Boyfriends

Let's play lovers...

Project type: Fiction Short
Project status: Development
Writer/Executive Producer: Adam Guerino
Producer/Composer: Aaron Benham
Co-Producer: Andres Mejia
Director/Editor: C.J. Arellano
Cinematographers: Matt Lynn
Actors: Elijah Olachea, Derek Kelly, Nicole Clifford
 
Email: aaronbenham@gmail.com
 
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Logline

Billy passionately welcomes his longtime boyfriend back home in a bittersweet showing of the desperate things we do to find intimacy.

Synopsis

Billy eagerly checks his phone and paces in his apartment when “Kevin BF” texts: he’s home. Kissing leads to an intense albeit clumsy sex scene that ends with declarations of love. Afterwards, Kevin asks if it’s OK for him to use Billy’s bathroom. A strange ask considering Kevin supposedly lives there. We flashback to earlier that day where Kevin explains to his coworker Gale that he met a sexy man online who wanted to roleplay sex “Boyfriends” where they pretend they are in a long term relationship. After Gale comments that it doesn’t seem like something relationship-oriented Billy would do, we return to the bedroom. Kevin leaves the bathroom and instead of climbing back into bed, he starts to get dressed. We can tell that even though it was all pretend, Billy was hoping for something more. As Kevin finishes getting dressed, he asks if they can do it again sometime. Billy optimistically agrees and Kevin suggests trying a doctor and patient scenario next time. After Kevin leaves, Billy lays in his lover’s bed, feeling more alone than if he had never shared it.
 


Meet the Filmmakers

Adam Guerino – Writer/Executive Producer
Adam Guerino is a writer, standup comedian, and event producer. He has been called a “comedian-producer-genius” by Chicago Reader and has written everything from award winning short movies, staged theatrical productions, to a comic strip, and a dating column. With each story, whether told from the stage or on the page, Guerino strives to create compelling, original works that are authentic, inclusive, and transformative. adamguerino.online

Aaron Benham – Producer/Composer
Aaron is an award-winning composer/music director/pianist. Credits include the National Tours of An American in Paris and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, The Book of Merman (Off-Broadway). As a composer, his music has been presented across the country, notably with Chicago Opera Theater and Second City. Emerson College, UCLA Film Scoring. aaronbenham.com

C.J. Arellano – Director/Editor
CJ tells empathy-driven stories that center underrepresented voices. His screenplay The Ampersand Inn won First Place at the New York International Screenplay Awards in May 2022. His short “Griffica” won several awards in 2021, including Best Director at the Artists’ Forum Festival of the Moving Image and the Audience Award for Best Horror Short at Out on Film: Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ Festival. Viewers can watch it on Omeleto. C.J. wrote Case Unsolved, which won the Asian American International Film Festival’s Screenplay Competition in October 2020. CJarellano.com.

Matt Lynn – Cinematographer
For his entire life, Matt’s focus has been on creating worlds that inspire the imagination. His work has been played at SXSW (2023 Audience Choice Winner), Cannes, Tribeca, TIFF, Frameline, Outfest and more while also receiving both Gotham and Queerty award nominations. After attending the American Film Institute Conservatory’s MFA program, Matthew traveled around the world with projects including feature films, documentaries, music videos, series, national commercials and has created original shows for Discovery Networks, Q-Digital and Dekkoo. He has also served as the cinematographer for work with QC Entertainment, NEON, Cadillac, Ford, Chevy, Nissan, Lush Cosmetics, Caitlyn Jenner, and The Tannenbuam Group. matthewlynnvisuals.com

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.