Maleeka Short Film Fundraiser

Maleeka is a comedic short film about a psychic who runs an unconventional practice out of a cannabis café in the heart of Los Angeles.

Co-written by Brooke E. "Little" Dugan and her best friend Bradley S. Ralph, the film draws from the beautiful chaos of their friendship and the unique experience of growing up deeply Black in the suburbs of Los Angeles. In this 20 minute short we observe Maleeka as she delivers readings to three of her clients; offering spiritual guidance, personal insights, and a bit more than what they paid for.

Imagine if That's so Raven was 420 friendly and created by The Wayans Bros. Maleeka is a walking contradiction. At work she speaks with a thick Caribbean accent, however, when she’s annoyed or excited, she drops the accent and slips into a preppy suburban girl voice that sounds like she grew up in a Studio City Starbucks. Born and raised in the suburbs, Maleeka draws deeply from her Caribbean heritage, having been sent to the Caribbean in her early teens to live with her grandmother while battling a drug problem. Her grandmother, an accomplished shaman, played a key role in her rehabilitation and the discovery of her psychic abilities. She now works out of a cannabis café in exchange for free weed and a space for her to develop her gifts.

Why are we telling this story?

For many years, as a struggling actress in L.A., Little took on character acting jobs to satisfy the thespian within her, while working in restaurants and cafés to pay the bills. You know, the typical L.A. actor story. The girl in the Tinker Bell costume who’s actually a classically trained performer, reduced to being a party trick at Cindy’s birthday. She's played an elf, a Disney princess, a mad scientist, and yes, even a palm-reading psychic.

Maleeka is the embodiment of the caricatures Little used to play. Roles meant to entertain, that were often mystical, exotic, and disposable. But behind the smoke and theatrics, there’s something truly magical. We often hear conversations about the limitations of roles available to Black women in the entertainment industry, but rarely do we explore the lived experiences of the actors who play them. This piece centers on the so-called “secondary” role: the mystical guide the hero visits. Maleeka represents the characters from our childhood who tended to be the most spellbinding, but who we never really get to have a relationship with.

Maleeka is our take on what it means to have black girl magic in a world that just sees you as a party trick.

Dugan and Ralph submitted this concept to the first annual Fish Fry Media Short-Film Pitch competition, which required all applicants to submit a Comedy or Dramedy starring a woman of color, and feature a song from Duece Flame's new project "Can We Smoke in Here Too?" Dugan and Ralph became finalists, and developed a complete screenplay for the project. “Maleeka” was one of 65 stories entered into the competition, and was awarded first place!

The production is now proudly backed and represented by Fish Fry Media, who have provided an initial startup investment. However, we are still seeking an additional $5,000 to bring the project to completion.

We are incredibly grateful for the support we've received so far, and are so excited to bring Maleeka to life #Maleekalives!