Urban Uptake
Click to DonateMISSION STATEMENT
THE STORY
Key Characters:
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, & Cyberpunk
Length: 20 mins
Key Characters:
Ayanna - smart, African American female in her 30s with flawless locs, and she's badass
Eesha - witty, smart, and incredibly beautiful African American female in her 20s-40s
Nubian Goddess - a tall African American female in her 20s, beautiful, and she's a model
Zuri - African American female in her 20s-40s, poised, and powerful
Sade - African American female in her 20s-40s, tall, and powerful
Logline: After Ayanna gets fired, she stumbles onto a digital world called Urban Uptake, a place for women like her.
Synopsis:
Ayanna, a corporate marketing coordinator, walks into work. The unimaginable happens, her boss fires her due to her hair not meeting the company’s professional standard for clients. Upset, Ayanna talks to her best friend, Eesha, who suggests that Ayanna apply for a job on Urban Uptake. At first Ayanna hates the idea because Urban Uptake is a knockoff of Craigslist, but job hunting isn’t fun. She finds a job posting on Urban Uptake and submits an application. To Ayanna’s surprise, after submitting an application, she enters into a digital world called Urban Uptake, which is a place for women like her. Little does she know how close her ties are to the digital world.
DIGITAL WORLD
Urban Uptake is a futuristic cyberpunk metropolis digital world teeming with life, innovation, and complexity. Nestled within an urban landscape adorned with neon lights that illuminate the bustling streets below, this cityscape pulsates with energy day and night. The city's energy comes from the citizens' hair, which is an extension of their identity, a symbol of strength, beauty, and resilience. Their hair isn't merely strands of protein, but a canvas for self-expression, creativity, and cultural heritage. In this world, the women that reside here are outcasts from the current world. Despite being outcasts, without these women, the current world will be vulnerable to adversaries of other digital worlds. The women of Urban Uptake are fighters, protectors, and warriors for their world and the current world.
CURRENT WORLD
In Urban Uptake, the current world is characterized by technological advancements, globalization, and interconnectedness. As the current world grows, it faces a multitude of interconnected problems spanning various domains, including social, economic, environmental, and political issues. The current world has "ism" i.e. sexism, classism, etc. It is a world that doesn't accept outcasts, citizens of this world must conform.
THE CREATOR & THE WRITER
Kenisha L. Morgan
Kenisha L. Morgan is originally from Atlanta, GA. To be more specific, she is from College Park,GA and East Point,GA. Nonetheless, Kenisha fell in love with acting at the age of 15, but had no idea how to do it. She believes a true thespian is more than just being famous, it is about telling great stories. Outside of acting, she is a Low Code/No Code developer. She enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, friends, family, and her plants. Kenisha is a plant mom. Also, she enjoys giving back to the community. She feeds the homeless and mentors the youth.
website: https://kenishalmorgan.wixsite.com/mysite
FROM THE WRITER
As a writer, I write from my experiences. I’ve been wrongfully fired from a job. My hair has been constantly scrutinized by my family, my peers, and society. I have 4c tightly coiled hair, if you know, you know. My entire youth, I struggled to style and do my hair because my hair was considered bad hair. I had comments about whether my hair grew or not or why my hair didn’t look like another black girl’s hair. I got criticism about my hair even into my adulthood. The comments never stopped. Instead of writing a story about the trauma of getting fired from a job and my hair struggles, I wanted to show even through the pain, there is something good that can come from it. Yes, I was fired, but I found my purpose in life. Yes, my hair was scrutinized, but I found my identity and self-expression from my unique hair. Urban Uptake highlights how a job loss can guide you to your purpose, it celebrates the distinctive hair textures of black women, and it shows black sisterhood and black motherhood. In the words of Maya Angelou, “No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.” Life is amazing despite the pain.
If we, women of color, don't start creating stories for ourselves; then, we will continue to beg for a place in their stories. We can't rely on institutions alone to protect the values we share. No longer should women of color feel like we need to ask for representation. We need to create our stories and show them we can be great storytellers, great leads, and great filmmakers. That’s why we’re making this film. Gandhi once said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world." Therefore, we are making that change. We’re bringing marginalized talent and voices to the forefront. By pledging to us now, you're doing more than supporting our film, you're sending a message of unity and acceptance. Let's make a difference together.
Our team is fortunate to contribute some of our own money to the project. After all, if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will. Nonetheless, still making a short film isn't an easy task. To make this film possible, we are looking to secure funding to:
- Create the Urban Uptake's digital world through Production Design.
- This includes film equipment, costumes, SPFX, and film lighting i.e. L.E.D. lights.
- Feed our crew and cast meals over 3 days.
- Secure ideal locations.
- This includes Ayanna's living room that can transform into Urban Uptake.
- Pay all the crew and cast over 3 days.
If you'd like to aid us on our filmmaking quest, but aren't able to contribute financially, there are many other ways you can still show your support!
- Follow @urbanuptaketheshort on social media for updates
- Share our campaign on your socials and inspire others to donate by posting something like: “Support @urbanuptaketheshort!"
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