Hearts in a Sling

A Feature Film

Written by Stephanie Gould

About the Film

Logline:

After her plans to adopt a baby fall through, a woman with cerebral palsy must come to terms with her checkered past and desires for her future while dealing with her addict brother, and reuniting with her estranged mother whose memory is fading due to dementia.

Originally a short film screenplay written for a graduate screenwriting class, the feature film screenplay was completed as a Master’s thesis by Stephanie Gould in early 2024 at Southern New Hampshire University.

Stephanie is actively seeking producers and production team for the feature film.

About the Writer

Stephanie Gould is a working actor and writer whose credits include the recent Boston premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-Winning play, Cost of Living by Martyna Majok at SpeakEasy Stage in the role of Ani in March 2024. A proud member of both SAG-AFTRA and the Actors Equity Association (AEA), she recurred on the sixth season of Orange is the New Black as Carmen Campos, as well as shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Mr. Robot, and HAPPY!. She starred in the world-premiere of Bernie and Mikey’s Trip to the Moon, Off-Broadway, in the title role of Bernie at 59E59 and her solo show, Walk With Me, about living with cerebral palsy and learning to walk again at 13 premiered at the 2016 SoloCom Festival and was brought to Boston for a Grand Rounds presentation at Boston Medical Center. Other select credits include Richard III, The Boys Next Door and I Never Saw Another Butterfly among others. She stars in the upcoming film Plant People about mental health, that is having its world premiere at the Voices for Impact Festival in San Francisco in June 2024.

An accomplished writer, her screenplays Hearts in a Sling (short version), Fading Connections, and The Notice have received numerous awards and accolades. She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta (International English Honor Society) and NSLS (National Society of Leadership and Success).

She holds a M.A. in English and Creative Writing with a concentration in screenwriting from Southern New Hampshire University and a B.A. in English from Saint Anselm College.

2007

Bachelor of Arts in

English

Saint Anselm College

2024

Master of Arts in English & Creative Writing

Southern New Hampshire University

Unions & Honor Societies

SAG-AFTRA

AEA

Sigma Tau Delta

National Society of Leadership and Success

Find Stephanie on

Who:

Main Characters

Zoe - Stephanie Gould

Christopher - Perri Yaniv

Linette - Kaye Tuckerman

Zoe: A woman living with mild cerebral palsy, also has to deal with her troubled brother and reuniting with her estranged mother who is now battling dementia all while questioning what her worth in life is.

It just seems that we have so many

secrets from one another that I can’t trust anyone in this family anymore.

Christopher: Troubled and dealing with addiction issues, he is a man who has kept a long-held family secret that is slowly destroying him in many ways.

Secrets can kill you...your body...your mind...So, if you have a problem, don’t lie to yourself.

Linette: The matriarch, who re-enters her family’s life after a crisis, suffers from dementia. Will she be able to reconnect with the adult children she barely knows before it’s too late?

People get scared. Of hurting

people. Of people hurting.

Where:

Massachusetts

The main plot of the film happens in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Lake Winnipesaukee serves as the setting for a pivotal moment in the film.