Dodie and Cheryl Get Hitched

STATUS: FISCAL SPONSORSHIP COMPLETED

SYNOPSIS

Dodie Pickerling, a bowling alley manager, and Cheryl Shook, a second grade teacher, are two small town Midwest middle-aged lesbians who've been together forever and lead a quiet modest life, accepted by the community because they keep their relationship to themselves. Dodie is fine with this arrangement, but after they attend a neighbor's shotgun wedding, Cheryl finds herself longing for more. She wants to count too. When she's denied hospital access to Dodie after a bad allergic run-in with a nut, Cheryl decides to dig out an old rainbow flag and boldly swaps it out with their Cincinnati Reds porch banner.

As soon as the town realizes what it represents, the shit hits the fan. “DIKES” is spray painted across the girls’ garage (yeah - the offenders don’t spell so good...) Carried away with emotion, Dodie proposes to her lady friend in front of the small crowd gathered on their lawn. Cheryl is euphoric, but as the wedding plans get underway, Dodie’s enthusiasm wanes. Resentment quickly builds between the two, coupled with the community’s overtly anti gay sentiments. An ugly surge of hypocrisy questions if these supposed god-fearing folks are as righteous as they’d like to believe. Will the girls’ union survive? Told in the vein of both John Waters and John Hughes, "Dodie & Cheryl Get Hitched" questions why they'd even want to be part of such a fucked up institution in the first place??

WHAT IT MEANS

Yes, gay marriage is now legal throughout the land which is incredibly tremendous and mind boggling historic. But the fight for equality is far from being over. Segregation was ruled illegal in the 50's and unfortunately that struggle continues.

Change comes in many different shapes and forms and steps and sizes. Getting a movie like "Dodie & Cheryl Get Hitched" out there will help have a positive impact on the trajectory of LGBT civil rights. To be represented is to be seen, to matter, to no longer be invisible. Having a voice challenges people to stand up and take notice and that will increase understanding and build acceptance. 

Stories change hearts and minds.

THE TEAM

Coley Sohn – writer/director

A native of Washington DC, Coley grew up acting professionally including productions at Ford’s Theatre, a national tour, and even a stint on Broadway. She graduated from the University of Vermont magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with an English major and Theater and Film minors. Heading to LA, she landed a few tv roles, then turned to improv and studied with the Groundlings. That led to writing and next thing she knew, she got all cliché and decided to direct. Her award-winning short film "Boutonniere" premiered at Sundance in 2009 and went on to inspire the feature version, "Sassy Pants," starring Anna Gunn and Haley Joel Osment, available on Netflix and VOD post its theatrical release. Coley recently wrote the Disney pilot “Me and My Fairy” and is also developing a satiric female-centric half hour series, “House Mom.” She’s in the process of setting up her next feature as well, “Dodie and Cheryl Get Hitched,” a dark comedy about gay marriage. In her spare time she flips houses and is also known for making a mean margarita.

Matt Horwitz - producer

Matt got his start as a literary manager with Sleeping Giant Entertainment in 2006. There he began working closely with award-winning writers and directors such as James Manos Jr. (Creator of DEXTER), Jon Amiel (ENTRAPMENT, THE CORE, THE SINGING DETECTIVE) and Victor Salva (JEEPERS CREEPERS I & II, POWDER). In 2013, Matt moved to Echo Lake Entertainment (NEBRASKA, ROME & JULIET, THE JONESES, WATER) where he focuses on Television writers and directors. Originally from the Washington DC area, Matt graduated from Indiana University with dual-degrees in Telecommunications and English.

Eyde Belasco – casting director

As a casting director, Eyde has worked on the independent feature films Breathe In, The Words, Like Crazy, Pariah, Here, Lymelife, Don’t Let Me Drown and Half Nelson, all of which screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Most recently, she cast the award winning Amazon series TRANSPARENT, along with the films When I Live My Life Over Again, February, Still Punching The Clown, No Escape and All The Wilderness. Other films include 500 Days of Summer, Behind Enemy Lines, Rescue Dawn and Sassy Pants. For her work on Half Nelson, she won the Artios Award for Independent Feature Film Casting. She is currently in her 20th year as the West Coast casting director for Sundance Institute.

