Private Project

Bound 4 Heaven

The incredible true story of teens in a church youth group who are kidnapped and forced to confess their “sins.” But who decides what is sinful? How far would you go to protect your faith? Or your own identity?

  • Alexey Samsonov
    Director
  • Drew Stephens
    Writer
    Prinsesa, Tape 96, Slightly Super, Nanay's Lullaby
  • Emmanuel Romero
    Writer
    Prinsesa, Tape 96
  • Krystle Piamonte
    Key Cast
    "Myra"
  • Barnaby Falls
    Key Cast
    "Pastor Michael"
  • Alexey Samsonov
    Producer
  • Drew Stephens
    Executive Producer
    Prinsesa, Tape 96, Slightly Super, Nanay's Lullaby
  • Sahar Kazemzadeh
    Executive Producer
  • Alisha McCutcheon
    Director of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, LGBTQ, Faith
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 14 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 15, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Shanghai Pride Film Festival
    Shanghai
    China
    June 8, 2019
    Semi-Finalist
  • Rainbow Umbrella Film Festival - London
    London
    United Kingdom
    January 9, 2020
    UK Premiere
    Official Selection
  • San Antonio Qfest
    San Antonio, TX
    United States
    April 16, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Bay Area Short Film Festival (BASH)
    Albany, CA
    United States
    December 8, 2019
    Official Selection
  • SF IndieFest: Another Hole in the Head Film Fest
    San Francisco
    United States
    December 15, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Southern Shorts Awards
    Roswell Georgia
    United States
    April 16, 2019
    {WINNER}: Cinematography and Production Design
Director Biography - Alexey Samsonov

DREW STEPHENS (Story Creator, Co-Writer and Executive Producer) is best known for short film and stage projects such as “Prinsesa,” “VDA: Tape 96” and “Nanay's Lullaby”, which have won dozens of awards around the world. Drew was a TV & Radio presenter in Thailand and was the original TV host for Electric City LGBT TV in San Francisco.

ALEXEY SAMSONOV (Director) is a Russian-born San Francisco Bay Area writer/director. He has spent several years working in the local filmmaking scene and is best known for his short "106°F" (2017).

Both have been active in Scary Cow Film Productions, a unique filmmaking co-op providing networking and technical resources to aspiring indie filmmakers.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Our team is truly honored to join with our amazing San Francisco film community to bring "Bound 4 Heaven" to the screen. This story is a coming of age story like no other. The action is condensed into a few hours, where powerful external forces push the protagonist into expressing her true self. Hopefully our film might inspire and empower others to do the same.