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Logline

For wide-eyed Sydney, it’s a dream come true to marry her best friend in the Mormon temple. But for the closeted cherub-faced groom, Caleb, his life has never been more of a lie as he tries his best to please his wife on their virginal wedding night.

Synopsis

For wide-eyed Sydney, today is a dream come true, getting to marry her best friend in the Mormon temple for time and all eternity. But for the cherub-faced groom, Caleb, his life has never been more of a lie. At his reception, surrounded by family, moonlight, and roses, he can’t keep his eyes off the beautiful DJ… Caleb’s gaze only breaks when Sydney takes him by the arm and rushes him to their honeymoon suite…
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Gregory Barnes — Writer/Director
Gregory Barnes is a writer and director based in sunny Los Angeles. Raised a faithful Mormon in Oak Park, IL, his films have been greatly influenced by the comedic absurdity of exiting that strange jello-obsessed-desert religion. His short, The Touch of the Master’s Hand, won the Jury Prize for Best U.S. Fiction Short at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Prior, his work has been featured in Adult Swim, NPR, Playboy, and Pitchfork. He graduated with a BA in media studies from Brigham Young University and an MFA in film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where he was the recipient of the 2021 King Award for Screenwriting.

Alex Bendo — Producer
Alex Bendo is an American film producer from New York City, with work produced across North America, Europe, and Asia. He has produced over 25 short films, supported by NEON, Panavision, Kodak, FONCA, the National Board of Review, and Academy Award-winning director Spike Lee. His films have premiered at Cannes, Berlin, and SXSW, among others. Alex holds an MFA in Producing from NYU Tisch and a BA from Boston College. He is currently preparing to launch his production company, Endangered Species, with his producing partner Lexi Preiser.

Lexi Preiser — Producer
Lexi Preiser is a producer and television executive based out of Los Angeles, where she currently works in strategy and operations at Hulu. She previously held roles at both Netflix and Amazon Studios, where she advised on investment and programming decisions for Original Series. Lexi graduated from New York University with both an MBA/MFA from Stern School of Business and Tisch School of the Arts. She has produced over twenty short films across the US and Europe. She holds an undergraduate degree from Columbia University.

Fidel Ruiz-Healy — Cinematographer
Fidel Ruiz-Healy is a Mexican-American cinematographer whose work has won at Sundance, SXSW, and Fantasia. His commercial work spans campaigns for Bud Light, Sprite, Meta, Target, McDonald’s, and IHOP. His work has been featured on Adult Swim, The Tonight Show, and the cult hit film, Hundreds of Beavers. He co-founded the film collective, The American Standard Film Co., whose work has generated over 40 million views. He currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Jordan Michael Blake — Editor
Jordan Michael Blake left Mormonism to make movies at NYU. His award-winning shorts include The Touch of the Master’s Hand (Sundance 2021) and Dead Enders (SXSW 2023). His animated film Paradise Man (ii) premiered at Sundance in 2025. His latest film as an editor, Nervous Energy, has played Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and SXSW. Blake also co-wrote and co-directed an episode of Adult Swim’s OFF The Air.