"Lemon Bars" Graduate Thesis Film

Hey! My name is Gabriella Bartley, a filmmaker based in Staten Island, NY and a current student at the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema. My team and I need your help to make my thesis film, Lemon Bars, pop off the pages and come to life!

Lemons Bars is a short comedy drama revolving around the African American community, dance, and body positivity. We follow a young plus size dancer who goes by the name of Citrus, attending an audition to be a part of a prestigious dance group formed entirely by black woman. As inspiring as it is, Citrus’ heart is suddenly full of insecurity when she sees the other girls auditioning aren’t exactly shaped the same as her.

Lemon Bars is inspired by my own experiences when it came to being comfortable with who I am physically. Through Lemon Bars, I want to give perspective on body dysmorphia within young black women, the dynamics around being accepted in one’s own community, and most importantly, how the strongest of bonds can help us rise above the insecurities that hold us down.

What makes this film special is the choice of music and choreography centering Black culture and the different branches within it. Through stylized camera movement, our aim is to capture how different body types react to music, an audience, and pressure that we sometimes put on ourselves. Through close-ups we want to show the sensual side of Afrobeat, while wides will help demonstrate the explosiveness of Jersey Club. Besides using color in an expressive way through our dancers, we want to mash the intimacy of classic film dance scenes like Pulp Fiction's Elvis shuffle with iconic modern scenes like the fun angling of Wednesday's Goo Goo Muck dance!

I’m beyond ecstatic to collaborate with other incredibly talented Feirstein students and friends. When it came to making my last film, Lotus Green, my team achieved greatness by combining ideas, strengths, and wonderful energies to see the project through! They work hard and believe in this story just as much as I do. That being said, we need to raise money to help pay for talent, location, and crew, overall ensuring that we have a fun and safe set.

Principal photography begins in early May, so we can’t express how much we need your support to help actualize this project. Your help will not only help make this dream a reality, but it will also help bring to light the importance of spreading body positivity amongst young adults in their journey of finding themselves in our world today.

Nothing gets us more excited than telling a story, and this one is destined to get you up and moving; Thank you for your support!