OLD DYKES
A bittersweet love story.
OLD DYKES is the culmination of a 40-year love story. On the day Mel visits Laurie in hospice to say goodbye, Laurie finally asks Mel to be with her — but is it too late? Time stretches and morphs throughout the day while memory and the present converge around Laurie’s request. As the two women say, or don’t say, the things they have held onto since they were eighteen, Mel must face the challenges of loving a woman only to lose her again.
director’s statement
“There is a significant lack of stories about LGBTQ middle-aged characters and elders across film and TV, this shift could represent an opportunity for fresh new storytelling.” - GLAAD Where We Are On TV Report 2022 – 2023.
It is important to not only provide visions of us in our youth but also to offer narratives and models for how we age. Most LGBTQIA+ stories are directly tied to youth. This lack of stories about queer elders makes OLD DYKES vital and urgent.
I am a romantic, in a decidedly dyke way. I want to add my romantic lens to things like sickness and aging, which often aren’t perceived as romantic, or beautiful. OLD DYKES touches on the themes of queer aging, sickness, the politics of “coming out”, desire, and resistance. I draw inspiration from archival images of love, resistance, and organizing from the Lesbian Herstory Archives, the history of queer and lesbian cinema. This film considers tonal elements of romance, texture, and warmth in a historically unromantic setting of a hospice.
I believe filmmaking is an opportunity to enact care. With OLD DYKES we enact care in the making of the film by prioritizing accessibility with an accessibility rider and inclusive hiring practices in our working environments. OLD DYKES will also enact care by creating an offering to my community that holds the complexity of our identities and our ways of loving in a way that is not traditionally seen.
cast
Mel Lea DeLaria
Laurie Christine Kellogg-Darrin
Terri Liz Kennedy
Young Mel Rae Eubanks
Young Laurie Camilla May
Stunt Coordinator Court Schwartz
crew
Co-Producer Julia Corcoran (she/her)
Co-Producer Maddie Racoosin (she/her)
Cinematographer Bella Finn Parisot (she/her)
1st AC Hayden Luscombe (he/him)
2nd AC / Data Manager David Trinidad (he/him)
Production Designer K.C. McGeorge (they/them)
1st Assistant Director Ashlea Patterson (she/her)
Production Sound Mixer Monson Douglas (he/him)
Gaffer Harry Lipnick (he/him)
Key Grip Steve Mangurteun (he/him)
Swing Allysa Lisbon (she/her)
Swing Mads Fridolin Vejlby (he/him)
Costume Designer Athena Lawton (they/them)
Assistant Costumer Ashley Angione (she/her)
Intimacy Coordinator Allie Oops (she/they)
Motorbike Handler Olivia Jane Laroche (they/them)
2nd Assistant Director Sean Piontek (he/him)
Script Supervisor Camille Tsalik (she/her)
Still Photographer Jordan Kirk (he/him)
Drone Op Finley Morrison (he/him)
Drone Op Wyatt Humphreys (he/him)
Boom Operator Kyle Stephens (he/him)
Hair + Make up Artist Alyssa Fall (she/her)
Hair + Make up Artist Gabriel Palm (she/her)
Scenic Quill Chase-Daniel (he/him)
Art Assistant Ryder Dunagan (he/him)
Art Assistant Jesse Harron (she/her)
Art Assistant Jessie Blackman (she/her)
Production Assistant Pawla Velosa (she/her)
Production Assistant Scout Silbers (she/her)
Production Assistant Shelton Locke (he/him)
Crafty AB Brown (they/them)
specs
Project Type: Short
Genres: Romance, Drama, LGBTQIA+
Runtime: 18 minutes 55 seconds
Production Budget: 35,000 USD
Country of Origin: United States, United States
Country of Filming: United States, United States
Shooting Format: Digital
Aspect Ratio: 1:85
Film Color: Color
contact
Contact: olddykesfilm@gmail.com
Instagram: @olddykesfilm