RUOK
About
RUOK is a short film that I wrote, directed and produced.
It was shot over 3 days in January 2018
in Washington Heights, New York City.
RUOK is a dark comedy and tells the story of two young gay BFF’s (Alex & Bryan) and how their friendship is affected by their feelings for the same man. It is told almost entirely thru texts and emoji from their individual apartments.
It’s an honest look at how all of our relationships have been affected by social media & apps-
friends, family, dating, hook ups, work, the list goes on and on.
It’s about how all of these ‘connections’ have a layer of disconnect, as we rush home to our Netflix queues- headphones on & faces buried in our devices. We find more & more ways to avoid any real connection that’s longer than 140 characters, a photo or a like button. My film takes an honest look at all of this online noise and attempts to find the humor & vulnerability in the struggle to connect with all of the people in our lives. We have all been thrust into a new definition of what a relationship is with no instruction manual to navigate our way.
I hope this is not only a story about gay men, but a story about all of us.
I was thrilled to bring together a team of incredible professionals to make this particular story come to life​.
The film stars Peter Mark Kendall, Zachary Booth & Sydney James Harcourt
as well as delicious cameos by
CK Allen, Enrico Rodriguez, Tim Ewing, & Kurt Hellerich.
RUOK has been accepted and screened at​
QFlix Philadelphia (WINNER AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT),
Wicked Queer Boston Film Festival (WINNER AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT),
Rainbow Umbrella Film Festival in London (WINNER BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD),,
Everybody Digital Film Festival in Brooklyn NY (WINNER BEST SHORT)
Black Bear Film Festival in Milford, Pennsylvania, Q Fest San Antonio, QFest St. Louis Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival, Rainbow Visions Film Festival in Edmonton,Canada, Corvallis Queer Film Festival in Oregon,
Melbourne Queer Film Festival, OutShine Miami Film Festival, Transparent Film Festival in NYC, the Kansas City International Film Festival New Renaissance LGBT Film Festival in Amsterdam (HONORABLE MENTION),
Film Out San Diego, OutFilm CT in Hartford, CT, Vienna Independent Film Festival - VIFF,
CinePride in Nantes, France, East Village Queer Film Festival, North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, No Coast Film Festival in Emporia, Kansas. the Soho International Film Festival, Fargo-Moorhead LGBT Film Festival,& OutHereNow Kansas City LGBT Film Festival, SAG-AFTRA Short Film Showcase, Cinema Diverse Palm Springs LGBT Film Festival
Iris Prize in Cardiff, Wales, , Everybody Digital Film Festival(Winner Best Short),
Reel Affirmations DC LGBT Film Festival, & NewFest- New York's LGBT Film Festival
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Check out our imdb page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8696410/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
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RUOK is now part of Peccadillo Pictures BOYS ON FILM 20 Collection
To rent or rent to own go to:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/boysonfilm20
or
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08913S3PG/
​
To purchase a DVD go to
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084DGX5N7/
If you are interested in getting in touch with me about RUOK or any future projects
please shoot me an email at jayrussellshortfilm@gmail.com
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Thanks from the bottom of my heart.
Onward & Upward!
Jay