BOSTON, Mass. – Using animation to change the world… This is the hope of an award-winning group of Boston-based filmmakers and artists currently creating a Pro-LGBT short film entitled STITCH. Written and directed by Emerson College senior Michael Iemma, the film is a coming-of-age adventure story about the bitter-sweet nature of growing up and letting go. And as the film will be brought to life through the intricate art of stop-motion animation, every element in the film will be completely crafted by hand. While creating anything through stop-motion animation is quite a time consuming labor-of-love, the team chose it because no other animation form could possibly deliver the hand-touched, nostalgic feel and nuances that it possesses. “It delicateness, beauty, and subtle imperfections truly capture our vision of childhood and growth.” [pullquote]“Often times,” says Michael, “gay characters are used merely as stereotyped, stock figures, devoid of any depth or complexity, to accent a preexisting storyline.[/pullquote]
Yet beyond being a massively intricate and elaborate creative endeavor in itself, STITCH also carries with it a strong message concerning the LGBT fight for equal representation through mainstream film and television.
“Often times,” says Michael, “gay characters are used merely as stereotyped, stock figures, devoid of any depth or complexity, to accent a preexisting storyline. Beyond that, few representation of gay life are ever featured in the mainstream. The story of STITCH focuses on an honest and poignant relationship between two young gay men. By actively creating honest representations of gay life in media, and through animation of all mediums, we can begin to remove the stereotyped lens through which the mainstream perceives gay life.”
In this way the political message of STITCH transcends the limits of its narrative structure to make a powerful commentary on a very big issue of our time. Without art like this, which directly goes against the grain of what the mainstream has deemed acceptable, we cannot possibly hope to break down these outdated and unfair restrictions placed on the representation of an entire community of people.
“It is our belief that art should insight change. That art should remain true, and also give back. And it is our hope that STITCH can serve both as a catalyst of change, and also as a story that new generations of gay youths can feel comforted by and relate to in a way that mainstream media has simply denied the LGBT community.” [pullquote]The story of STITCH focuses on an honest and poignant relationship between two young gay men.[/pullquote]
And in addition to this, all proceeds from STITCH will go directly back into LGBT charity endeavors.
Currently, Michael and his team are raising funds for the film from now until September 5th 2013 through an online fundraising campaign hosted by Indiegogo.com. The campaign has already received considerable attention, and has been supported by Margaret Cho, the California-based Courage Campaign, and the notable independent film website Indiereign.com, to name a few. If you would like to find out more about STITCH and its creative team, as well as how to contribute, visit: www.indiegogo.com/projects/stitch–11. To read an interview with the film producer,Michael Iemma, click here!
The team also welcomes any questions, as well as potential sponsorship inquiries, at lgbtfilm@yahoo.com.
[From a News Release]
