The SHORT FILM
A Proof of Concept
One of our first steps in our earnest endeavor to make TINY, TEXAS, the feature film, was to make a short film in 2023, sometimes referred to as a "proof of concept" which introduces the world and characters, and shows off our skills as story tellers and filmmakers.
The short was shown by the Austin Film Society at its Shortcase at SXSW in March 2024 and at numerous film festivals across the country later in the year. The festival season has come to an end.
The feature film is now in pre-production and is slated to go before the camera in Spring 2025.
How the Short Film Came to Be
To create standalone short film with a story its own with a beginning, middle, and end, we took a moment that occurs toward the end of the feature length story, amped it up, and moved from a family dinner setting onto a basketball court.
Short Film Story Summary
In 1980s Texas, a star player and his coach face off on the basketball court and, figuratively speaking, hard truths are revealed as the onion of their relationship is peeled back.
A Review from DWF:NYC
Tiny, Texas is a tense, contained two-hander filmed with real tenderness and sensitivity about the constriction of a conservative, gender normative town and a young man longing to break free. The young actor brought a compelling subtlety to his tentative, then more confident defiance. While beautifully edited with exciting handheld coverage of the young hero playing ball on a lonely high school court, the story is almost entirely about his face -- watching to see how hurt and broken he'll be when his coach/stepfather refuses to understand him, or whether he'll find the strength to walk away whole.
The ending moment was all the more touching for resting on a tiniest curve of his lips as he realized he could save himself, all lifted by the gentle surge of the final music cue.
You may watch the short film here or by clicking Play below:
Next: The Story