3500+ Films - 2.5 million words – 1 million viewers! Founder and Curator Carmela selects some of our most entertaining, powerful and inspiring Romcom films at We Are Moving Stories. These include shorts and feature length covering women, love - and break-ups.
Total length of this section: 22 films.
<WOMEN’S STORIES>
RACHEL RAMA follows Rachel as she navigates the blurry landscape of millennial dating and life in Los Angeles. Here we see the humble beginning of a woman who is a self described, “dating disaster”, who will eventually transform into one of the world's leading relationship coaches. Length: 26.22 minutes. Actor/Writer/Producer Rachel Bennish:
“Because RACHEL RAMA is semi-autobiographical, writing about my own love life and then getting feedback on it during the writing process from people who didn’t know me was really interesting. I would get feedback like, “It seems like Rachel doesn’t know what she wants.” And I was like ‘oof, you’re right about that.’ All of a sudden it brought a layer of self learning and compassion for myself and my past relationships that I hadn’t had before. It was like a free therapy session!”
Lez Bomb - A still closeted young woman brings her girlfriend home for Thanksgiving, only to have her coming out efforts thwarted by the unexpected arrival of her male roommate. Length: 90 minutes. Writer/Director Jenna Laurenzo:
“I made Lez Bomb because I really wanted to see a dysfunctional family comedy with a modern twist, with two women in love, who end up together. I’m a sucker for comedies, and I’m a sucker for happy endings. I want to see more of both in films that have LGBTQ storylines.”
Bite Me - is a subversive romantic feature length comedy about a real-life vampire and the IRS agent who audits her. Length: 1 hour 23 minutes. Naomi McDougall Jones writes:
“Set against the backdrop now of post-9/11, Trump, #metoo, climate change, and all of the 21st century terrors we live in every day, I began this script also determined to make a film that, at least for 83 minutes, would fill people’s hearts with a greater sense of joy, hope, love, and, at the very least, would allow them to temporarily set aside their problems and laugh.
At its core, Bite Me is a story about accepting outsiders; about seeing past our external and religious differences to our common shared humanity. It is about learning to love each other and ourselves in the face of a world that tells us not to.”
My Eyes Are Up Here - A funny and heartwarming vignette of what started as a one-night stand and became a physically different woman’s mission to get the morning-after pill. The only thing in her way is... everything! Length: 14:00. Writer Aminder Virdee:
“This film comes from lived experience. I created a performance called ‘What’s wrong with you?’ which is a question I get all the time. I was really intrigued by the fact that in the audience, people really weren’t sure whether they should laugh. And I found that really funny and interesting. ”
Rekindled - A successful businesswoman purchases an online deal to revitalize her relationship with her high school sweetheart. Length: 13.25 minutes. Director Erin Brown Thomas:
“Everywhere it’s screened we’ve heard laughter throughout the entire film - which feels incredible! We’ve had lots of people come up telling us how important the film is- that it reminds them of their high school experience. We had 5 screenings at Cleveland International and we were there for almost 2 weeks - so one woman that had seen it there came to us after viewing and said she had gone home and re-read her high school journals after seeing the film.”
Swipe Left - Tinder meets The Hunger Games when a group of singles download a new dating app. Length: 9 minutes. Writer/Director Caroline McQuade:
“I wanted to make a fun film to watch that was highly relatable, but that also explored deeper themes in a darkly comedic way.”
Girl Stuff - The power and hilarity of female friendship are put to the test when a woman-a-woman battle over who will face their fears first commences. Keep an eye out for the... twist. 8.00 minutes. Writer/Producer/Actor Kendra Alaura, Writer/Producer/Actor Tiffany Cornwell Duppong and Producer Jon Enge:
“KENDRA: We wanted to write a comedy about women who supported and loved each other. Comedies that center around female characters are rarely done without the stereotypes of women being catty or in competition with one another. Additionally, most female characters have to be similar to one another in order to have a deep, meaningful relationship, but in our short, we showcase two women from very different backgrounds loving each other unconditionally regardless of their backgrounds. Girl Stuff is a look at flipping common female stereotypes on their head.”
Authentic Personalities - Allie invites her ex-boyfriend over to help her make a video for her first-ever profile for a dating app. Emotions boil over as they attempt to define her personality in just a few seconds. Length: 7.49 minutes. Writer/Director Lindsay Nell Stidham:
“If you’ve ever been in love, or afraid of a relationship’s end, or if you’re super single and searching, I made this short film for you... to pass along some hope for your journey.”
Us Funny - Jim and Julia have a great date, ending with a serious conversation. Length: 15.31 minutes. Writer/Director Julia Bales:
“How will millennials have what it takes to be parents?”
Leah's One Step Guide to Forget Emily - Short about two strangers who spend a night together knowing they won't remember a thing the next morning. Length: 19 minutes. Writer/Director Nicolas Alvo:
“Whenever people are wondering what the beginning of a millennial relationship might look like in New York, they need to look no further than this.”
<LOVE STORIES>
Clusterf*ck - A romantic comedy about not knowing. Length: 8 Episodes. Director/Creator Mazi Khalighi:
“When giving the quick pitch I often say ‘this is a show about a group of twenty-somethings who drink too much, make mistakes, have sex and hurt each other’s feelings.’ More than a few times I’ve received the response, ‘so basically my life’.”
Breakfast in Bed (webseries) - An optimistic romantic and a pessimistic wrestling fan navigate being best friends and single in New York City. Director/Writer/Actor Kate Chamuris & Writer/Actor/Producer LeMar McLean:
“Kate: Thanks! This was a long time in the making. We met doing comedy improv back in 2005 and we always talked about writing a piece to film.
