What’s in this episode?

As I said last time: I’ve got one job left: to get a feature film made for trans and LGBTQ youth in rural, small-town and Middle America — and to help keep them alive.

That’s why last week, I filed a lawsuit against The Gotham Film and Media Institute for age, race and disability discrimination. The project I submitted — A Still, Small Paw — was rejected from Gotham’s Shorts to Features Project Market.

You can read all about it including the actual complaint and all my emails at www.astillsmallpaw.com. Under “About” scroll down and click on Lantz v. Gotham.

Since then, after doing a bunch of research, I’ve found that Gotham’s selections for the Shorts to Features Market include producers and executive producers who are: a former Gotham/IFP employee, friends of Gotham, the head of an org Gotham lists as a “partner,” and filmmakers Gotham has selected before — one of them in this very section for the third year in a row!

So at best, nearly half of their selections went to insiders with previous relationships with Gotham — and at worst? To me it feels deceptive and like false advertising, as in “bait and switch.” Look at this: when you apply to Gotham’s Project Market, Gotham tells you three things: buy a membership starting at $125 to $250 a year, an application fee: $25.00 to $45.00 and, quote, “The most important element in the selection is the quality of the work that you submit.” Let me write that again: The most important element in the selection is the quality of the work. Not a word about preferential treatment going to Alumni, returning filmmakers, or “partners,” former staff or employees, or friends of Gotham. BUT after they’ve cashed everybody’s check and Gotham announces its slate — suddenly the language changes. Now the lineup “brings together returning Gotham-supported filmmakers” and “acclaimed producers” and “notable creative talent.” Remember that word “Quality” from the call for submissions — it doesn’t appear in the announcement. It has disappeared. Here's a specific example:

One of the projects Gotham DID accept — Debaters — is produced by Eugene Sun Park. And Eugene Sun Park is also the co-founder and co-executive director of Full Spectrum Features, which is — wait for it — one of the orgs Gotham lists as Partner for this year’s Gotham Week! I mean, what the heck, Gotham! This is a bald conflict of interest, right?

Maybe there’s an innocent explanation here and if so, I’d love to hear it, Gotham. How many Indie filmmakers from around the country unwittingly paid, collectively, tens of thousands of dollars in fees and memberships not knowing that they were competing for a small sliver of open spots, after nearly half of the spots went to insiders!

And like I said in the first video: for somebody like me, with no insider ties, I was an easy mark to be weeded out. I believe it was because of my age, my disability and my race. And that’s what my lawsuit is about.

So I feel cheated, and shafted and ripped off — and I’m angry.

But mostly though, I feel the way that I wrote to Tess Bartholomew at Gotham when I was first rejected: “I’m saddened mainly for the LGBTQ kids in middle and rural America who might be denied this movie because of neglect from institutions like Gotham...”

If you’re an indie filmmaker, what are you feeling? Some of you have already posted that you weren’t selected for this year’s Project Market. This anonymous applicant on Reddit said that the analytics on their privately shared video to Gotham, showed that someone watched it for only four seconds— suggesting what many indie filmmakers have long feared: that their projects to indie film non-profits are never fully considered.

So indie filmmakers — do you feel cheated? If so, I’d love to hear from you. And to Mr. Park at Full Spectrum Features — my beef is with Gotham, not you. Your mission statement says you support disabled and LGBTQ filmmakers. As being both of these, I’m super grateful there are folks in the world like you. Thank you!

And finally, Gotham — a word with you: Hello! It’s now been 45 days since my initial outreach to you and despite my numerous attempts to start a human conversation with you, except from your lawyer, you have ghosted me. On behalf of trans and LGBTQ youth in rural, small town and Middle America, I’d love to talk to you, Gotham. Human to human. You know where I am. Hope to hear from you. Please, let’s right this wrong.