Alaska favorite “I Can’t Think Straight” to become a web series — with your help
by Melissa S. Green
Last October, two films by independent lesbian filmmakers Shamim Sarif and Hanan Kattan were screened in Alaska, accompanied by Sheetal Sheth, costar of both films. Now one of those films, “I Can’t Think Straight,” based on the true story of Shamim’s and Hanan’s meeting, is set to become a web series — with your help.
Update: The project is on hiatus.
“Last spring,” Maureen Suttman wrote to Bent Alaska in August 2010, “I saw 2 films that have been gaining the attention of both lesbians and the greater GLBT community.” Here’s how Maureen described those two films — I Can’t Think Straight and The World Unseen:
One set in London and a romantic comedy, the other set in South Africa and a drama, they both take on multiple layers of culture without losing underlying relationship themes — and while bringing tremendous heart and thought provoking images to the screen. Looking more, I found that between the two films they have won over 30 awards from around the globe. Further research into the production house behind them showed that at its helm are 2 women who are long-term domestic partners (and moms to their boys). Shamim Sarif is an award winning novel writer turned screen writer turned director. Hanan Kattan is her partner and the films’ producer. Together they head London-based Enlightenment Productions and are gearing up additional novels to movies, music and television projects.
The films so compelled Maureen that she lost no time in organizing to bring them up to Anchorage for their Alaska premieres last October at Out North — accompanied in person by Sheetal Sheth, who co-starred with Lisa Ray in both films. The Anchorage screenings raised $1516 for the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Anchorage (GLCCA) and the Lisa Ray audio book project fund (formed to generate income for Lisa Ray as she recovered from stem cell replacement therapy for multiple myeloma; she is now in remission).
Alaska liked Sheetal, and she liked Alaska: she visited Anchorage again in June with filmmaker Rolla Selbak for a weekend of events at Out North, including screening of Selbak’s film Three Veils — another Alaska film premiere organized by Maureen Suttman.
But guess what? Maureen’s not done. Now she is part of an effort to take the remarkable story told in I Can’t Think Straight even further — as a web series.
Tala, a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian origin, prepares for an elaborate wedding with her Jordanian fiancé, when she encounters a timid Leyla, a young British Indian woman who is dating her best friend Ali.
Tala comes from a spirited Christian family; whereas Leyla’s strong Muslim upbringing could not be more different from each other — but the attraction is immediate between both girls. Tala’s feisty nature provokes Leyla out of her shell and soon both women reveal their feelings for each other.
The web series promises to take the story further. As pointed out on AfterEllen,
a series allows for further character development of other characters and their stories being explored as sub-plots. “This was another aspect I loved about the idea of an episodic series,” Shamim says, “that we could explore the relationship between Tala and Leyla on a longer arc, but also that we could develop the family dynamics. Their sisters were fun characters in the movie, and could have interesting parallel lives in the show, for instance. Because we want the show to stand on its own, I feel it’s important to run the love story from the start, though we will follow it much further down the road than the movie allowed.
Maureen traveled to London to meet Shamim and Hanan recently and was part of a small work group discussing development of the web series — but let her explain in her own words:
I am completely taken aback that I saw the films, was compelled to screen them, met Sheetal in the process and then traveled to London to meet Shamim and Hanan (and 2 other friends I met through this experience) and to the point that I was/am consulted by them on the series and marketing strategies. Weird, Weird, Weird!!! And so much fun along the way.
Below: Shamim Sarif (left), Maureen Suttman, and Hanan Kattan in London, 2011.
It promises to get even more fun — not only for Maureen, but for everyone involved in this project, and all the fans of I Can’t Think Straight. Sheetal Sheth has already signed on to reprise her film role as Leyla, and last Friday a new site dedicated to the web series went online.
First task: fundraising. As the filmmakers put it on the I Can’t Think Straight website,
To produce a series of at least the same quality as you enjoyed with our movies and to have it available on web is the something we are truly passionate about.
This standard can only be achieved by spending the same amount of time and effort in every area of the production process as we do in our movies and it’s something that we don’t believe has ever been attempted before.
As you know, we would like to start shooting at the beginning of March 2012 – but this can’t happen without reaching our stage one fundraising target of $375,000, by January 1st, so we need as much help as you can possibly give us, to reach this figure.
