SUPPORT COLUMBIA THESIS FILM, SPORT STAR, WITH A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION!
Click to DonateI am thirteen years old, and I am running on green grass with dirt stained white cleats, under a sky that is blue in the middle, pink at its edges with orange clouds speckled throughout. This is my first year playing football, and it teaches me how to be one of the boys: never cry, get back up after a hard hit, give as good as you get, and cuss whenever possible.
After many practices, a high school graduation, and a move to New York, I still like to think I am one of those boys, since I come back to those days often. Days of masquerading my prepubescent toughness like a badge. Days of pretending like the bonds formed did not go deeper than the blue skies, pink horizons, and orange clouds those memories were made under. But now that I have distance from that time, I’ve realized those blue skies held deep emotion.
Sport Star is a story that finds its roots in those moments and how they progress into adulthood in my hometown of Gloucester, Virginia. This story is about coming to terms with love in a place that dictates what love should look like. This is a story about being gay in Gloucester, Virginia, never reckoning with one’s sexuality, and being in love in a place that refuses to accept it. It’s a story that, I hope, brings attention to the need for self-acceptance.
ARBOR: Arbor is a former high school and Naval academy football super star. He lives a quaint life with his wife, Alexis. Arbor was born and raised in Gloucester. Arbor spends a lot of his reminiscing since he’s retired from the Navy, but things change once he has a chance to reconnect with someone from his past.
STONE: Stone is a former high school and Notre Dame sport star and teammate of Arbor’s. And unknown to the town, the two share a bond that goes much deeper than football. Stone’s father worked at the shipyard and was a football player himself. His mom was a school teacher.
YOUNG ARBOR: Young Arbor is someone we only see in flashbacks. His life as a high school football star is new to him, and his feelings about Stone leave him conflicted. We find Young Arbor at the very start of his journey from nerdy kid to the popular jock.
YOUNG STONE: Young Stone is Arbor’s teammate on the football team and the town’s sport star. His name holds weight, and his feelings for Arbor are not taken lightly or for granted. Young Stone doesn’t realize how easy things are for him because of his status as a football player.
ALEXIS: Alexis is a true love for Arbor, and he is her husband. They’ve been together since they were teens. Alexis works as a principal for the town’s high school. She’d never admit it, but she knows the history between Arbor and Stone. Alexis isn’t angry with Arbor, but she is disappointed in him.
Ellis Finney
Writer, director, and editor Ellis Finney was born in Brooklyn, Virginia and raised in Gloucester, Virginia. Before attending Columbia University for his MFA in screenwriting, Ellis attended James Madison University and received a degree in Literature with a minor in creative writing. In 2022, Ellis was named a Cy Twombly graduate fellow by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and in 2023, his pilot Viper was a quarterfinalist for the Screencraft screenwriting fellowship. In 2024, Ellis’s monologue “To Put My Trust in You” was produced by Barter Theatre for their SHINE program.
Producer
Jeff Lichtenstein
Jeff Lichtenstein is an editor and award-winning producer from Columbia, Maryland. After receiving his undergraduate degree in Marketing and Finance, Jeff shot and edited documentaries and commercial videos for companies like Capital One and Google while working at Martini Media Solutions in Washington, DC. Now, he is pursuing his MFA in Creative Producing at Columbia University. His short films, Violet (2023) and Hollow Ground (2024), are currently touring the festival circuit and he is producing four upcoming Columbia short films. In addition, he is developing a documentary about the War on Drugs with Dr. Carl Hart and editing a feature-length documentary about displaced people in the Ukraine-Russia war. In 2024, Jeff won the prestigious Arthur Krim Memorial Award for Excellence in Producing and the competitive Emerging Filmmakers grant for one of his upcoming films. His latest film, Sport Star, also won the Robert Gore Rifkind Queer Production Grant and is slated to shoot in Gloucester, Virginia in October 2024. As a creative producer, Jeff hopes to support filmmakers who want to uplift marginalized communities and generate positive change in society.
Co-Producer
Kaustubh 'Vick' Singh
Kaustubh “Vick” Singh is documentary and narrative film producer of Indian descent from Singapore. Vick’s work has been featured at prominent film festivals including Tribeca, Outfest, Frameline, and NFFTY. His acclaimed projects include THAT WAS RAY (2019), which was a Student Academy Award® finalist, and PEACE OF HER OWN (2020), which debuted at the DGA Theatre in LA, won the Leo Freedman First Cut Award, and was subsequently shortlisted for a GSA-BAFTA student film award. Currently a graduate student in the Creative Producing track at Columbia University, Vick is dedicated to using film to illuminate the stories of underrepresented communities around the globe. NIKOLA, NIKOLA, his thesis film, recently won the prestigious Katharina Otto-Bernstein Mentorship Grant and is slated to film in North Macedonia later this year.
Director of Photography
Kevin ‘GK’ Frederick
Kevin ‘GK’ Frederick is a first generation American & Afro-Caribbean Cinematographer and image-maker based in NYC. Being raised in Antigua & Barbuda is the foundation of his storytelling and image-making. In his early years of living in Antigua, he developed a love for art, photography and filmmaking. Subsequently, he decided to move to New York City - where he was born, to further his pursuit in becoming an esteemed Cinematographer and Director. Above all, GK seeks to collaborate with artists & storytellers who create projects that contribute to the evolution of humanity. In 2023, GK shot Palm Sunday, which won best picture at Columbia University Film Festival.
Sport Star has earned the competitive Robert Gore Rifkind Queer Production Grant, Cook Foundation Grant, and is a Roy W. Dean Grant Finalist. We are close to reaching our funding goal, but we still need help reaching our target! Anything you may be able to offer will be greatly appreciated!
Here is what your contributions will support:
Cast and Crew Compensation - 17%
Set Meals and Crafty - 9%
Transportation - 16%
Lodging - 16%
Location Fees - 2%
Equipment - 24%
Props & Picture Vehicles - 4%
Post-Production (including color, sound, and score) - 10%
Festival Circuit Fees - 2%
Donate via Credit Card or eCheck
How do I know that my donation was made successfully?
Do I get a receipt?
Is my donation private?