Hey friend,
It’s been an exciting few months laying the groundwork for our short film Stitches Come Out. I have visited twelve local laundromats, drawn thirteen visual development pictures, constructed two cardboard sets, gathered a small and wonderful team of seven creatives, and made sooo many spreadsheets.
I started writing the script for this story in January of 2025 when Trump signed several cruel executive orders mandating that one's passport reflect their gender identity at birth, kicking trans people out of the military, and banning trans healthcare for people under the age of nineteen.
Some photos from local laundromats I’m using to design my stop-motion set. Construction starts next week!
“The best thing a story for trans people can do right now is make them laugh and feel loved.”
My husband, Ezra, was rightfully panicked. We had serious conversations around whether we should still live in the U.S., worried about the mental wellness of several good friends, and I did the thing I usually do when I start wishing I could magically take away all the unnecessary suffering happening in the world: I started writing a story.
My first draft began with a trans man in a laundromat, but the tone was somber. I walked Ezra through the beats of the story and in his transparent and straightforward way he said, “I don’t like it.”
We started talking about stories made about a group of people rather than for them, a concept I’m familiar with when it comes to stories told about some of my own identities. There’s plenty of tragic tales or contrived stories where the characters are vessels to teach Trans 101 to cis people.
Concepts for Liam and Lulu
I came out of this conversation knowing that if I wanted to tell a story for the trans community I’d have to shift. I stewed on something Ezra shared with me in our conversation, “The best thing a story for trans people can do right now is make them laugh and feel loved.”
Instead of thinking about larger political issues I turned my attention to Ezra and little funny things about him. We were in the first few months of our year in Spain, and we were meeting a lot of new people. Many times Ezra would come home and talk through with me the status of coming out to new friends.
While this is the first project I’ve done where I am not storyboarding myself these are a few of the preliminary boards I made of the opening scene to set the tone of the story.
There was a drama within the way my typically very confident and very direct husband would stress over small details, relive the specifics of what he had shared, reflect on how he may have been perceived, and share what crazy questions and comments he was met with after coming out.
I started writing a comedic laundromat meet-cute where my main character, Liam, doesn’t feel too keen on being upfront about his trans identity, but has a magically animate trans flag hoodie who wants nothing but to be upfront about his trans identity.
I externalized an internal conflict to highlight the universal tones of a very trans experience: the fear of rejection. And, while this movie is most directly a love letter to my husband, I hope it makes all the trans people who see it smile and feel deserving of love.
I’ve spent the last year refining this story and in January I successfully pitched it to an organization called Black N Animated. Now, I have to complete this film by the LA premiere on October 17th. So, will I make this deadline? My answer is: Of course!
Next week I will officially begin construction of my sets, props, and puppets. It’s one of my favorite parts of a stop-motion film and I’m so excited to share some of that process with you :)
A rough draft of the laundromat set to help me make sure my ratios are working. Big thank you to the talented and delightful Maya for helping me out with this!
Quick thumbnail and a little sneak peak into what will happen in this short.
Media That’s Inspired Me Recently
I love to take inspiration from many different forms of media. Here are a few highlights. Check out the links I placed links in the titles.
An animated feature
Arco (2025) directed by Ugo Bienvenu
If you haven’t seen this Oscar nominated film here is your sign to check it out. I really loved this film and the way it imagines the future.
A book
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
I’m currently working on a sci-fi feature script and reading a lot of speculative fiction. I got my copy from the library!
A short film
In a Heartbeat (2017) directed by Esteban Bravo and Beth David
I watched this short a while ago and revisited it while researching for Stitches Come Out. Super queer. Super Cute. If you haven’t seen it it’s only four minutes.
A live-action feature
Blue Velvet (1986) directed by David Lynch
It’s old, but new to me. After watching Project Hail Mary (another worthwhile watch) I read that this film is a major inspiration for Ryan Gosling. If you’re down for weird it’s a super fun film.
A non-fiction podcast
This episode of unwind to ocean science was really captivating. I also love the one about octopuses.
What projects are you working on? Do you have any strong feelings about the media I’m thinking about? Do you have recommendations of your own? If yes to any of the above don’t hesitate to reach out, I’d love to hear from you.
& if you have a friend who would enjoy this newsletter too, forward it to them! :)
Warmly,
Sara Inoa