“Oleander” By Kate Hackett
Synopsis
A seventeen year old sex-positive YouTuber starts a social media war against her abstinence program.
Directors statement
Oleander is the short film version of a feature film screenplay that I wrote, which was a finalist in the American Zoetrope Screenplay contest. My intention in making the film was to introduce the themes, characters, and visual landscape of the feature, in the form of a self-contained short.
My inspirations for this short were twofold. First, I wanted to write about my own experiences with abstinence education as a pre-teen, which held an emotionally destructive power over my psyche as I came into my own as a young woman. Second, I’ve become fascinated by the way in which we now fight our most emotionally fraught cultural battles on social media platforms. For a young woman in the internet era, coming of age sexually also involves having to choose a side in this overwhelming online discourse over whether her sexual life should be suppressed or celebrated. My protagonist, Oleander, is a hero because she fights through the noise to speak her authentic truth.
This film was proudly made with 65% women in the cast and crew.
Credits
Starring:
Peri Gilpin, Jennifer Lafleur, Emily Robinson, Mike Coleman
Writer, Director, Editor: Kate Hackett
Executive Producer: Melissa K. Dagodag
Co-Producers: Claire Hackett, Natalie Smyka
Casting: Chris Redondo
Director of Photography: Arlene Muller
Second Unit DP: Soraya Sélène
Composer: Ariel Marx
Costume Design: June Suepunpuck
Key Hair Stylist: Clayton Hawkins
Key Makeup Artist: Tayler Berez
Production Sound Mixer: Blake Christian
Colorist: Robbie Renfrow
Sound Designer / Re-Recording Mixer: TJ Jacques
VFX Artist: Jeff Fuller
Soundtrack:
“The Pressure” performed by Rachel Fannan and Only You.
“Look for Me” performed by Realities.
“Oleander” was submitted to us by Kate Hackett. Have a film of your own you’d like us to check out? Click here!