HARTFORD, Conn — Imagine one of those classic teen comedies of the 1980s being updated to reflect the lives of today’s teenagers.
That’s what you get with the short film ‘Lux Freer,’ which will be shown at Out Film CT.
Out Film CT, Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ film festival is taking place October 6 – 15.
‘Lux Freer’ is one of several films with a Connecticut connection, which will be shown on October 14 at the Wadsworth Atheneum. The main character, Lux, delivers pizzas in the upscale town of Westport and must make a delivery to the home of the aspiring prom queen and runs into a variety of her teen classmates.
“It's about their struggles, and about how much of a difference it can make when one of the popular kids at school decides to stick up for them,” said Jill Johnson Mann, the writer of the film. “It's sort of John Hughes with a modern twist and an actual compassionate good message for teenagers.”
The film stars non-binary teen Echo Bodell, who contributed three original songs for the film. The cast is largely made up of students at Westport’s Triple Threat Academy, where students are given the opportunity to explore the performing arts.
Echo impressed Mann and director Cynthia Gibb, who is also the co-founder of Triple Threat Academy.
“Echo had never been on screen before. This is their screen debut. And to carry almost every scene in the film is a huge ask. And it was really a leap of faith for Cynthia and me,” said Mann. ”But we really like to champion these kids and give them these opportunities and give them the chance to reach for it.”
“It was moving to me, because we had at least half a dozen kids change their pronouns during the course of pre-production and production. And as I mused to jail, I don't know how many of them had done so before in a public setting, I'm pretty sure most of them hadn't, maybe just with your best friends or something. But it was a place where from the very beginning, this is my name, and these are my pronouns,” said Gibb.
The film has been shown at several festivals so far this year. But that wasn’t the original goal.
“We have actors, and we want to give them a place to be actors. We write scripts for them. And then that's the first goal, give them a place to learn their craft and enjoy the filmmaking process. The film festival thing was never part of the process.”
“If that's important to people, so that they feel heard, and seen and accepted, and, and their dignity intact, then, and we all can make the effort, right?” said Gibb. “Give someone a chance. Look at them, see them, hear them? You know, wait before you think you know who they are.”
“Lux Freer" will be shown Sat, October 14th, at 3:00 p.m. at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford. It will also be available streaming online from October 6 to October 23. For more information, go to Out Film CT.
Doug Stewart is a Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.
.
