NOLO ENTERTAINMENT & BLANKET FORT FILM’S : BUM
Log line: A woman’s awakening empowers her to envision a futuristic entanglement that exposes toxic relationships and the struggle to leave before it's too late.
BUM is about both physical and mental toxicity in life and poses as an advocacy against domestic violence and smoking.
BUM is a concept short for a feature film from the writer/director, Noelle Loizos.
The film opens with the main character on the balcony of her apartment reminiscing of a recent fight with her boyfriend that shows the physically and mentally abusive nature of their relationship. After her flashback, she asks to see what her future will look like if she stays in the relationship. She is then launched into the night, ultimately seeing it from three perspectives, showcasing how women's ability to be empathetic can be used as a strength to see the bigger picture in situations and society. This characteristic gives her the strength to leave the relationship and seek resources to heal.
Inspiration for this short film came from Alejandro Inarritu’s Babel that uses many people’s perspectives in one timeline. The simple plot and raw, dense characters echo films like Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine and Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road. All of the producers of BUM support the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. They see this film as a means of tackling domestic violence at it’s roots. When they recognized societal trends dismissing toxic relationships, they felt a responsibility to bring this story to life for audiences around the world.
To do the film’s subject matter justice, we educated ourselves on resources that are available for survivors. Through our research, we landed on LifeWire, a survivor-driven non-profit offering trauma informed services while promoting prevention through community-based training and coaching. Their missions inspired us to create a community around our film, educating and advocating just as they do.
We are proud to align with such groups in the fight against domestic violence and all things toxic and are honored that they are allowing us to use their disclaimer at the end of the film to provide resources to anyone in need. Because we believe in their cause, we have made the decision that a portion of the profits made from the film will be donated to LifeWire.
The screenplay is based on another script by Noelle Loizos, “Bernie Baby,” one of the 2017 winners of the New York Screenplay Contest. BUM has given many mindful artists the opportunity to be part of bringing this important story to life. This short is serving as Noelle’s demonstration piece for the Women's Directing Program at AFI and has already started making waves with high profile studio executives and producers in connection with Nolo Entertainment and Blanket Fort Films.
Writer/Director, Producer & Actor: Noelle Loizos & Nolo Entertainment
Noelle Loizos is a SAG-AFTRA actress, and an award-winning writer and director, whose films have screened for the Producers Guild of America and at film festivals. Her most recent studio films include Creed 2 and The Spy Who Dumped Me, where she worked as an actor and assisted Executive Producer Guy Riedel.
She has acted alongside industry veterans like Sylvester Stallone, Seth MacFarlane and Austin Pendleton and has also pitched $3B F&B companies for product placement. Her foundation in both business and creative pushes her goals to bring strong female-driven stories to the silver screen, growing her production company, Nolo Entertainment, promoting diversity in filmmaking, and to collaborate with the best in the industry.
@noelleloizos | @noloentertainment
Executive Producer & Gaffer:
Brody Willis & Blanket Fort Films
The mission of Blanket Fort Films is to not only present entertaining and informative film and video content, but to support the LGBTQ community and its film workers with meaningful employment and projects.
@blanketfortfilms
Producer & Director of Photography: Catalina Rodriguez
Catalina Rodriguez is an award-winning cinematographer who brings together her many mediums of art to create poetic-driven, cinematic imagery to the screen. Her work consistently seeks to implement the beauty of this world while exploring human interaction and their relationships to the world around them. Influenced heavily by a cross-cultural upbringing, Catalina’s unique work is derived from personal experiences, adventures and memories of the multitude of countries and cultures she grew up in.
It is with this artistic background that Catalina brings together her many talents together to focus on film cinematography. Her passion for this work is evident as she continually breaks ground with her thought-provoking, paradoxical and experiential work. Her work has played in big film festivals including Twist Seattle Queer Film Festival, ChellaVision Magazine Film Festival, and the Canada Short Film Festival. Catalina hopes to influence others to follow their dreams and create positive change in the world. She is passionate about her work and wants people to feel and see the beauty and the sentimental moments of small and daily adventures.
@rodriguezcdp
Producer: Lanie Christensen
Lanie’s philosophy focuses on collaboration with other filmmakers to create a collective vision the audience can relate to and digest. She has had films screened by the Producers Guild of America and also works as a creative producer consulting first-time filmmakers.
Mel has worked extensively as a creative producer and director for brands like Microsoft, Nordstrom, L’Oreal, Victoria’s Secret and the Seattle Seahawks. Mel’s branding and film career has allowed her the opportunity to film all over the world and gain a large network of other filmmakers and collaborators. Mel focuses on telling stories about current social issues, trauma and studying how people communicate with the intent on spreading a positive message.
@laniechristensen
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+ others available upon request