We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allison Tate a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Allison, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

As of now, I would have to say that “Big Boys”, my feature film debut as a lead producer, has been the most meaningful project that I have worked on so far because it has connected deeply with audiences across the globe during the film festival run and is poised to make a big impact upon wide release. The film focuses on precocious teenager Jamie navigating an unexpected crush on his cousin’s boyfriend during a weekend camping trip. Our 16-year old lead actor shared an incredibly vulnerable and relatable performance that has brought compassion to viewers who recognize themselves and their experience in Jamie. We aimed to make the film as fun, easy to watch, and funny as possible, while still showcasing a grounded, real journey of coming out to yourself and finding the courage to be honest with your crush. “Big Boys” winning 17 awards on the festival circuit including several Audience Awards has been very encouraging and we look forward to releasing the film in Spring of 2024 – we are working with Dark Star Pictures for a theatrical rollout in 5 U.S. cities including New York and LA, following by online rental, streaming, DVD/Blu-Ray and soundtrack release as well as airline and international distribution. To learn more and check out a clip from the film head to www.BigBoysFilm.com

Allison, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a filmmaker who has been creating award-winning videos since high school. For college I moved out to LA to go to film school at USC School of Cinematic Arts where I met close friends and collaborators, many of whom worked on “Big Boys” with me recently. After college I started working for EqualPride Media leading the video team for the world’s largest LGBT brands: Out Magazine, The Advocate, and Pride.com. This gave me the opportunity to create over 100 videos about queer and trans individuals, and fueled my passion to continue showcasing nuanced and relatable stories with LGBT characters. This role also gave me the lay of the land when it comes to the entertainment press circuit and sharpened my writing, directing, and producing skills, thus preparing me for the goal of creating feature films. I look forward to the continued rollout of “Big Boys”, it has found a broad audience so far, delighting viewers from age 13 to 95!
I hope it reaches and inspires those viewers who need it most.
I am grateful for the experience from producing this first feature film and I’m excited to write, direct, and produce more films and expand into television. You can view my portfolio here: www.allisonfilms.com

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I am very driven by the uplifting power of filmmaking. More and more I marvel at the widespread cultural impact films make, as well as how personally transformative and even life-changing they can be. I think my projects will always have a positive takeaway for viewers because I want to leave people with a sense of encouragement and hope when they leave the theater. I want to explore different genres in the films I make, while still offering positivity. I am interested in a broad range of stories and topics, and certainly drawn to stories with queer characters, specifically period stories with queer characters. I am greatly interested in bringing more true queer stories from the past to life on screen. I know how challenging it can be to find self-acceptance, family acceptance and your own footing in the world, especially when facing homophobia or transphobia. This is why I want to create films that can offer that affirmation, comfort and support. This was certainly our goal with “Big Boys” www.BigBoysFilm.com

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

It’s extremely rewarding for me as an artist to get to share films with audience members, and it’s incredibly special to get to speak to audiences in person at film festivals, hear their laughter, see how the film brought cathartic tears to their eyes, and listen to their stories of how it relates to their lives, and brings new self-compassion. Reading heartfelt reviews of “Big Boys” on Letterboxed from viewers around the globe is so special and really shows how deeply the film has moved people. The feeling of having the film connect with audiences is like no other, it’s so compelling and motivates me to keep going on the next projects!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.allisonfilms.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/allisonfilms
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/bigboysfilm
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/allisonfilms
• Other: www.BigBoysFilm.com

Image Credits
Photo credits: Mettie Ostrowski for Newfest, Alexander Han