INVEST
min $100
Revenue Participation
Investors receive 120% of principal (125% for Early Bird), then 50% of all adjusted gross revenues in perpetuity
A lonely female progressive meets a guy she might want to date. The only problem is he voted for Trump for president. Twice. And it's December 2020.
That's the premise of THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM (f/k/a COMING TOGETHER) a romantic comedy written and directed by Erik Bork (HBO's BAND OF BROTHERS).
The film was shot in 2023 in Los Angeles and finished in September 2024, with the help of Wefunder investors and a variety of non-profit and individual donors.
It stars Alyssa Limperis, Dominic Burgess, Sandra Ellis Lafferty and Sean Kleier. (See IMDB page for more info.)
Fundraising continues for the launching and promotion of the film to audiences - with a multi-city theatrical "event" release planned for early 2025, followed by a full digital release.
Distribution deals are being finalized for both domestic and international rights - with a healthy revenue share for the film and its investors on future proceeds.
INVESTMENT/DONATION LEVELS
(NOTE: Higher investment levels include all non-credit benefits of lower levels. These same rewards are also available for HALF the listed dollar amounts if contributed here as a tax-deductible donation instead of an investment.)
$100 Shout out on the film's social media.
$500 Receive a digital copy of several drafts of the script to see its evolution.
$1,000 Receive a digital download of Erik Bork's filmmaking video journal.
$2,500 A one-hour zoom session with Erik Bork which can be used to get feedback on your project(s).
$5,000 2 passes to the world premiere or other film festival chosen by investor. (Transportation/lodging not included.)
$10,000 ASSOCIATE PRODUCER credit in the movie's end titles and on IMDB.
$25,000 EXECUTIVE PRODUCER credit in the movie's opening titles and on IMDB. You and a guest also have the option to meet Erik Bork for dinner in NYC. (Transportation/lodging not included.)
Watch the original pitch video and read more below...
“Tribalism... is the curse of our times right now. Tribalism hinges on us not seeing each other as full, multi-dimensional, fully fleshed human beings. It hinges on us seeing everybody as either pro or con, ally or enemy, friend or foe. People are more complicated than that. Life is more complicated than that.” - Frank Bruni, New York Times columnist - on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher - 3/12/22
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM is a light-hearted movie about a serious subject. What happens when a young single L.A. woman -- an avowed progressive -- discovers a new guy she meets in December 2020 happens to be a supporter of President Donald Trump? Is he someone she could actually date, regardless? And is she, for him?
Helping her explore this question, reluctantly, is her new housemate, a gay man who is the opposite of the romcom “gay best friend” trope. He’s not fabulous, extroverted or interested in talking about her love life. At all. But she so wants them to be friends. And she can help him with something he wants -- to get in better shape while they quarantine together.
So she sets about enthusiastically training him while getting his take on what’s going on with the new guy. She gets closer to both of them in the process. She realizes she can't change the guy’s politics. In fact, he decides to attend the January 6 “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington. Is all hope lost for them?
Take heart: this story does not unfold in scenes of strident political argument! While their different views are clear as the main stumbling point to a relationship, and she experiments with “dialoguing” about them, it’s really about three likable people trying to figure out their lives and relationships and move forward.
Tonally it has similarities to some of these films from the past:
Classic Hollywood romantic comedies
With a low-budget "indie" sensibility
And some of the flavors of recent streaming comedy series such as:
The characters have flaws they need to look at, but this is not the kind of arty niche film that appeals only to critics and film festivals. It’s not aimless or ambiguous, and it doesn’t have a “messy” main character who’s hard to fully bond with or care about. It’s more of a traditional narrative with sympathetic characters and a central story problem that builds and complicates in clear, entertaining ways, as the characters grapple with it.
Erik Bork is best known for his Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning work as one of the producers and writers of the epic HBO miniseries BAND OF BROTHERS and FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON, where he worked alongside executive producer Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg (on BAND OF BROTHERS).
Erik’s lengthy professional screenwriting career also includes stints writing for two primetime drama series on NBC and the former CW, selling numerous pitches for series and movies to the likes of NBC, the Fox network, HBO and TNT, and writing scripts on assignment for both feature film and television projects that didn’t make it to the screen (par for the course for most pro screenwriters), such as:
His work as a writer/producer includes projects with companies such as:
Erik is also a well-known script consultant and blogger on screenwriting who has taught for UCLA Extension’s renowned Writers’ Program and National University’s MFA in Professional Screenwriting. His book THE IDEA: THE SEVEN ELEMENTS OF A VIABLE STORY FOR SCREEN, STAGE OR FICTION was published in 2018 and is a multi-category Amazon best-seller.
Erik Bork wrote and directed I GOT THIS, which was released in 2018 and played at many film festivals, winning awards such as:
I GOT THIS is streaming on the renowned Omeleto short film channel on YouTube, where it’s been viewed almost 300,000 times with over 1,000 comments. See samples below:
View the film on Omeleto here:
(Actors pictured are for character reference only - not the cast in the film.)
*Forward-looking projections can't be guaranteed.
Production - OCTOBER 4-27, 2023
Post-Production - NOVEMBER 2023 - SEPTEMBER 2024
Festival submissions/premiere/release planning - SEPTEMBER 2024 - FEBRUARY 2025
Release - FEBRUARY 2025 AND BEYOND
Use the "Ask a Question" option above and others will benefit from seeing your question and its answer. Or for private questions, email us at [email protected].
