Vancouver is not a city known for its Black community but queer Jamaican-Canadian filmmaker Giselle Miller is creating a series that specifically highlights Black queer women in this city.

After realizing that most queer on-screen stories portray White cis-gendered men, Miller created the series NOVELETTE IS TRYING, a comedy about Novelette, a Black queer woman who is forced to take in a quirky roommate when her partner dumps her because she can no longer afford the rent, a problem most Vancouverites can probably relate.

The series is about more than queer life, tackling everything from sustainability, mental health, and polyamory. At the core of the series is Novelette’s relationship to the three Black women in her life and how they each have an impact on her, forcing her to mature and take responsibility for her life.

This series was developed with funding from the Independent Production Fund, Canada Media Fund and Canada Council for the Arts. With a leading cast of all Black women, this show is a refreshing change from the stories typically seen emerging from the Vancouver indie scene. Being developed through her company Orange Rose Productions, NOVELETTE IS TRYING is Giselle’s third web series. Her first, YOUNG SINGLE AND BLACK earned Miller her first Leo Award nomination in 2021 as well as nominations in the acting category.

“Vancouver’s QTBIPOC community is loving, supportive, engaged, complex and rich with a wide range of perspectives and experiences” says Miller. “This series and the world it presents doesn’t try to stand for the entire community. I want to show a specific perspective of Black queerness while also presenting the diversity within it.”

Miller is currently competing against 29 other teams across Canada for funding to produce the series. However, she is also running a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise the capital to make the series. If you want to support, please check Indiegogo at this link. 

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/novelette-is-trying/x/27482324#/

In the meantime, follow @producedbygiselle on Instagram to get updates on the series.