Intriguing Gay-Themed Short Film Cold Call Seeks Funding

More and more gay-themed films are looking to the potential audience to put up the money to actually make the movie. The latest of those is Cold Call, which recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the $40,000 they’re looking for to make the short film a reality.

The film is based on a short story written by Indian-American author Rahul Mehta that was published in the New York Times in the fall of 2011 (you can read it here). It’s certainly got an intriguing premise.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Naveen is in his first year at an American College. As a son of Indian immigrants, he struggles with the Indian values that were instilled in him by his parents and the western culture he was born and raised in.

‘Furthermore, Naveen is gay and his strict Indian parents have no inkling of it. He’s finally out of the house, emancipated from his parents rule and in college where he can fully explore his own ideas and his sexuality…But not in that order. He’s about to get a phone call with an offer, he can’t refuse!’

That call is from a complete stranger who promises an illicit encounter, which until that point had only dwelled in Naveen’s fantasies. Filled with curiosity Naveen agrees to meet the caller and they arrange a clandestine meeting in the school library.

Director Sohnia Can Der Puye states, “Upon reading this short story, I immediately wanted to adapt it into a short film. I could see the story unfold visually. This story has so many elements and dynamics that I believe will resonate with a diverse audience. Most importantly this film highlights the complexities of the gay children of immigrants who grow up in progressive western countries but are imprisoned by their parents deep-rooted cultural beliefs.”

The hope is that if they can raise the funds needed, the short will shoot later this year and be completed by early 2014.

You can find out more over at Kickstarter (and of course there are plenty of incentives offered if you do want to pledge money), or at the film’s official website.

And here’s the first page of the script…