With a musical and whimsical take on narrative, Word Is Bond is a poetic tale about a closeted rapper in 90’s LA, unraveling Hip-Hop’s best kept secret as the consequences of identity threaten his place in his own community and family. The idea for this short film came to writer and director Alexandra Mastoon when she was just 10, watching music videos on MTV in the twilight of rap’s golden era: the late 90’s. However, after moving to Los Angeles with her husband, she crafted a deeper and more personal script in reaction to our country’s toxic political climate, and her own brother’s acceptance of his homosexuality.
While punctuated with comedic moments, at its core this film explores how the masks we wear for protection are ultimately our undoing – and the most dangerous fracture to our most important relationships. It is a struggle shared by so many who feel they need to hide their sexuality in order to be accepted, a story which still goes largely ignored – especially in the rap world.
She saw first hand how touchy this subject was when soliciting for crew, and casting the film: she received some hateful messages (“f*ck Hip Hop and f*ck a bunch of queers”), and had numerous no-shows at auditions when the prospective actors were told they would even have to portray a homosexual character, despite there being no sexual situations in the film. Luck was on her side as she found a fantastic team to tell this story and, after the culmination of a successful Kickstarter campaign raising funds for its production, Word Is Bond is currently submitting to the 2019 film festival circuit!
With the director’s ongoing advocacy in the non-profit world, she’s defended and educated youth in front line communities, and it is through those she has helped that she’s gained true inspiration. Bringing together voices from men in the black and LGBTQ communities added a critical dimension to this film, creating a safe place on set and endowing its screenplay with an authentic perspective obviously foreign to a white, straight female. Together, they transformed a once hidden life experience into a rich story to share on screen – too universal to ignore.
To learn more and check for upcoming screening dates, please visit Word Is Bond Film or follow along on Instagram @wordisbondfilm.
“Not only do we want to start a conversation with this film, we want to raise our voices for everyone to whom this common predicament speaks – whatever their reasons may be” – Alexandra Mastoon
Website: www.alilfilm.com
Want your film project featured on Local Films? Fill out this form!