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Duchess of Grant Park to Screen at Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ film festival
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Duchess of Grant Park to Screen at Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ film festival
ATLANTA – 14 Sept 2021 –
Her Grace, the Duchess of Grant Park, is excited to announce The Duchess of Grant Park as an official selection for the Out on Film Festival. The 20-minute short film will screen along several other short films made by trans filmmakers as part of their BEST OF TRANS SHORTS on October 2nd, 2021 at 12PM, at OutFront Theatre on 999 Brady Ave. Her Grace is most excited to attend in person and excited to meet filmmakers and moviegoers who attend.
The Duchess of Grant Park is a short film about a black trans woman who claims the Atlanta neighborhood of Grant Park as her duchy, and the journalist James who has been tasked with making a piece about her for the online news organization he works for.
You can purchase tickets by visiting Out on Film’s website, www.outonfilm.org. The Out on Festival runs from September 23rd until October 3rd.
“Making this film and becoming the Duchess gave me the encouragement and strength I needed to transition,” Davis says about becoming the Duchess.
This screening marks the 2 year anniversary since principal photography for the short film wrapped. The cast and crew filmed over the course of two weekends in September of 2019, with locations including Grant Park and Oakland Cemetary.
“What I hope people take away from this is not only the magic of the story and the every day, but also the importance of how one addresses others. Especially for members of the trans community,” Brandon Mitchell.
First-time director, Brandon Mitchell directed the film, while Ava Davis conceived of the character and wrote the script. The two also worked together to produce it. Katherine Brennan served as cinematographer, and Nicole Kemper served as editor.
The short film also stars Davis, as well as Jon Vertullo as James, and local comedians Hillary R. Heath and Jasmine Waters.
The film also features a cameo by acting couple Brian Ashton Smith and Melissa Kunnap. Smith and Kunnap starred together in the independent horror feature, The Evil Inside Her (2019). Kunnap and Davis had previously worked together on the award-winning horror short Feast (2018).
Other cast members include local award-winning filmmaker Nicole Kemper from Critical Crop Top Media; and Dr. Laura Meyers of Georgia State University, who also helped to cast and coordinate the children’s scene in the film.
Another notable cast member includes Kate Guyton, who received a walk-on role as part of her donation to the film’s crowdfunding campaign, which successfully raised over $5000 that helped to pay the crew and provide craft services for everyone involved!
The Out on Film Festival screening will conclude the film’s festival run. Afterward, Her Grace plans to take this short and a curated collection of creative content on the inaugural Royal Southeastern Independent Film Tour, starting in Georgia in the Spring of 2022. Georgia has a rich history of old theatres (both film & stage) that Her Grace plans to utilize. Locations include Rome, Athens, Augusta, Macon, Marietta, and Atlanta.
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Specific link for Best of Trans Shorts -
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