Losers in their hometown and losers on vacation, Jasper, Hannah, and Nick lie, scheme, and steal their way to bull-shittery and debauchery on their not-so-idyllic beach vacation.

Interview with Editor/Writer/Director Tristen Stafford

Watch on Prime Video, iTunes and Goggle Play

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

There are far too many lesbians in cinema history without electricity. Queer struggle and trauma is more often than not fetishized in movies and/or put in some far off place in time. I wanted to write a movie that rebelled against that with goofy stoner characters taking a road trip to a beach town. It's a lot more simple than a victorian era star-crossed lovers rehash.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

If you're a member of the audience it's probably because you paid to get in. Who wants to waste their money by getting up and leaving? Hopefully you won't want to. It's a cartoonishly witty movie about both growing with and growing apart from your closest, most intimate friends: the earworms and phrases you had with only them, the support lengths you'll go through to keep the glue of the group together, and the heartbreak that comes along with it. It's arguably the most heartfelt lowbrow comedy of all time, let's say it that way.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

My own experience with queerness comes from soft discovery when I was young, and then rediscovery at a post-college age. I spent most of my time doing absurd things with my friends and talking about our feelings, not really having the world beat me down for my queerness. I suppose it comes from privilege as a straight-passing white guy with fondness for privately crossdressing. Who knows. But I wanted to make a film reflective of that and those sensibilities. It's almost like I didn't know the extent of my gayness until making Pretenders. Once I saw characters that looked like me exercising their queerness in the same way I do (obviously), I felt I could express myself further. I don't know. I hope someone who thinks they're cis and straight sees this movie and goes "hey wait am I gay? They're just like me! These gays have electricity!"

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

Tons. The earlier drafts had this cool tone of like a noir mystery in the middle of it that totally got scrapped(saving for later). And then the edit of the film is where so much of the playful attitude of the film came from.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

It's been great! The recognition for doing this film this way feels really nice. It's like on one hand it's a movie, they never come out the way you want. On the other, I love it. I love the way it makes people think and all the conversations surrounding it.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

It's made me realize that there are even gatekeepers to the queer community. One piece of feedback I got from a notable festival (which will remain anonymous until I make enough money to afford a fantastic lawyer) is that it's just "not gay enough to be an lgbtq film." What does that mean? There are so many shades of queerness, discovery, and self identity. I suppose I chose the off-color shade.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

The more people that can see and be seen, the more we continue to learn about ourselves and what we want. If this exposes someone to queerness in a way where they see themselves reflected through all the crass-yet-sweet humor, then congratulations & welcome to the club. We have membership fees that can be paid directly to me.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Sales agents, buys, distributors, and journalists. We are still in the market to sell our International rights and our Theatrical rights. If we continue doing well on our reviews and write ups, I believe this will help greatly.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

Less queer trauma-fetishization, more fun.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

"Is this film 'gay enough' to you? What does 'gay enough' mean?"

Would you like to add anything else?

Thank you for having the space for us to talk about our movie!

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Tristen is currently shooting a short film titled "Blunt Civility," writing and developing his next feature, and will debut his new work in 2022 through his New York City based art collective.

Interview: December 2021

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Pretenders

Length:

1:26:00

Writer/Director

Tristen Stafford is a queer Queens based artist, writer, and filmmaker. In 2021, his first film "Pretenders" won Best Feature at the Cinequest Film Festival and earned domestic distribution through Gravitas Ventures. He is currently in production for the new short film "Blunt Civility," and is in early development for his next feature film. Stafford's New York based interdisciplinary art collective will be debuting their first works in 2022.

Producer

James Canellos is a freelance producer and production coordinator. James has worked in various Tribeca Film Institute programs. His produced shorts have been featured in the Bushwick Film Festival, 30 Under 30 Film Festival, Cannes Short Film Corner, Tribeca Film Institute, and CAA Moebius.

Key cast:

Libby Larkin (Jasper), Diata Coleman (Nick), Emma Grace Myers (Hannah)

Looking for:

distributors, buyers, journalists

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/hahayeahsure/

Hashtags used:

#pretendersthemovie

More info:

Where can I watch it now?

Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Vudu, YouTube TV