Corey Sherman

Corey Sherman is a 29 year-old filmmaker living in Los Angeles. He grew up in Riverdale, New York. He majored in Film & Television Production at the University of Southern California. His mother was a journalist and his father an English professor, so he grew up around people who loved words and well-told stories. Corey started making comedy short films when he was eight years old, and continues making them to this day. A long-time lover of animation, Corey branched out from live action in college and created an animated web series titled BILLIAMS, which was well-received online and led to a partnership with Matt Maiellaro, the creator of Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Corey is also passionate about nonfiction filmmaking, and recently edited Lawrence Kasdan’s documentary short, LAST WEEK AT ED’S, which won the Audience Award for Best Marquee Feature at the 2019 Austin Film Festival. Corey hopes to build a career that allows him to alternate between his three passions - live action, animation, and documentary.

We made a film about a young man’s unrequited crush to shed light on this extremely common, yet under-examined aspect of queer life. In most romantic stories, the object of the protagonist’s love eventually returns their affection. However, for many queer people like myself, growing up was full of unrequited crushes on straight or closeted peers. Yearning for someone we couldn’t have was frustrating enough, but not seeing any exploration of that experience in the media made it feel like a lonely failure. However, these experiences are extremely common and can be profoundly impactful. We figure out how to make peace with not getting everything we want. We learn to put ourselves out there and be honest even in the face of imminent rejection. In Jamie’s case, the intensity of his desire, though not reciprocated, allows him to face and accept his own sexuality.