Young Independent Filmmaker and Two-Time Cancer Survivor
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Great White Lies
A short film about a teenage girl that goes to a party for the first time after finishing cancer treatment.
Hi! My name is Heather Alison. I am 24 years old and a two-time cancer survivor. I am asking for your support for my independent short, "Great White Lies." I graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Film and Television in May of 2020. I immediately started working for a writer/showrunner and moved to Los Angeles a few months later. My goal is to eventually be a writer and showrunner for television.
My Background
In the summer of 2016, just after my freshman year of college, I was diagnosed with leukemia. Instead of going back to school that fall, I spent six months in and out of the hospital receiving chemotherapy treatments. Due to the treatment, I was immunocompromised for months. I was forced to isolate myself. I lost my hair. Just a year after I was declared cancer free, I relapsed. I had to do it all over again. I needed more chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. Any sense of normalcy in my life was ripped away from me. All of my relationships were tested. While the rest of my friends were at school studying and partying, I was sick and alone. I ultimately learned a lot from the experience and I feel it is something that needs to be shared.
The first time I went through treatment, I immediately tried to return to my life in college like nothing had changed. I tried desperately to put everything behind me and go back to my old habits: partying, tailgating, drinking, and staying out late. I had to accept the fact that things would never be the same, and this led to an incredibly difficult journey discovering my "new normal."
The Story
“Great White Lies” is about Sofia, a teenage leukemia survivor, who goes to a party for the first time after being declared cancer free.
Sofia Every year, Sofia and her best friend, Beck, throw a birthday party together. This year, Beck’s throwing her own. She and Sofia haven’t spoken in months. At the party, Sofia is forced to deal with many issues that are common among young adult cancer patients/survivors: body image, social anxiety, loneliness, awkward questions, and broken relationships. She can’t help but picture what would be happening if she had never gotten sick. But by the end of the film, she realizes she can't dwell on the past. She'll keep moving forward- like a shark.
The Impact
When I relapsed, I was added to a Facebook support group made by a few young adult patients. This group became my family. Suddenly, I saw other young adults across the country posting the exact same thoughts, questions, and jokes that were running through my head. I realized that I was not alone. In April of 2019, I flew from New York to Colorado and met some of these amazing people in real life.
I've heard hundreds of stories from young adult cancer patients as I've gotten more involved in the community. There are so many unique difficulties that young adult cancer patients face that are not being addressed in the mainstream media. The film focuses on what it is like to return to life after treatment. Many other young cancer survivors agree that treatment is only half the battle. I want to bring awareness to this specific aspect of the cancer journey. A few organizations we will be working with.
Once the film is complete, we plan to set up screenings across the country in partnership with young adult cancer nonprofits and hospital programs.
Danika Yarosh appeared in the Showtime series Shameless and in the NBC series, Heroes Reborn. She also co‐starred with Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. At five years old,Yarosh first appeared on film as an extra in Stepford Wives starring Nicole Kidman, which filmed in her hometown. She began studying acting and dance, when she was 10, won the role of ballet dancer Karen in Broadway’s 2009 production of Billy Elliot. Elijah Boothe IMDB | Instagram | Soundcloud
Elijah Boothe is one of the most sought after and unique young Hollywood actors. Best known for his breakout role in Netflix’s Luke Cage in 2016 in which he plays young Cottonmouth, he’s also appeared in numerous TV shows and films including Golden Boy, Blue Bloods, and Netflix’s Coin Heist. He starred in and produced the independent film Pink Opaque, distributed through 1091 Pictures, set for release this July.
Vanessa Angel is an English actress and model. She is known for her role of Lisa on Weird Science and Claudia in the film Kingpin. Her credits include: Spies Like Us, Baywatch, Melrose Place, Entourage, Hall Pass, and The Perfect Score.
Hope Luna is a Mexican-American actress native to California. In Spring 2021 she graduated with her BFA in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts studying at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and Stonestreet Studios. She starred in Equity theater productions at only eighteen, and most recently toured with an immersive, experimental theater group, Update, in New York City where they performed at The New York International Fringe Festival.
Una Campbell graduated from the Cinematic Arts department at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and she moved onto NYU Tisch School for the Arts with a double major in Film and Television Production and Religious Studies. She has worked on over 12 of her own
films that she wrote/directed and more than 50 student films throughout her high school and college years. Her films have been accepted to festivals all over the world. Una immediately connected with this project because of her experience with her dad as a cancer patient.
Originally from Philadelphia and Connecticut, Zoe graduated from USC in May 2020. She has since worked on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Love, Victor (Hulu), and in TV Production at Lionsgate. Currently, Zoe assists an Executive Producer on HBO’s Euphoria, where she also works on several indie films and other HBO shows. Zoe is passionate about mental health and hopes to create content that explores the topic. Hence, she is drawn to this film because of its depth and distinctive, authentic voice.
Teri Weinberg is a producer and production manager, known for The Office, Ugly Betty, and The Tudors. Teri is also on the Board of Trustees for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society California Southland Chapter. Their mission is to cure leukemia, Hodgkin's and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and myeloma, as well as improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
Doug Ellin is an American screenwriter and film and TV director, most known for creating the HBO television series, Entourage. He now hosts a podcast, Victory! The Podcast, with other Entourage alums, as well as his own upcoming podcast, Hollywood Wayz. He grew up in New York and attended Tulane University.
Sarah has shot many shorts and feature length films as well as a few documentaries that are works in progress, shot branded content for Google Pixel, Samsung, Bvlgari, The Grammys, Infiniti, PopSugar, TV show Pool Kings, LA Pride. Sarah has won many awards for
Marcel Andre is an experimental NYC-based filmmaker and production designer whose work offers a culmination of European culture intertwined with American pop art
and global fashion. Marcel offers vast experience in set design and high fashion costuming, having worked on an array of projects that range from music videos, fashion films to experimental shorts. Marcel has gained a following on TikTok, currently at 17.9k followers, and has created several viral videos with over one million views.
Kendra Clark and Helen Geier - Casting IMDB: Kendra | Helen
“Mad Men” “The Romanoffs” “Aquarius” “Fear The Walking Dead” “Rock of Ages” “Hot Tub Time Machine” “Bosch” “Dexter” “Once Upon A Time” “The Magicians”
I want this film to be a voice for all of the young adult cancer patients/survivors that I've come to know and love. No cancer patient should feel like they are alone.
