Feature Film Funding: BiRDY (a southern coming-of-age story)

CAMPAIGN ENDS SEPTEMBER 30TH @ 8PM

I'm making my first feature film. That film is called BiRDY.

I always tell folks BiRDY is the story of my life – not just ‘cause it details specific smells and snapshots of my coming-of-age in rural Georgia, but because it dances with the themes and big-ass questions that have rummaged around in my brain for years and years.

I've done a lot of livin' and daydreamin' and writin' to explore themes of hope, masculinity, and the value of keeping promises made to loved ones. It's been a joy-and-a-half to write this baby, and with your help, it will be an even greater joy to make it!

BiRDY is a sunkist, coming-of-age film set in a small sweaty town that’s eaten up with the mystery of a missing kid named HALEN. At the heart of the flick is KIP - an 11-year-old hellion, raised by his pregnant, (ex-hellion) sister MAEVA, who’s doing her best ya know. RIBS, her boyfriend / babydaddy, helps occasionally (read: barely). Their dad - affectionately called “DIPSHIT” - helps even less.

Kip spends his days skrrtin’ around town on his motorbike deliverin’ flowers and stealin’ stuff with DENNIS, the 11-year-old (barefoot) girl down the way who’s secretly in love with him.

Kip’s whole world changes when he befriends Halen’s grieving mama, SHERRY, and catches feelings for TUESDAY, the mysterious new girl in town. In order to meet Tuesday, Kip steals her dog, “rescues” and returns it, then the two of them start crushing on each other - much to Dennis’s chagrin. As summer scorches on: Kip dotes on the women around him, imitates the men around him, and faces the danger and delight around him too.

By the end of the film, Kip’s been cracked the hell open. He’s held death in his hands, and new life as well, and he’s made good on the promises to those he loves.

It’s summer. It’s hot as hell outside and in. There are no smart phones. There ain’t a lot of shirt or shoe wearing either.

BiRDY is stuffed full of grit and spirit. We aim to capture the community with unpolished honesty and highlight both the hope and melancholy within. The vibrant lives of our characters are filtered through a warm color palette and sun-faded aesthetic, making them reminiscent of an old family photo album.

The world is filled with barefoot and bare-bellied folks eeking the most out of their circumstances. This narrative is character-driven and often lingers in the most spectacular moments of the mundane; beads of sweat, dirty nails, tears of joy, and tears of the opposite. This film is a celebration of the sweaty southern world we all know and love.

The film echoes literary themes reminiscent of Mark Twain and Flannery O’Connor, and it sits alongside other gritty coming-of-age films like The Florida Project, George Washington, Mud, and American Honey.

BUDGET:

We’re calling in all the favors! We have an amazing network of collaborators donating their time, gear, and resources. This includes the majority of crew working for backend, friends and family lending props and wardrobe, and a few volunteer cast members (including ourselves!) We’ve gotten creative to cut our required cash to a minimum while maintaining high production quality.

Brent Michal & Piper Verbrick are creative and life partners telling stories with bite, heart, and handmade flair. They began their collaboration with a $2,500 Mini-DV micro-feature in 2023 — a scrappy, run-and-gun labor of love that lit the fuse for everything to come.

Brent, a Southern-born filmmaker with a background in screenwriting and philosophy, got his start acting, and then moved to directing and teaching performance.

Piper, a Midwest native and NYU Tisch Drama BFA grad, cut her teeth on stage before stepping in front of and now behind the camera.

Since joining forces, the duo has acted together in over 15 projects and built a catalog of self-produced shorts that punch above their weight — raw, expressive, and deeply human.

Their work is fueled by shared instincts, a wild DIY spirit, and the lovely chaos of building a creative life together.

BiRDY marks their biggest and boldest chapter yet — the next step in an evolving partnership grounded in curiosity, grit, and a love for story.

Follow our campaign here! It’s free, and each share and comment helps our project be seen to more users which could really help us as we finalize the film.

Send this crowdfunding campaign out to someone you know. Text, email, anything you can do to get our film out there is VERY helpful. It takes a village to raise this BiRDY.

Stay connected and spread the word!

We are so excited to make this film and share it with you! From the entire BiRDY family joining us on this journey, Thank you!