tender: a short film
WE REACHED OUR INITIAL FUNDRAISING GOAL, SO ARE NOW STRETCHING TO REACH 200%!!
the impetus
I am not a director. That’s what I used to tell people. Another way for me to hide and deny myself the opportunity to grow as an artist and step out of my comfort zone.
Enough of that.
tender marks my directorial debut and I’m am so freakin’ excited. And I’m scared AF, but I’m doing this anyway.
I’ve learned that there are certain stories that I need to be a part of telling from start to finish.
In order to do that, I have to step into the director role, learn, grow, fail, challenge myself. I’ve spent the last year or so taking classes, working with actors, workshopping material and now… it’s time to actually do it. 
the logline: After an unexpected one night stand, two women at very different stages of their lives, share an even more intimate morning after.
the story
tender is a story close to my heart about the bonds between women, black women. I’m fascinated and fortified by the bonds I have with black women and I wanted to try to capture that power, but between seemingly strangers.
These days, between social media and tinder, genuine connection is so often lost. I also like playing with age and class and am compelled to write Gen X female characters (like me and my friends) who are actively reflecting on their life. And in this film’s case, a reflection through the eyes of one's seemingly younger self.
Lastly, because I’m a champion of joy, this is also a film about joy and how we can find it in unlikely places if we allow ourselves too.
the plan
We’re in the midst of pre-production! Identifying crew, location, going out to cast. All of that!
We plan to shoot this bad boy at the end of August (whoa!), employing a predominantly female crew, especially a female DP.
Since this is my debut, I wrote the story to be simple and contained. I’m not trying to do too much right out the gate. The story is told over one day via two actors in one location.
Short films can be costly. Even with a production-friendly story like ours, the costs add up.
We’re looking at $10,000+ to do this film right and do justice for the story.
Once the film’s done, we’ll submit our baby to film festivals and then look to an online release for the world to see. 
the plea
I know that folk direct films every day. But this is a HUGE deal for me. Your support would mean everything and would go directly to funding the production + post-production of tender.
My gratitude is already running over that a team is forming to bring this baby to life. I’d love for you to be a part of that.
Visit us online at tendermovie.com and follow us on this journey on IG and Twitter at #tendermovie.
the creative chats
We're also hosting a series of creative chats with me on topics ranging from pitching to developing a writing process. Participation in these chats also helps to fund tender. Check them out and tell a friend!
the team
The key creative team of this film is lead by black women:
Felicia Pride - Writer + Director
Felicia Pride began her writing career as an entertainment journalist, nearly twenty years ago. She went on to write several books, including a YA novel and the essay collection, The Message: 100 Life Lessons from Hip-Hop’s Greatest Songs. In between, she worked in book publishing, taught freshman comp for ten years, started and closed an entertainment marketing business, and slummed in several major cities. Since it became clear that she will never run out of stories, the Baltimore native moved to Los Angeles in 2015 to pursue film and television writing. By day, she worked as a film distribution exec, and in 2016, she was selected as a Film Independent Screenwriting Fellow. Her feature film REALLY LOVE is currently in post-production and is being produced by MACRO. In 2017, she was selected for the NBC Writers on the Verge program for comedy.
Most recently, she sold a drama pilot to Universal Cable Productions and was a staff writer on Ava DuVernay’s QUEEN SUGAR. She holds an M.A. in writing from Emerson College and is founder of The Create Daily , a community she started in 2012 to help underrepresented storytellers create full-time. tender marks her directorial debut.
Regina Hoyles - Producer
Regina Hoyles is a writer, actor, and filmmaker originally from the south suburbs of Chicago, IL. She is a graduate of NYU Tisch where she received her BFA in Drama and a minor in the business of entertainment. Regina is the creator of the web series NAPS, which screened at several festivals across the US and was recently hand-picked to stream on iONE Digital’s platform A Space For Creators. She is the founder and CEO of her production company RLH Productions and is currently working on a number of projects wearing various hats. Regina's sci-fi short film, Adullam, is currently in post-production.
