Queer Teens Juggle Identity And Conformity in Emotional Video

A pair of embattled queer teens learn to embrace their identity in this heartwarming new video, but not everything is quite as it seems. 

It’s part of an ongoing project produced by New York-based non-profit Mythic Bridge, which is focused on using the “transformative power of filmmaking” to help at-risk youth, including those who identify as LGBTQ. As such, the girls are later revealed to be the stars of a short film-within-a-film, as they are participating in one of Mythic Bridge’s youth workshops.  

The clip was produced as part of Mythic Bridge’s ongoing “Change The Script” effort, which is focused on helping LGBTQ youth “tell their story in an authentic way” through short films. In conjunction with the release of the video, the organization launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for its filmmaking workshops. 

Gage Cass Woodle, who is the co-founder and executive director of Mythic Bridge, told The Huffington Post that the group chose a “meta” approach to the video to show how the organization was not only a filmmaking workshop, but also focused on building a community. 

“We live in a visually-based culture and work with a visual medium, so showing is more important than telling. This is an opportunity to give these kids a voice,” Woodle said. “We didn’t want to hit viewers with a heavy-handed message and put them in a place of guilt, but rather raise awareness and end with a moment of hope and a solution to help. And their help can come in numerous forms.” 

You can read more about the “Change The Script” campaign here, and check out Mythic Bridge here.