Writer/director Michele Meek’s short film Bay Creek Tennis Camp is a timely take on the cross-generation disconnect around gender inclusivity. In the film, Coach Charlie has been doing things his way for decades. But the Generation Alpha kids who join his camp this year won’t stand for being split by gender—and they decide to teach him a lesson.
Watch the Trailer:
Screenings
Bay Creek Tennis Camp had its world premiere at the Oscar-qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival in August 2023. Other screenings include:
- Out Film CT
- ImageOut Rochester LGBTQ+ Film Festival
- Reel Q Pittsburgh LGBT Film Festival
- University of Rhode Island
- Brown University
- New Hampshire Film Festival
- Boston International Kids Film Festival
- Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival
- Chicago International Children’s Film Festival
- Berlin Short Film Festival
- Sweden Film Awards
- Children’s Film Festival Seattle
- Providence Children’s Film Festival
- …more coming soon!
About the Film
The film was shot on a RED camera with several crew members from Animus Studios, and it features gender diverse youth actors alongside professional actor Paul Kandarian as Coach Charlie.
LGBTQ+ youth are on the rise in the United States, and in a 2021 study by the Trevor Project, approximately one in four LGBTQ+ youth identify as nonbinary. These increases have elicited more awareness and dialogue. At the same time, anti-LGBTQ+ bills are being put through local legislatures at an alarming rate, and most target youth—including their rights to play sports and use bathrooms based on their gender identity.
Bay Creek Tennis Camp gently poses a provocative question—what if gender is not the ideal way to divide youth?
By presenting a story about a group of Gen Alpha kids, played by several gender diverse youth who come together to advocate for themselves and each other, Bay Creek Tennis Camp can be used to entertain, educate, and inform adults and youth. By screening the completed film at festivals, schools, camps, and other venues, our hope is that Bay Creek Tennis Camp can help spark compassionate conversations about youth, gender, and sports.
Bay Creek Tennis Camp was awarded a Make Arts Grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. In addition, through fiscal sponsorship with Filmmakers Collaborative, we have raised over $1,500 in private contributions to the film. We hope to be able to continue to bring the film to festivals, schools, camps, and community organizations. Join our supporters by making a tax-deductible contribution today!
For more information about this film, contact Michele.
Screenplay Awards for the film
Special thanks to the Supporters of this film project
Funding provided in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and private funders.
In addition, special thanks to Bridgewater State University, Animus Studios, and our individual contributors!