Loving Silence (2024) | Award-Winning Queer Short Film

An award-winning LGBTQ+ romantic drama about love, regret, and second chances, set entirely at a silent retreat. Starring JJ Bozeman and Addy Marsh. Official selection at DC Shorts, Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, KASHISH Mumbai, Cinema Diverse Palm Springs, OutSouth, and more. When Jerome runs into his old flame, Luke, at – of all places – a silent retreat, their past threatens to unravel his present. "A fantastic showcase of subtle, silent acting... Loving Silence exemplifies the power of storytelling that makes shorts so special." — Metro Weekly (https://www.metroweekly.com/2025/09/d...) Website: https://www.lovingsilencefilm.com Instagram: @lovingsilencefilm Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/loving-si... IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32907221... If this film resonated with you, leaving a comment genuinely helps independent films like this reach new audiences through YouTube's recommendation system! _ LOVING SILENCE (2024) was a small but meaningful endeavor – a true labor of love – with a small self-funded budget, created in collaboration with a tiny-but-mighty team who all believe in its story. The project is a proof of concept for a feature written in 2023, which in its making demonstrated its own merits as a stand-alone piece. The core production team was only five people: myself (writer, director, producer), Jett Cain (the director of photography), Colin Barry-Jester (production sound), Claire Bridget Martin (actor and production coordinator), JJ Bozeman (lead actor) and Addy Marsh (lead actor) and we only had about two days to shoot on location on the grounds of Gather Greene in upstate New York in April of 2024. I genuinely believe what we were able to achieve with a strong but bare bones crew, in such a short window of time is remarkable. The vision was to tell a truly unique queer love story – one rich with humor and catharsis, staged in an unusual and visually striking setting – with almost no dialogue. The final product, I believe, delivers on that premise and proves this story not only works, but offers something truly fresh. Since shooting it, it’s been on a whirlwind of a journey, showcasing at film festivals between 2024 - 2026 in New York (Hudson Film Festival, ArtsFest Film Festival [WINNER: Best Director, Best Picture, NOMINATED: Best Cinematography, Best Performance], Peekskill Film Festival), California (Cinema Diverse Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival), Minnesota (Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival), North Carolina (OutSouth Queer Film Festival, Flourish at Charlotte Pride), Washington D.C. (DC Shorts International Film Festival), and Mumbai, India (KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival). Whether you discovered the film through a festival screening or are watching it here for the first time, thank you for giving it your time. Thank you, Nick Perlman Writer/Director _ Written, Directed, Produced & Edited by Nick Perlman (www.nickperlman.com, @nickperlman) Starring JJ Bozeman Addy Marsh Claire Bridget Martin Cinemtography by Jett Cain Production Sound by Colin Barry-Jester Production Coordinator Claire Bridget Martin Production Design Adri Ramdeane Original Score by Nick Perlman Music: ”same old songs (florida)” Written and performed by There Is No Escape And There Never Was Composed by Paul Masbad Retreat Attendees: Jackie Brown Nicole Chu Kyle Creaven Alyson Inouye Seth Nicholson Savannah Smith Eric Zhinin A very special thanks to: Gather Greene Amna Ali Jackie Brown Annalise Capano Kara Polito Precious Taylor Catered generously by Wunderbar Bistro, Hudson, NY Special thanks to: Jan Baerts Justin Brenneman Rebecca Brewer Raphael Brito Alexander Chard Joyce Cohen Dustin Lee Lulenoxx Erin Fischer Robert Freedman Che Figata Sara Eklund Lana Marks Jon Marquez Allison Mattox Sydney Oliver Karen Perlman Lowell Perlman Matija Sraj Dave Valeza Copyright (c) 2024 #LovingSilence #LovingSilenceFilm #ShortFilm #IndependentFilm #FestivalFilm #MicrobudgetFilm #DIYfilmmaking #NoBudget #Filmmaking #indiefilm #filmfestival #indiefilmmaker #cinematography #festivalshorts #LGBTQFilm #QueerCinema #GayRomance #QueerStorytelling #Pride #queerfilm #queer #lgbtqromance #queerstories #Gay #SilentRetreat #LoveStory #RomanticDrama