In September of 2011, I first became aware of this short film, The Flight. The goal was ambitious: a film with a lead character who was not only curious, desirous of change, smart, and capable, and... lesbian. That's right. Her sexual orientation was simply another of her attributes, like her curiosity.
How refreshing: a film about a smart young woman, not a film about a young woman questioning her sexuality.
It was also about a young woman on a quest to find what more there was to life than the small island on which she lived. According to the elders, that bit of land was the only land still on the planet, all the rest had been destroyed by the sins of humanity.
Ah! That last bit caught your attention, didn't it? The world had been drowned because people were bad - yet, on this sole remaining landmass, homosexuality still existed. No, that's not quite right. It's not that homosexuality still existed that is the important point here. Homosexuality is simply not distinguished as a sin; it is an accepted way of being, just like heterosexuality.
Like I said, pretty ambitious for a student short film.
I backed it heavily on its kickstarter campaign, but to no avail. The project did not meet its funding goal of $4000.
That time.
The next September, it was back for another run at funding.
My finances had been used for other projects, making a far lesser amount available. But, I did provide funding again for the film, as I still believed it to be a remarkable piece.
After all, the young woman manages to build a set of flying wings simply by the reading of a banned book. What a marvelous combination of science literacy and spunk!
This time around, she succeeded! Moreover, I was able to view the film on the large screen at the Trustees Theatre, too, when the student showcase was opened to the public. Very nice to see "The Flight" in such a setting!
And now I have my very own copy, to view whenever I like.
I should consider having a screening at my house sometime in the future, to share these works with a larger audience. After all, my goal is to broaden the horizons of those I know, not to let them stay on their own isolated islands.