 

 

Dodie and Cheryl Get Hitched

STATUS: FISCAL SPONSORSHIP COMPLETED

SYNOPSIS

Dodie Pickerling, a bowling alley manager, and Cheryl Shook, a second grade teacher, are two small town Midwest middle-aged lesbians who've been together forever and lead a quiet modest life, accepted by the community because they keep their relationship to themselves. Dodie is fine with this arrangement, but after they attend a neighbor's shotgun wedding, Cheryl finds herself longing for more. She wants to count too. When she's denied hospital access to Dodie after a bad allergic run-in with a nut, Cheryl decides to dig out an old rainbow flag and boldly swaps it out with their Cincinnati Reds porch banner.

As soon as the town realizes what it represents, the shit hits the fan. “DIKES” is spray painted across the girls’ garage (yeah - the offenders don’t spell so good...) Carried away with emotion, Dodie proposes to her lady friend in front of the small crowd gathered on their lawn. Cheryl is euphoric, but as the wedding plans get underway, Dodie’s enthusiasm wanes. Resentment quickly builds between the two, coupled with the community’s overtly anti gay sentiments. An ugly surge of hypocrisy questions if these supposed god-fearing folks are as righteous as they’d like to believe. Will the girls’ union survive? Told in the vein of both John Waters and John Hughes, "Dodie & Cheryl Get Hitched" questions why they'd even want to be part of such a fucked up institution in the first place??

WHAT IT MEANS

Yes, gay marriage is now legal throughout the land which is incredibly tremendous and mind boggling historic. But the fight for equality is far from being over. Segregation was ruled illegal in the 50's and unfortunately that struggle continues.

Change comes in many different shapes and forms and steps and sizes. Getting a movie like "Dodie & Cheryl Get Hitched" out there will help have a positive impact on the trajectory of LGBT civil rights. To be represented is to be seen, to matter, to no longer be invisible. Having a voice challenges people to stand up and take notice and that will increase understanding and build acceptance. 

Stories change hearts and minds.

THE TEAM

Coley Sohn – writer/director

A native of Washington DC, Coley grew up acting professionally including productions at Ford’s Theatre, a national tour, and even a stint on Broadway. She graduated from the University of Vermont magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with an English major and Theater and Film minors. Heading to LA, she landed a few tv roles, then turned to improv and studied with the Groundlings. That led to writing and next thing she knew, she got all cliché and decided to direct. Her award-winning short film "Boutonniere" premiered at Sundance in 2009 and went on to inspire the feature version, "Sassy Pants," starring Anna Gunn and Haley Joel Osment, available on Netflix and VOD post its theatrical release. Coley recently wrote the Disney pilot “Me and My Fairy” and is also developing a satiric female-centric half hour series, “House Mom.” She’s in the process of setting up her next feature as well, “Dodie and Cheryl Get Hitched,” a dark comedy about gay marriage. In her spare time she flips houses and is also known for making a mean margarita.

Matt Horwitz - producer

Matt got his start as a literary manager with Sleeping Giant Entertainment in 2006. There he began working closely with award-winning writers and directors such as James Manos Jr. (Creator of DEXTER), Jon Amiel (ENTRAPMENT, THE CORE, THE SINGING DETECTIVE) and Victor Salva (JEEPERS CREEPERS I & II, POWDER). In 2013, Matt moved to Echo Lake Entertainment (NEBRASKA, ROME & JULIET, THE JONESES, WATER) where he focuses on Television writers and directors. Originally from the Washington DC area, Matt graduated from Indiana University with dual-degrees in Telecommunications and English.

Eyde Belasco – casting director

As a casting director, Eyde has worked on the independent feature films Breathe In, The Words, Like Crazy, Pariah, Here, Lymelife, Don’t Let Me Drown and Half Nelson, all of which screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Most recently, she cast the award winning Amazon series TRANSPARENT, along with the films When I Live My Life Over Again, February, Still Punching The Clown, No Escape and All The Wilderness. Other films include 500 Days of Summer, Behind Enemy Lines, Rescue Dawn and Sassy Pants. For her work on Half Nelson, she won the Artios Award for Independent Feature Film Casting. She is currently in her 20th year as the West Coast casting director for Sundance Institute.