KICKSTARTER PROJECTS

A Coming-Of-Age Porn Comedy With Sex And Prizes? Oh Yes!

Fans of gay porn, sex comedies and independent film rejoice! Former contributing editor of Butt Magazine Adam Baran wants to direct a coming-of-age gay comedy called Jackpot. And if you play your cards right, you could help make the film happen while snagging an arty gay-porn stash of your very own.

Jackpot is about a 14-year-old boy in 1994 who wants to score a stash of gay porn hidden somewhere around his neighborhood. One of the porn-mag cover boys acts as his guiding spirit as he faces off against local bullies and the prospect of getting caught. Being a comedy, it ends in a Sixteen Candles/Weird Science/Dazed and Confused kind of way.

Baran serves as the co-curator of the monthly Queer/Art/Film series at the IFC Center in New York and has had two of his previous films played at international LGBT film festivals, the IFC Channel and Here! TV. But he still needs $1,500 to reach his $20,000 goal with just five days left to raise the funds on Kickstarter.

He’s sweetened the deal for prospective funders by offering arty porn prints, a surprise vintage goodie from the 1990s, a tote bag with the name of a classic porn magazine on it, and a one-month membership to NakedSword.com. But even if you just give $10, you’ll still have the chance win a 20×24 print from gay indie-porn icon Bruce LaBruce of L.A. Zombie fame.

But blatant bribery aside, Baran wants to create the film partially because of his own personal experiences as a bullied gay kid growing up during the 90s. Baran told Queerty:

“I really wanted to make this film that was an honest exploration of gay male sexuality first of all—about that time period when young gays knew who they were by seeing erotic images. Back then it was hard to do that; you couldn’t just log on to Xtube.

[But it’s also] a story about whether or not gay people or any person who’s a minority should fight back against bullies. The character comes up against bullies and has to decide whether what he values – the porn (his gay identity) is more important to fight for than to run away
because honestly, I wish I had fought back against my bullies in high school so badly. But I always backed away from the fights, I always ignored them, and I wish that I had just got in one scrape, you know?

It really affects me, even when I am walking down the street and someone shouts fag or something, it still brings me right back to that moment. You could save yourself
by running away, but maybe it’s better to fight. That becomes a bigger metaphor for our community and how we have to decide what battles we want to fight against.”

LGBT filmmakers often have a hard time getting financial support, so chuck him a few bucks if you like the ideas behind Jackpot.

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated