About this project

We are 3 Grunts Productions, (http://www.3gruntsproductions.com/) a diverse, minority company based out of Columbus, Ohio, and we are trying to raise funds to make a 25-minute short film about how the policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell affects the families of gay and lesbian soldiers. It's called Requiem: A Soldier's Tale.

It takes a poignant look at one fictional family. The film begins with the military funeral of Army SSG Alana Ridings. During the funeral scene, we transition to a few days earlier when the military chaplain comes to the home to provide information and comfort to the soldier's mother. While she is there, the chaplain discovers that SSG Ridings, who was killed in combat while assisting a marine unit searching Iraqi insurgents, was a lesbian with a "wife" and a (non-biological) child. SSG Riding's mother discusses how the DADT policy is unfair to SSG Riding's immediate family, who have sacrificed just as much as any military family and now will get none of the benefits, programs or grief counseling afforded to the families of other heroes killed in action.

Our purpose is twofold; we would like to make the films that nobody else will make; the kind of films that represent the vast minorities that are so often misrepresented in the sensationalizing media. We would like to get our film known and submit it into film festivals to make people aware that repealing DADT is great but there is a problem if the spouse/partner/children's rights aren't also equal to that of all military dependents. The time for this film is now while the topic is hot and highly misunderstood. .

We have already begun to spread the word through sending the promo to friends and relevant organizations, uploading it on You Tube and the RequiemDADT fan page on Facebook and Twitter. We are selling t-shirts that advertise the film and we are trying to put together a local fundraiser. We previewed the promo last month in Cincinnati and we received several responses of "I never thought of the issue in those terms." Opening a fence-sitter's eyes on this subject is the best reward we can have.

The money we hope to raise will go for production costs and expenses for crew and cast and post-production.

Project location: Columbus, OH

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Project By

Cheyne Curry

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