by Blake Chapman A new short film being written and produced through Fringed, a feminist Ball State TCOM organization is currently in the casting phase of its schedule. After something huge happens on campus, a student feels she just can’t stand around and let injustices happen any longer. She attempts to recruit people who are as interested and as dedicated as she is to this social issue, but no one seems to care. Will she be able to rally her community together or will she give up her fight? This is the plot of The Bake Sale, an upcoming short film written by senior Jada Burt and co-written by graduate student Sephora Mentado. The Bake Sale follows two African-American women as they navigate the hardships of living and studying on an apolitical campus while looking to enact change in the student body. As of right now, the main cast has already been selected with rising juniors Zaria Butler and Akile Mcduffy from the Department of Theater and Dance in both leading roles. “I’m just looking for the secondary characters right now,” mentioned Burt. Inspiring change and sending the right message is the cornerstone of this project, especially for those who see the film and don’t happen to be of color. This plays into the meaning of the film Burt explained, “I hope they encourage minorities in their class to give their opinions on the issues that are happening…[and to] be an ally to them.” Mentado goes even further saying, “This is a story that has women of color as leads but is not the main thing of the story...we hope to normalize things like that...there are other parts to these main characters and it’s very exciting to see that.” The feminist film group was created as a way to introduce women interested in filmmaking to the industry and having only started two years ago, Burt and Mentado have gotten the chance to witness growth firsthand. “I’m excited to see how the women I knew and worked with do this thing,” said Mentado. The film is scheduled to be released in January or sometime during the spring semester with a possible premiere at the Frog Baby Film Festival. To find out more information on Fringed you can follow them on Facebook @fringedfilms or if you are looking to join the group they hold weekly meetings on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. in Bracken Library Room 201.