The website presents a whole bunch of sponsorship levels — and all of them from the $25 level up grant the sponsor access to the complete web series once its completed. If they’re able to raise all the funds needed by their target date of the end of March 2012, they’ll be able to go into pre-production in April and May, shoot Series 1 — currently slated to consist of 15 six-minute episodes — in June, and release it in September or October 2012. The series would then air weekly to about December 2012. If the necessary funds can’t be raised, donations will be refunded.
And why should you care about helping fund this series? Here’s what the filmmakers say:
We tried the TV network route but compromises were great. Some executives wanted to remove some of the cultural content to appeal more to mainstream audiences. Others wanted the love story to be one of emotional abuse. We would rather make the series to continue the values and vision and role models (although with plenty of obstacles and drama!) that all of us are dedicated to, or not make it at all.
Hanan went into more detail with Mia Jones in an in-depth article on AfterEllen:
We were told that the content had to change. Some wanted damaged lesbian characters who are abusive to each other emotionally (and abused) drugs, alcohol. This is not the image we wanted to explore for gay women. Some felt the Palestinian and Indian angles were too ethnic and others wanted us to change our leads and so on. We passed on each one of those suggestions, as this was not the kind of show we wanted to create or produce.
Ugh. Not what we want to see, either. I’m heading right back over to the I Can’t Think Straight web series website to support independent lesbian filmmakers — telling a true story that I can believe in. I hope you’ll do the same.
See the full press release about the series below. But first, catch the I Can’t Think Straight web series launch video:
Press release (11 Nov 2011)
Cult movie ‘I Can’t Think Straight’ launches crowdfunding for web series
Ground-breaking lesbian love story aims to push boundaries of web format
11th November 2011
For immediate release
Romantic comedy I Can’t Think Straight has attracted 11 international awards and massive audience support since its release in 2009, including 34 million hits on YouTube videos related to the film.
Now, acclaimed writer/director Shamim Sarif and producer Hanan Kattan have responded to overwhelming interest from fans by launching a crowdfunding model to raise the budget to produce “I Can’t Think Straight” as a web series.
The film was inspired by the true love story between Sarif and Kattan, and drew on their cultural backgrounds. The message of hope and integrity touched a chord in audiences all over the world with two-thirds of fans surveyed said the movie had deeply affected their lives.
“It has been a few years since I wrote that movie script,” says Sarif, who will write and direct the new series. “Characters change, the world changes, and I have changed as a writer — all that will influence the way the love story plays out this time around. Also, with a series, there’s more leeway to develop more of the family dynamics and to take Tala and Leyla’s relationship further.
“We took it to TV networks but they wanted to either lose the cultural backgrounds or have the core love story be abusive. But it is the sense of hope and possibility — despite the odds — that people have responded to.”
By electing to crowdfund the pair hope to maintain the values that inspire the fan mail they still receive every day, while further developing the story.
“We believe that with fan support, we can keep our creative independence,” explains Kattan. “And we will be looking for all sorts of input, not just financial sponsorship. Our new site www.icantthinkstraight.tv will offer a community where people can meet, post ideas and interact with us.”
Actress Sheetal Sheth, who played Leyla in the movie will be joining the web series to reprise her role, and also as an Executive Producer alongside Kattan and Sarif.
Lisa Ray who played opposite Sheetal in the movie lends her full support to Shamim and Hanan but will not be part of the new venture. Enlightenment Productions will be launching an international casting search to find the new Tala.
The fundraising will start on a new website that will go live on 11/11/11 at http://www.icantthinkstraight.tv/.
The site has a special Enlightenment Community section where fans from all over the world can interact, as well as an exclusive section for ‘Enlightenment Ambassadors’, key fans who would like to take on a more active role in their local communities to raise awareness for the show and the fundraising.
Series 1 is currently slated to consist of 15 six minute episodes but this could change based on funding. Funds will be raised until March and, if enough has been collected to produce a finished series, pre-production will begin, with a shoot scheduled for June. The anticipated release of the I Can’t Think Straight web series will be from September 2012 to December 2012 on a weekly basis.
If adequate funding levels are not reached, all monies will be returned to the respective sponsors.
“We have created various packages for sponsorship starting at $10 and going all the way up to $25,000,” says Kattan. “We’ve tried to offer innovative gifts as a thank you to those who make the effort to support us.”
The I Can’t Think Straight web series has a mandate to bring TV quality to the web while maintaining a spirit of independence. “We want the web series to embrace all the best aspects of the movie — love, integrity, the courage to be yourself — and to take it to new heights,” says Sarif. “And the best part is having our fans be part of the new journey.”
