Catherine Crouch is set to follow up her debut feature, “Stray Dogs,” with the lesbian military drama “Half Life.”
Set during the first Gulf War, “Half Life” is a love story between a Chicago journalist and a career soldier, who are both investigating the case of a lesbian soldier being discharged after suffering chemical exposure in the Gulf.
Crouch adapted the script from an unpublished novel by producer Tracy Baim, publisher and managing editor of Windy City Media Group, which includes the weekly Windy City Times.
The filmmakers plan to finance the film independently or through a studio or cable outlet. “We’re confident that the story is unique and compelling enough that it has potential for a $2 to $4 million budget,” Baim said.
The story is semi-autobiographical. Baim’s partner, Jean Albright, served 20 years in the Air Force before retiring, and is a board member of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), an advocacy group for lesbians and gays in the armed forces.
“We want to bring visibility to the fact that gays and lesbians are being kicked out of the military every day,” Baim said. “It’s ideal for us to shoot this year, with the presidential election, and the issue of gays in the military and gay rights in general. While the story is critical of military policy, a lot of the people involved are not anti-military ? they want to make the institution better and stronger.”
Baim started the novel five years ago. Early in the writing process, Baim met Crouch through Yvonne Welbon (“Sisters in Cinema”). This January producer Carol Ann Shine joined the project. Shine produced the 2002 Independent Spirit Award nominee, “Punks,” and works regularly with Showtime and Momentum Entertainment.
After promoting “Half Life” at Sundance, the filmmakers are kicking off the project’s development with an industry-targeted reading March 3 at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. The reading features Guinevere Turner (“Go Fish,” “Stray Dogs”), Michelle Wolff (“Unspeakable”), and Katrina Phillips (“Stranger Inside,” “But I’m a Cheerleader”). The actors in the reading are being considered as potential cast for the film.
The Indianapolis-based Crouch, who hails from a military family, got her MFA at Columbia College in 1999. Her 2001 Southern gothic “Stray Dogs” is distributed by Spectrum Entertainment. She co-wrote the 2001 HBO original movie “Stranger Inside.”
The “Half Life” reading is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 4, at 1125 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood. Proceeds benefit the SLDN. Reach Baim at 773/871-7610. See www.halflifefilm.com.
? by Ed M. Koziarski, edk@homesickblues.com.
