’ll be posting updates throughout the process here and on our instagram page–@oli_short_film, so give it a follow.

Mahalo nui loa for your support!