Guided by a female writer/director, and produced by a woman of color, shot by a female cinematographer, alongside a 50%+ female crew, Love Happens follows three straight women and a diverse cast as they navigate cis-gender roles, romance, and workplace politics.

"LOVE HAPPENS"

written and directed by Liza Rafael

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT by Liza Rafael



Standing on a golf course in a bridesmaid dress wondering how at age 22 some people are ready to bond themselves to another person for the rest of their life might not seem like a moment of inspiration, but I had an epiphany that night. For the past 10 years I’ve been trying to distill that feeling into a counter-argument to all the romantic comedies and popular culture that have filled the heads of women and girls to make them think that they aren’t complete unless they find “the one” before their expiration date (which in Hollywood is about 25). All women are valid in the paths they choose and no one should tell them otherwise.



So in this film, I want to let the women (and men) watching know that every individual gets to decide how they approach life. No matter what outside forces might say or do, you shouldn’t feel pressured into huge decisions. Sometimes it takes time to make decisions about what you want to do and that is okay. And sometimes the decisions you make aren’t great, and that’s okay too. No one is perfect.



As someone who’s known she was going to make movies from age 13, I’ve felt let down by Hollywood in the representation of my point of view in this particular genre. When women don’t get nearly enough screen time to begin with, it hurts more when you can’t see yourself in it. I’m making this movie for all women to have the opportunity to see themselves in something richer than your basic boy meets girl story. I want you to see yourself on the screen.



This is a romantic comedy with a twist toward the sci-fi realm and a dash of thriller. Our leading lady doesn’t know what’s going on in her small town to make every man she encounters try to pursue her romantically after her best friend gets married, but she’s going to find out. We hope that you come along on this journey to find out what it means when you say love happens.

GOAL

We need to raise $40,000 to complete production on the film.

How you can help:

1. FOLLOW our page. We must gather 500 followers to qualify for distribution.

2. WATCH our pitch video and trailer. Hopefully, it makes your day a little sunnier and you’ll want to back our project.

3. MAKE A PLEDGE. Our Wishlist outlines everything we need to make the film. Scroll down to make a pledge or loan an item, or select the green Contribute button up top.

4. SHARE our Seed & Spark page with your friends, colleagues, non-profit organizations, anyone who you think would dig the film!! Just by sharing our project with a few folks, you can make an unbelievable impact on our success as a team.

5. Lastly, you can find us on social @lovehappensfilm.

Thank you for being a part of our community. We can wait to share this project with each and everyone one of you.

- Liza