GraceLand

(NOTE: We have the music rights!)

GraceLand is inspired by the true story of a close family member who transitioned from female to male and the journey of our very religious matriarch to accept him. (Update she did and he is very happily married now)

Review:

Bonnie Discepolo’s Graceland explores today’s notions of gender expression against the backdrop of the conventional nuclear family, exhibiting the generational conflict between a clean-cut, old school suburban mother (Anna Camp) and her transgender son (Katie Beth West), who rejects the name Grace and chooses instead the name Elvis. What’s interesting—indeed, refreshing—about Discepolo’s film is the subversion of work and struggle: it is not Elvis who bears the weight of the journey towards acceptance; rather, it is Elvis’ mom who must embark on a journey of self-discovery and ultimately adapt her beliefs and her role as parent in order to have a loving, open, and successful relationship with her son. So too often it is the queer individual who, in their coming-out narrative, does all of the work in creating a space in which they can live their truth. No, Graceland shows that it is also incumbent upon the parents of queer children to meet them halfway. Elvis, in fact, does not hide who he is and—literally, in a talent show sequence—stands in the spotlight.

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GraceLand uses the metaphor of a child believing that they are the reincarnation of Elvis Presley as a vehicle to explore gender identity and self-expression, juxtaposed with parents who do not understand or support.

In GraceLand the emotional burden of change falls on the adults. Elvis's mother, father and teacher have to figure out how to navigate their own expectations, prejudices and judgements about how Elvis should live his life. In this story Elvis knows who he is throughout.

I cover a lot of territory in GraceLand, but the essence of the film is 'belief." I harbored a secret life as a child because I didn't think I would be believed. GraceLand is a magical retelling of a world, where I child boldly live their truth, and the world around him changes to support, admire, and applaud the truth. The chorus of the song, 'Do You Believe Me Now,?" highlights the heart of GraceLand.

Thank you

Some key points to note:

1. We have all music rights.
2. Anna Camp and Monique Coleman are available for q & a's.
3. We have Closed Captioning ready.

MUSIC RIGHTS

Blue Suede Shoes is licensed through Sun Records. It's a Carl Perkins song that we licensed the mechanical rights, then recorded the music tracks and used an Elvis impersonator for the vocals.
Amazing Grace is public domain, and again we recorded all the music and then used Lance Lipinsky, an Elvis vocal impersonator to record the lyrics.

2. This movie is a years long labor of love. The two stars Anna Camp and Monique Coleman and I went to school together in Columbia, South Carolina where we did theatre as children. They both agreed to fly home to South Carolina over the holidays and we shot the film over a weekend in December. Everyone generously donated their time because they believe in the power of showing acceptance and understanding of trans kids in the south.

I used a very bright, TV-like, colorful palette and the music of Elvis Presley to show a family raising a transchild that wouldn't normally be portrayed as the central protagonists of an American sitcom. The aim is to normalize queer kids, but present the family in a color pattern, and filming style that usually presents the "american nuclear family." I see this as a way to talk about the painful issue of being a trans-kid in the south, while lulling a maybe resistant audience into the safety of the familiar looking sitcom vibe. I'm excited bout subverting and criticizing "norms" all while making the viewer think that I am conforming to them.

Growing up misunderstood is an incredibly painful thing. It takes years to recover lost self esteem, and there are many kids who don't survive or never recover. GraceLand hopes to show a pathway of love and understanding through the music of Elvis as a vehicle for parents and loved ones who otherwise might dismiss, disenfranchise or ostracize those they should love.

Thank you for considering GraceLand.