Amidst heightened persecution and oppression of the gender expansive population, dads navigate what it means to be a loving and supportive parent of their children in moving short film The Dads. The film gathered six dads across all different walks of life and from different areas of the country who all shared a similarity in having a gender expansive kid.
While fishing and cooking dinner, the dads connected over their shared experiences and built a meaningful community that they now turned into a nonprofit organization, The Dads Foundation, which hosts retreats for dads of transgender and gender non-conforming children.
In 2024, The Dads won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Program, attesting to its positive widespread reception. The film was also picked up by Netflix and is available for streaming on the platform.
Coming off of this major success, Director Luchina Fisher and Executive Director Stephen Chukumba began the process of filming a sequel feature-length documentary to follow from the initial short film. Additionally, Dwayne Wade, a major transgender rights advocate and professional basketball player, came on board the team as an executive producer of the upcoming film.
Picking up where the short film left off, the documentary will feature a larger cast of dads in addition to the original ones, as well as introduce their families and daily lives. Two of the dads in the original film have been forced to flee the country with their families due to persecution of vulnerable populations under the new administration. Their follow-up stories have yet to be shot, as they are awaiting additional funding to complete the shooting of the film in Canada and Spain respectively.
In order to raise these funds, The Dads team is hosting a screening of the short, along with an extended preview of the long film, and a discussion at the Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop at 631 Garden Street on July 24 from 6 to 9 p.m. The event is sponsored by The Fund for Santa Barbara. Adding local roots to the event. Executive Producer and Santa Barbara native Laura Tanner organized the upcoming fundraiser, which will be the third of its kind for the film.
Present at the screening will be filmmaker Fisher, producer Chukumba, and several of the fathers featured in the new film, for an exclusive Q&A panel. The evening will be hosted by Ruth Ackerman, Gera Ayala, Ginny Brush, Cissy & Richard Ross, as well as Laura & Joan Tanner.
“Building awareness around this issue, as well as understanding, and empathy will help more people be advocates and allies for transgender Americans and families that have transgender kids,” said Laura Tanner. “It’s something I wanted to introduce to Santa Barbara because partnering with organizations in the communities that are actually having an impact on transgender people and families with trans kids makes a difference.”
The Dads team is looking to raise $60,000 more to finish shooting the film, covering the gap cost to get a complete rough cut to submit to film festivals with upcoming deadlines in August and September. They are hoping to raise $25,000 in Santa Barbara.
“Anyone who donates will be in the film credits. I think it’s a way for people to show their support of not only this project, but for transgender kids and the trans and gender expansive communities in this country,” said Laura Tanner. “I’m really proud to have my name on it.”
Click here to purchase tickets or donate to the cause.
