Andre (Domonique Brown), a young man on the autism spectrum, is passionate about the bats that live in the highway underpass next to his house in East LA. When one day the bats go missing, he enlists the help of a jaded UCLA biologist (Khandi Alexander) to find out what happened.
“Bat Boy showcases one young man’s persistence and preservation for his favorite animal and is enveloped in love…”
- AwardsDaily
"The ability, in a delicate way, to explore multiple themes while maintaining a balance between narrative and technique and creating empathic characters and environment - whether through young men or animals that are normally discriminated against by society."
- CinemAmbiente
About the Project
Bat Boy is a short film starring Khandi Alexander (Treme), Domonique Brown (Atypical), Ray Porter (Zack Snyder’s Justice League) and Yvette Freeman (Orange is the New Black). It has received generous funding from the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Writer & Director | Aaron Lemle
Aaron recently received his MFA from the school of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA. Prior to UCLA, he was the lead producer on the Emmy-award winning PBS series, Articulate with Jim Cotter. He also worked at the National Science Foundation and the Clinically Applied Affective Neuroscience lab at Stanford University. He hopes to use film to inspire audiences to care about science and the environment.
Science Advisor | Joseph Curti
Joseph Curti is a 3rd year Ph.D. candidate in the UCLA Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department. He is interested in applying whole-genome sequencing to California conservation management. His current research includes a study on the population structure and signatures of local adaptation of the Yuma bat (Myotis yumanensis).
Credits
Producers: Kennedy Love-Green & Matt Johnson
Director of Photography: Marc Patterson
1st AD: Randa Ali
Casting: John Frank Levey
Production Design: Bobby Murphy Appelbaum
Costume Design: Ruth Araujo
Hair and Makeup: Shaina Paulson
Sound Mixers: John Wassel & Alex Brayman
Editor: Randi Atkins
Additional Science Advisor: Brad Shaffer, PhD.
Bat Consultants: Chumi Paul, Jill Carpenter & Bat Conservation International
2nd AD: Shelby Halliman
Associate Producer: Natalie Abeysena
Gaffer: Michael Tellup & Micah Goldfarb
Key Grip: Jon Corum
1st AC: Scott Marino
2nd AC: Gabrielle Wiltz
Grips: Jake Brody, Connor Vickers, Balca Sagmanli, Justin Garza
Art PAs: Kayla Hill & Kamila Collins
Set PAs: Ethan Major & Emma Levy
DIT: Greg Armstrong
Script Supervisor: Marnie Slavani
Covid Safety: Morgan O’Dell
Set Photographer: Lydia Thompson
Composer: Daniel Walter
Sound Designer & Re - Recording Mixer: David Raines
Poster Designer: RYVE Creative
