‘heart breaks open’ is a feature film about gay life, public health and community accountability. It was written as a four page outline and transformed to a feature-length project through a collaborative filmmaking process. Actors used improvisational acting to create dialogue and action. Documentary filmmakers captured performances using cinema verité techniques. Seattle locations and their staff were used to create an undeniable meditative realism.

Why We Need Money:
‘heart breaks open’ will premiere on April 4 at the 25th Anniversary BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. At the end of April, we’ll have our US premiere at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. We are raising money so that our principle cast and crew can travel with the film to present it at these amazing festivals. Please consider a donation.

Film Synopsis:
Poet and activist, Jesus (Maximillian Davis) prides himself in his work with the Seattle LGBT community. At the same time, Jesus is having unprotected sex and cheating on his long-time partner Johnny (Samonte Cruz). Jesus’s world implodes when he discovers that he is HIV positive, forcing him to confront his innermost fears, his relationship with his ex-boyfriend, and a future living with HIV. Faced with the unknown, Jesus is pulled from the brink of self-destruction by Sister Alysa Trailer (Brian Peters), a drag nun who leads him down a path of self-discovery.

In a nuanced and subtle way, ʻheart breaks openʼ comments on the notion of a ʻsecond comingʼ of the Christian Jesus Christ. The film deviates from the traditional 3-act story structure, commonly used in fiction film, and follows the path of the Christian ʻStations of the Crossʼ. Instead of a cross, HIV is our Jesusʼs burden to bear. Instead of the daughters of Jerusalem, Jesus is met by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, “an order of 21st Century [drag] nuns dedicated to the promulgation of universal joy and the expiation of stigmatic guilt.”

ʻheart breaks openʼ strives to provoke. Who would Jesus be if s/he were with us today? What would be the cross to bear? How do we crucify our own or ourselves?

Our Partners:
‘heart breaks open’ is fiscally sponsored by Three Dollar Bill Cinema and is being produced by Dual Power Productions. We’ve also partnered with Gay City Health Project, Lifelong AIDS Alliance, and the Seattle chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — The Abbey of Saint Joan.

Learn more about the project at:
• http://www.heartbreaksopen.com
• http://www.dualpowerproductions.com
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/d41d8cd9/272733769834

Get Prizes For Donating!
PLEDGE $12 OR MORE
Get a unique acronym poem written from your first name that tells the world how cool you are. And get a high-five from one of the people on the cast or crew! (It could be a virtual high-five if we don’t live in the same place).

PLEDGE $28 OR MORE
Get a signed poster from the movie! And get a unique acronym poem written from your first and last name that tells the world how awesome you are.

PLEDGE $62 OR MORE
Receive a signed copy of the sreenplay book when it is published! And get an acoustic rock song written about you that tells the world how fantastic and fabulous you are.

PLEDGE $111 OR MORE
Get a signed copy of the DVD and sreenplay book when they are released. Get a one-of-a-kind screen-printed t-shirt from the movie. Also get your name in the film under the “Special Thanks” in the closing credits.

PLEDGE $257 OR MORE
Get a crew credit in the film! Because we’re operating with a small crew, we’ve got several credits to offer you. Pick from a selection of credits and see your name in lights. Also, get a signed copy of the sreenplay book and DVD when they are released.

PLEDGE $571 OR MORE
Get tickets to our premiere screening & party! Join the celebrations as we unveil our feature on the big screen. Then party like a rock star as we celebrate our success! Get a signed copy of the sreenplay book and DVD when they are released. And, get an ‘Associate Producer’ credit in the film. Your name appears in the closing credits of the film and you get listed on the film’s IMdB page.

Cast & Crew
basil shadid | producer, story, director of photography
Basil was the Post-Coordinator on the Academy Award nominated documentary Iraq In Fragments. He has been working in film since 2003. Based in Seattle, Washington, Basil works internationally. Previous projects have taken him through Asia, the Middle East, Europe, North America and South America. He has also traveled thousands of miles on freight trains throughout the US. His Masters in Mental Health Counseling, background in popular education, yearning for adventure, and years of experience in production give him a unique perspective on story.

billie rain | director, story
billie is a disabled writer, activist and filmmaker. years of chronic illness and a rare tumor condition have given her an amazing sense of groundedness, connection and self-advocacy that fuel her passion to bring truth, in all it’s pain and glory, to audiences everywhere.

john boucher | editor
John is a screenwriter, director, editor, musician and poet. He holds two film degrees and is proud to have worked for several years as an assistant to screenwriting legend Stewart Stern (Rebel Without A Cause). As co-founder of Seattle-based writing collective Les Sardines, he co-produces and contributes to the group’s entirely hand-made literary publication Les Sar’zine. heart breaks open marks John’s debut feature-length editorial effort.

maximillian davis | cast: jesus
Max began his work in collaborative arts as a performer and facilitator for Project Outreach for Secondary School Education at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He went on to study theatre at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. Upon graduating, he became a starting member of Ripple Productions, originating the roles of Marty in Innocent When You Dream (Backstage 2004 off-broadway production of the year), Bes in The Wheat and the Moon, and Kenji in Sweet Pushes, Tangy Pulls. In Seattle, Max has performed for the Intiman Theatre’s Living History program, and collaborated for two years with local performance group Circus Contraption. heart breaks open marks his feature film debut.

brian peters | associate producer, cast: michael/sister alysa trailer
Brian has been in and around the theater world since he was 5 years old, working in small community theaters as well as the Opera Idaho Company. He took some time off to explore himself and found a new calling in life. He found his partner of 9 years and joined the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence™, the Abbey of St. Joan, as Sister Stella Standing. He discovered that community outreach and activism spoke to his soul. Brian is also a person living with HIV for over 10 years and has made it his personal goal to reach people like him and lend a hand whenever needed. heart breaks open marks Brian’s debut in a full-length feature film.

samonte cruz | cast: johnny
Samonte is a mixed-gender, mixed-race Pilipino educator, organizer, singer/songwriter, audio engineer, and video editor. He has performed at various arts festivals in Canada and the US, including the Anti-Beauty Pageant, Seattle WA and Roots, Rhymes and Resistance, Vancouver BC. He believes that music and new media serve as powerful forms of expression, resistance and education — especially for individuals and communities with under-represented perspectives. Samonte is very grateful that he is able to be part of heart breaks open and has enjoyed working with the visionary masterminds behind the project.

eric goetz | composer
Award-winning composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Eric Goetz prides himself on his diverse background and flexibility as a composer. Eric started composing at a very early age, writing video game music on his TI-99 computer in BASIC. Eric has scored several feature films and numerous shorts, including Seattle In Color, Greensleeves, Bookie , Black Coffee, Beyond Greenaway, and Photobooth. Eric also performs with numerous groups including Central Services and serves on the board of the Seattle Composers Alliance.