by Michelle Thompson aka Seahurst Part 1

ALL AMERICAN GIRL MEETS C.I.A.!

Or

ITTY BITTY TITTYS...OH MY!

About two weeks ago I was lucky enough to be able to visit the movie set for Power Up's first feature film called The Itty Bitty Titty committee. Never having been on a movie set before, it was an absolute thrill for me to meet the principals involved in what is sure to be a success for Power Up. The day I was there, they were filming a wedding scene on the steps of a small church in the LA neighborhood of Los Feliz. When I arrived, Stacy Codikow, the Founder and Executive Director of Power Up greeted me so warmly, and then had a directors chair brought over so we could sit and talk, while watching the action. (Okay... remember last season of The L Word when Kit is at the recording studio and all the women come to watch? Remember Shane sitting in the directors chair looking totally hip...like she actually belonged there? Yeah, well...that was me on the set!!! Okay...well, I don't exactly look like Shane...hmmm...and I am not hip in any way, shape, or form, BUT I was sitting in a directors chair, on the set of a movie, totally looking like I belonged!! I was!!!)

Seriously though, being invited to this set was so important to me as a woman, as well as a lesbian. I say that because this movie is one that I think will both entertain viewers, as well as inspire the women who see it. While being a youth oriented film, it is also a romantic comedy, mixed with a political message. Its subject matter, is one that will resonate with women of all ages. We as women matter...our lives matter, and what we do with them matters.

Of course, no one said you can't laugh along to way to finding your purpose! However, don't think this is your typical romantic comedy. If you do, you are in for a shock! There is no Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in sight! This is a romantic comedy for us! For women...for lesbians! This is a romantic comedy where All American girl Anna (Melonie Diaz), falls for very radical Sade (Nicole Vicius), and where Shulamith (Carly Pope) a ‘straight until she's not' feminist, picks up, and then falls for a butch named Calvin (Daniela Sea). It is a romantic comedy where it is not the diversity of the characters and their families that make the political statement. It's not even the fact that they are lesbians. What makes this films political statement and causes all the hoop-la is the fact that the women are members of RADICAL FEMINISTS groups! I know, I know...the ridiculous notion that women are equal to men...how dare they!!!

According to Stacy Codikow, The Itty Bitty Titty Committee is the "gayest and most political film we have ever made." Yet, at the same time, it's premise guarantees there will be lots of laughter to go hand in hand with its political message. The name of the film is a perfect example of how they have combined their message with a comedic flair. Itty Bitty Titty originates from the idea that our main character Anna, works for a plastic surgeon who performs a lot of breast enhancements... whether they are needed or not. She sees women coming into the office every day that are unhappy with how they look, because they listen to societies definition of what sexy should look like. So, Itty Bitty Titty is as Stacy's says, a way of saying "find yourself, love yourself... be okay with yourself."

Based on a story by Jamie Babbit (But I'm a Cheerleader), the story was written by Tina Mabry and Abigail Shafran, both recent college graduates. These three women, along with Producer Andrea Sperling (Pumpkin, Harsh Times, D.E.B.S.), combine their personal experiences and talent to guarantee a laugh out loud funny story with a very serious message.

Anna's path takes her on a journey to find her purpose in life, and along the way, she meets Sade, the leader of a radical feminists group called C.I.A., which stands for Clits In Action! (Okay, just knowing what that stands for prepares you for the laughs that are ahead in this movie.) C.I.A. is a group of 20 year olds who are trying to make their statement to the world through their actions as well as words. Unfortunately, something always seems to go wrong so they are never credited with the work they have accomplished. For example, after one defiant act of civil disobedience, the news media reporting the story, misunderstands the message the C.I.A. painted on the wall, to identify them by, so they end up reporting the wrong name, therefore on one realizes it was their doing. These poor women never seem to get a break, and at some point realize that the only ones listening to them...are themselves.

Then enters the older women's group, "Women For Change." They of course have actual meetings with agendas and budgets. They march on Washington, taking a much more organized/grown-up stance than the C.I.A. What you have is two different organizations, with two very different ideas of how to further the cause. But, in the end, what they prove to us is that when women of all ages work together, we can and will make a difference in the world, and in our hearts. Then comes the romantic part (my favorite), women falling in love with women...add lots of belly laughs to the mix, and you have the formula for a great movie!

Next Page >