DOLLAR PARTY

Logline: 

A pair of high school underdogs decide to throw a “Dollar Party” in a plan to gain urgent funds and girls’ attention, but it ends up sending them on a riotous quest through their early-2000’s North Philly neighborhood.

Synopsis:

Juan, an affable teenaged nerd tries to cope with the challenges of high school . While his mother Cathy gets ready to leave town for Army deployment, Juan is busy dreading the violin solo he has to perform at an upcoming pep rally – and fantasizing about his crush, the popular Tia. After Juan’s best friend Tyreke lends him a pornographic DVD between classes, Juan does what any teenaged boy in 2002 would do: heads home, pops the disc in, and goes to town. But when Juan’s busybody Grandma catches him in the act, the chaos of the moment causes him to trip over his pants and knock over his mother Cathy’s prized flat screen TV! In an instant, young Juan’s sexual fantasies are replaced with visions of his mom delivering the ass-whooping of a lifetime. Strapped for cash and out of options, Juan and Tyreke devise a plan to replace the TV before Cathy returns home: throw a massive house party, invite their entire school, and collect $1 from each attendee. A “Dollar Party.”

To elevate their unremarkable social status and ensure the party’s guest list is longer than just two names, the duo recruits star basketball player Nip – a schoolyard celebrity who, in Juan and Tyreke’s eyes, has it all. Unfortunately, Nip’s recreational interests go well beyond basketball, and Juan and Tyreke soon find themselves promising a nonexistent spread of marijuana-laced brownies to Nip.Racing against a ticking clock, Juan and Tyreke must deal with neighborhood drug dealer Preem, and repeatedly place Juan’s college hopes in jeopardy, all the while focusing on buying a new TV. And despite all the mounting threats that loom over the party, Juan’s biggest fear is one thing, and one thing only: disappointing his mother. Can this good-hearted kid learn how to break the rules, set things right, and come out the other side with his future dreams intact? 

Artistic Approach 

From an early scene with an intergenerational hip hop music debate to the recognizable cultural locations of the city, Dollar Party is an authentic journey – both profane and heartwarming – into urban high school life in early-2000’s Philadelphia. It is the time when street style was Rocawear jeans and Nike Air Force Ones, of Sean Jean t-shirts and curly top haircuts. A time when the mighty dollar party reigned supreme. Nostalgia will seep through the XXL white t-shirts and retro or “throwback” sports jerseys that were peek fashion at the time. We experience the urban high school experience through the eyes of unpopular teenagers, Juan and Tyreke, striving to gain the respect of their peers. as the fashion of the 2000’s will surround our fragile social outsiders on their tenacious quest for popularity, facing down the familiar bullies of their school hallways as well as the perilous threats that lurk beyond.

As Juan and Tyreke’s party-planning burdens snowball, their innocence and ethical standards are tested by the cold reality of the world. By the time the titular party is underway, audiences are guaranteed to be joyously sharing in Juan and Tyreke’s relief – and thirsting for the next big bash. We want to tell this story by capturing the raw aesthetic of an indie feature film, however, the camera will behave as a documentarians camera acting as if the action hasn’t been staged but it’s rather recorded at the moment. Visual variation will be an important aspect for our viewers. With the use of long lenses, we plan to stretch the object across the foreground to change the depth and focus of our subjects. At times, we’ll take the advantage of vertical and horizontal lines to give various shapes and information typically to bodies and faces. Horizontal lines can be used to create a kind of wide-screen effect.

Director’s Statement

Dollar Party is an urban comedy in which a young man learns that the journey is far more important than the end goal. The director, Tony Chennault, has first-hand experience growing up in Philadelphia as a middle and high school student. Dollar parties were something you looked forward to every weekend. He and his friends would gather in a friend’s basement and throw on some good music and have a good time. This was a safe environment for kids to enjoy themselves despite the vices in the neighborhood. Looking back, going to dollar parties were some of the best times of his life. You would experience some of your firsts like getting to dance with your school crush and then talking about how great the party was the following week at school.

Awards

Hip Hop Film Festival’s 2018 winner of the Act Up! Screenwriter’s Competition, powered by Final Draft.