About Idle/Wild

Dating is hard, and first dates are harder. Which is why, when Annie suggests a unique first date to Berit — Meet me at Idyllwyld campsite, and bring your tent — Berit decides to go for it. Could this turn into the “cutest first date of all time?” Or could it turn into something…monstrous?

Note: This project is a personal, independent short film falling under the SAG-AFTRA microbudget agreement. All strike rules for both SAG-AFTRA and the WGA will be adhered to at all stages of production. No AMPTP member studio is or will be involved in its creation. Long live independent film.

Recently a friend and I were swapping bisexual dating tales, and she had a doozy: She had met someone online who lived upstate, and wanted to meet them in person. She was going on an already-planned solo camping trip, and so she suggested her new potential paramour meet up with her in the woods to see if they clicked.

“Wait,” I asked, concerned. “You met a stranger in the woods for a first date?”

Yes, she did. But, she clarified, this stranger was not a cis man. Whew. I immediately relaxed, and then I started asking myself questions: 

Why was I more worried when I thought she was meeting a man in the woods, as opposed to any other gender? (We all know why, but stay with me here.) 

How and why do queer people perceive safety and danger differently than straight people do?

What does danger look like in differently gendered spaces? ( Put another way: If you’ve spent most of your life being afraid of men, what happens to fear when men aren’t around? )

And what if I used these questions to turn the horror trope of “cabin in the woods” on its queer head?

And thus, Idle/Wild was born. As I dug into the story, I realized I was also writing about and grappling with my own fears related to my place in the queer community, and wrestling with questions about what safety or danger within that community meant to me. 

Oh, and as for my friend and her date: They had a very nice time in the woods, but they weren’t ready to commit — either to staying the night or to any further dates — and so my friend woke up, safe and solo, in her tent. 

Annie and Berit’s story has…a different ending. 

Since I was a kid sneaking my mom’s Stephen King books, the frisson of horror has always helped me through feelings of discomfort, anxiety, and lack of understanding. I did not relate to Sweet Valley High; I did relate to Pet Sematary. Feeling fear in a safe way helped me process my own, very real fears as a kid and young adult. 

And a good deal of that fear was the growing feeling that I was not straight, and what acknowledging that might mean for me, my family, and my life beyond. Luckily, the queer dating experience has been, and continues to be, one of great joy for me. It also still comes with some anxiety and, sometimes, a touch of fear. 

As someone socialized in straight spaces, I sometimes enter a beautiful room full of queer folks and think, “Wow, I’m so lucky to be here,” and then I think: “Wait, should I be here?” And yes, I should, but that outsider feeling is sneaky and pervasive. I’ve been out for almost a decade, but I still feel like a “baby queer” sometimes, and when I talk to other people who came out in their 30s or after, they often feel that way, too.

Part of making Idle/Wild is me exploring my own queer psyche through that lens. And instead of shying away from that “should I be here?” feeling, this film uses horror to lean into it. What if I shouldn’t be here...but not exactly in the way you're thinking?

I believe in horror as a source of healing, because it has healed me. I want to make Idle/Wild so that there are more stories about the darker sides of the queer psyche out there, so that we can talk more openly about what scares us and get closer to the light. 

Elena Heuzé (Berit) is a non-binary actor, pronouns are they/them. They were born in San Mateo, California, but grew up in the Philippines. They moved back to Los Angeles in 2014 to get their BA in Psychology and pursue acting. Their mother is Filipino and their father is French/Spanish. In 2021, They won the Best Actor award at the La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival and is known for their role of Nikki in Netflix's Heart Shot.

Charly Dannis (Annie) is a Texas-born New York-bred actor + writer + singer + theater/filmmaker with training from BADA, SMU, and NYU's CAP21.  As a theatermaker, she has been seen at theaters across Manhattan including Joe's Pub at The Public, Clubbed Thumb, The Flea, and Feinstein's 54/Below. Currently in Austin, Charly works as a filmmaker on both sides of the camera. Find more of her work at www.charlydannis.com

Kaitlin Fontana (Writer/Director) is an Emmy-nominated TV and film writer, director, and producer, and a National Magazine award-winning essayist. In a not-so-distant past life, she was a music journalist. She was the host of the WGAE's podcast OnWriting for seasons 4-6. Kaitlin's feature film script, GIRLFRIEND ON MARS, is on the Black List. Her directorial debut, FRANCHESCA, was an official Sundance Film Festival selection. She is a NYTVF Development Deal recipient (Audible) as well as a finalist in the HBOAccess Directing Fellowship. Kaitlin was a WriteHer List Honoree, an inaugural WGA/Made in New York Writers Room Fellow, Showtime Tony Cox Award winner, Nantucket Comedy Colonist, and Bitch List Honoree. She was a Field Producer on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. Kaitlin sits on the Writers Guild of America, East council and believes in the power of collective action. She lives in Los Angeles, CA and was born in Fernie, British Columbia, Canada, a distinction she shares with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson.

Christina Campagnola (Producer) is a Manager and Producer with a focus on diverse, independent voices, and multi-hyphenates, across all platforms. Christina started her management career at Imagine Artist Management. Before management, Christina was an agent in the Motion Picture Literary Department at the Agency for the Performing Arts where she represented filmmakers. During her time at APA, she helped launch their Independent Film Packaging and Sales division where she sold independent features and consulted for film funds. She is the co-founder of the Untitled Ladies Script Club and serves on the Dean’s Council of the Florida State University Film School, where she received a BFA in Film Production.

Tyler Snodgrass (Poster Artist) is a comedian, writer, illustrator, and banjoist from the Ozarks, living in NYC. Tyler can be heard every week on his comedy and music podcast, Take This Pod and Shove It, and can be seen regularly performing in venues around New York City. He also loves to draw comics and posters, like the one for this film.

Tal Minear (Crowdfunding Manager) is a SoCal based fiction podcast producer known for Re: Dracula, Someone Dies in This Elevator, Sidequesting, and other audio dramas. They love making experimental audio horror but also happy endings. When not producing podcasts or running crowdfunds, Tal can usually be found on a couch, under a cat, reading a fantasy novel. 

Our $15k goal goes to:

• Location and accommodation costs for a 3-day day/night shoot in Idyllwild
• Licenses and permits
• Gear rental
• Paying our actors SAG-AFTRA rates
• Hiring and paying crew, including an AD, DP, sound, and grips as well as a production designer.
• Undertake initial post-production including editing and color correction 

Stretch Goals

$16K - Kaitlin can undertake Intimacy Coordinator training, to help preserve a culture of consent on set
$18K - We can pay our cast and crew more
$20K - We can hire a rad practical effects specialist/team
$25K - We can beef up post-production and SFX

Can't support the show monetarily? You can help us tremendously by spreading the word about our campaign! Here are some sample tweets you can copy and paste to share the project.

• Support queer art by queer creators and get Idle/Wild the green light! crowdfundr.com/idle-wild
• Idle/Wild is a queer horror short film exploring the question “What if I shouldn't be here?” 
  It’s currently crowdfunding! crowdfundr.com/idle-wild
• Explore safety in the queer community with Idle/Wild, a short horror film about a first date in the woods. What could go wrong? Help fund this production on Crowdfundr! crowdfundr.com/idle-wild