I am a hopeless romantic who truly believes I live in a Rom-Com, and LeMar has always been unwaveringly pessimistic when it comes to relationships. We thought it would be fun to explore those contrasting views on love and relationships through heightened fictionalized versions of ourselves.”
Save Yourself - At a party, Jason meets Amy and asks for her number, to which she responds, "Why, what do you want?” Each in their thirties and tired of the usual dating rituals and mind games, they then proceed to get extremely honest right away. Length: 74 minutes. Writer/Director Allen C. Gardner:
“I was single and dating when I started writing the script and pulled from a lot of my own experiences in various ways, reflecting on my love life and figuring out how I felt about it all. Writing and directing this movie helped me get clear on a lot things, which is always a great bonus that goes along with telling stories that are so personal. While I was in the midst of editing, though, I fell in love with an amazing woman and am now engaged. So, yeah, it looks like I went through this little cinematic therapy session just in time!”
The Competition - A woman inspires millions with her "PIG Theory" blog promoting a formula that keeps you safe from cheating until she meets a handsome lawyer who challenges her to a competition to prove her theory wrong. It's a competition! Who will win? Length: 1 hour 43 minutes. Director Harvey Lowry:
“Just about everyone has been in love and so everyone can relate to the doubts and insecurities that can wreak havoc on a relationship. Look, the news has shown that the world is filled with bad behavior. Does that mean we lock ourselves in our houses and give up? No. You have to have a sense of humor about things, and you have to be willing to try again. ”
Stood Up - Dialogue free and universal in its story-telling, Stood Up is a short film filled with memories of happily ever afters and love at first sight. Charming, loyal and perpetually single Ben is tired of always being the best friend and wing-man. After deciding to shake things up, he agrees to a blind date. But, when things go awry, will fate step in and save him from forever being friend-zoned? Length: 4.41 minutes. Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Cjay Boisclair.
The Shvitzing - When David takes his girlfriend Amy to his family lake house for a romantic getaway weekend, he is haunted by the ghosts of his overbearing parents who can't stand Amy and want to break them up. Length: 10 minutes. Director: Max Rissman:
“This film is an unconventional ghost story, combining comedy and horror elements to tell a story with universal themes. If you have ever felt haunted by a little voice in your head that undermines and second-guesses your decisions, and you feel like you are the only person who has it that bad, this film will hopefully make you feel a little less alone. Hopefully it will also make you laugh a couple of times too.”
Habitat - A beautiful couple with everything to lose. A tornado of love, fear, and uncertainty. Length: 11:51. Producer/Actor Teisha Lowry:
“No matter what people’s gender, sexuality, race, or religion is, we all have one thing in common and that is - we’re in search of real and pure love, and we want to be loved back. However, a lot of the time not everything in life is meant to be a beautiful story. Unfortunately, that was the case for me at the time of pre-production of Habitat. I was going through a terrible divorce and Brett had just survived one, and we both realized: what does it take to nurture a beautiful relationship and an everlasting one?”
Saguaro - The loneliest saguaro cactus in the world befriends a tumbleweed, falls in love, and experiences loss—all in one day. Length: 5 minutes. Director Damon Stea:
“Saguaro was a labor of love - both a meditation on the nature of connection, and the inherent fantasy quality of romantic comedy films. It deals with love and loneliness - and not just from a romantic perspective.”
<BREAK-UPS>
A Moment - Quirky relationship comedy: A couple embarks upon a passionate discussion that serves to transform the dynamic of their relationship in a single moment…Length: 7 minutes. Writer/Director Emily Jennifer Lerer:
“In a personal way, A Moment deals with a breakup and a strange one at that. Ben doesn’t know how to end his relationship with Laurel. Universally it’s a love story.”
Dear George - After his high school sweetheart sends him an epic breakup letter and moves out of state for a job, a heartbroken gamer takes off on a cross country trip filled with a TSA shakedown, Acapella group, bad decisions and a "borrowed" chicken costume - all for love! Length: 18 minutes. Writer/Director Emily Skyle:
“ I think the personal themes of the film work on a universal level - dealing with rejection and overcoming your fears are both things that most people can relate to in their own lives.”
Ride in Progress - When Sarah’s unhealthy and isolating long-term relationship abruptly ends, she reaches out to her messy-but-loveable friend Megan, and together they embark upon the post-breakup Uber trip of a lifetime. Director April Moreau:
Crystal the Webseries - Crystal, newly-single workaholic, decides to avoid dealing with her breakup which ends with a sticky result. Length: 15 minutes. Writer/Director Crystal Correa:
“I made Crystal the Webseries as a therapeutic way to explain myself through film. I always seemed to be in the middle of misunderstandings which make for “great tv” ... but not so great for real life. This was a way for me to finally share and bring some closure to some stories I have from my own life and I love comedy so I figured I tie everything in, that way. And of course having this be my first film on my resume. Also I get to be “24” again. Scary….”
Exit Survey - A woman asks her ex to answer a few questions to help her move on. But is she ready for his answers? A short comedy about finding out what REALLY went wrong in a relationship.
Length: 6 minutes. Writer Kristyn Carey:
“Being dumped is something I think a majority of us can relate to at one point or another in our lives, and it’s a real ego bruiser. I think our film lends some vindication for our dumpees - you may not have been steering the breakup ship, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re to blame for the demise of your relationship.