EARTH MAMA

EARTH MAMA

Feature Film

A24

Production Co: A24, Park Pictures, Academy Films

Producer: Cody Ryder, Shirley O'Connor, Sam Bisbee, Medb Riordan, Jim Wilson, Danielle Massie, Savanah Leaf

Writer/Director: Savanah Leaf

Casting Director: Salome Oggenfuss, Geraldine Baron, Abby Harri

Start Date: Late Spring / Early Summer 2022 exact dates TBD

Location: The Bay Area / Northern California

Seeking:

[ ARI ]
Late 20s - early 30s female. Black or mixed race (half Black). Gia's older sister. For the first time in years she finally feels financially stable, selling drugs to the white boys across town. Ari spends money just as quickly as she makes it. Wears brand new Jordans, Vans, and Nikes in rotation, always perfectly white. A true Sneaker Head, in Bay Area fashion. A playful spirit at heart, loves watching cartoons. Often competitive with Gia, bickering with her as most older siblings do. SUPPORTING ROLE.
*if you're based in the Bay Area / Nor Cal please feel free to note.

[ AMBER ]
13-16, female, Black. Lanky teenager. Observant and timid, yet strong and athletic. Looks like her mother Monica, with her strong bone structure and dark skin. She can’t hide in a crowd because she stands out, even though she doesn’t want to. She looks mature for her age, but when she speaks, you feel her youth. Still innocent enough that her dreams haven’t faded. SUPPORTING ROLE.
*if you're based in the Bay Area / Nor Cal please feel free to note

[ ALEXIS ]
Mid 20s, female. A white girl from middle America (*could also be from the Bay area). She speaks fast, and often in jumbled sentences. Her make-up does nothing to cover up the welts on her face. Wears tight shirt and Apple Bottom jeans tucked into rubber bands around the ankles. Tries to fit in with Black and Brown culture, any way she can. SUPPORTING ROLE.
*if you're based in the Bay Area / Nor Cal please feel free to note

[ CASEWORKER ]
40-55, Black woman, straightens her 4c curls on the daily. A mother of 3 herself. Been at this office 20 years too long. She sees that there’s not much hope for the women that this system has pulled in and tossed back out. She can easily detect the mothers that are likely not to make it through their reunification requirements. Keeps her head down just to stay sane. SUPPORTING ROLE.
*if you're based in the Bay Area / Nor Cal please feel free to note

[ PAUL ]
Mid 40s, male. Black. Our adoptive father, had one child (Amber) with his wife in his early 20s. It wasn’t until 10 years later, after finishing college and finally finding a steady job, that they tried to have another. Unfortunately, instead they had a series of miscarriages. He’s been there with his wife Monica through it all. Being a dedicated and playful father to Amber, showing her how she can use sports to pave her future; and being a committed partner and advocate for Monica through their hospitals visits, and now through the relentless adoption process. Paul is exhausted, and about ready to give up, but is supporting Monica through their final efforts to have another child. SUPPORTING ROLE.
*if you're based in the Bay Area / Nor Cal please feel free to note

[ EARL ]
Mid-late 20s, male. All ethnicities. Has been best friends with SHORT, since he can remember. They grew up a few apartments down from Gia. You can always find them in the parking lot, keeping watch on Earl's car. Over the Years Earl has invested into his whip, getting a new paint job and taking it to all the local sideshows. Short is Mel’s cousin, and takes her in when Mel loses her mother.
The two of them are almost like Uncle’s to Gia; always ready to lighten the mood with their goofy chatter. They never take life too seriously; shouting from across the block, just so they can crack a smile, maybe even a laugh, from their neighbors. SUPPORTING ROLE.
*if you're based in the Bay Area / Nor Cal please feel free to note

[ SHORT ]
Mid-late 20s, male. All ethnicities. Has been best friends with EARL since he can remember. They grew up a few apartments down from Gia. You can always find them in the parking lot, keeping watch on Earl's car. Over the Years Earl has invested into his whip, getting a new paint job and taking it to all the local sideshows. Short is Mel’s cousin, and takes her in when Mel loses her mother.
The two of them are almost like Uncle’s to Gia; always ready to lighten the mood with their goofy chatter. They never take life too seriously; shouting from across the block, just so they can crack a smile, maybe even a laugh, from their neighbors. SUPPORTING ROLE.
*if you're based in the Bay Area / Nor Cal please feel free to note

[ TREY ]
6-8 year old male. Black or mixed race (half Black). One of Gia’s two children, he has been in foster care for the past 16 months. Trey is 'mama's boy', but since moving into Foster Care, the term has taken on a new meaning. He yearns for his mother to be close, and isn’t afraid to show it. He doesn’t speak much to strangers, and always wants to be cuddled and cradled by his mother. She’s the only person that really makes him feel comfortable. SUPPORTING ROLE.
*if you're based in the Bay Area / Nor Cal please feel free to note

[ SHAYNA ]
Age 4-5 female. Black or mixed race (half Black). One of Gia’s two children, she has been in foster care for the past 16 months. She takes after her mother; reticent and independent. Although younger, she has an air of maturity about her, as if she doesn’t need to lean on anyone. She suppresses her need for her mom in order to cope with their distance, or perhaps as a way to scold her. It takes a lot to get close to Shayna, but when you do, she’ll hold you tight. SUPPORTING ROLE.
*if you're based in the Bay Area / Nor Cal please feel free to note.

Storyline: EARTH MAMA follows Gia, a young mother with two children in foster care, and one on the way. When her caseworker warns Gia that the judge will likely place her unborn child into care as well, Gia must determine how she can take back control of her children’s future. In this vicious system, Gia sees adoption as the only way to choose her child’s destiny. Unique, yet undoubtedly familiar to many, the film is a story on fear, sacrifice and the unconditional love between a mother and her children.