Synopsis
As one family sets out to create a safe and healthy learning environment for LGBTQ+ teens, they find themselves amidst a sudden shift in the political landscape, launching the J.S. Bryant School into the forefront of the resistance.
Captured in real-time at the heart of the fight, TRANSITIONS is an eye-opening documentary about a small rural high school’s extraordinary transformation from one family’s vision into a beacon of hope for LGBTQ+ rights.
TRANSITIONS is a documentary about, well, transitions. In the broadest meaning of the word, it is about how America’s educational system must transition to include a larger part of the population and how schools must incorporate everyone in their curriculum. On a much more intimate level, this film is about families who had nowhere else to go until they found the J.S. Bryant School. It is about students who, because of their identity, struggle in traditional settings. It is about anyone who has ever felt unsafe in an educational environment.
The J.S. Bryant high school, which opened in the Fall of 2025, is the first therapeutic high school for LGBTQ+ teens in America. The school was founded by lifelong educators Dr. Allison Druin and Dr. Ben Bederson who searched tirelessly for a school that would nurture and empower their transgender son, finding nothing. At the J.S. Bryant School, students can finally express their most authentic selves through innovative curricula, traditional farming practices, and a safe environment.
TRANSITIONS aims to document the state of LGBTQ+ education in America. We will provide an intimate look into the experiences of queer students and their families as well as the school systems which are being built to support them. The film will show the challenges and triumphs of the J.S. Bryant high school, in addition to other LGBTQ+ affirming schools across the country. Students from the J.S. Bryant school will drive the story forward through interviews and verite shoots. By focusing on the community involved in the J.S. Bryant School, we will bring to light the needs of our educational system and queer youth in today’s world.
This documentary profile is not only about individual people and/or schools, but the bigger whole. Our crew is transitioning into bigger roles as we take on a project of this size. Families transition their entire lives and relocate from different states to be able to attend this school. Ben and Allison are transitioning from proud parents and allies to new leaders in the LGBTQ+ community. America is experiencing its own harsh transitions right now. This is what TRANSITIONS is about.
At SVP Productions, our goals are twofold: to uplift marginalized communities through the power of storytelling and to uplift the filmmakers that are dedicated to this project. With your assistance, we would be able to continue supporting the J.S. Bryant school and other LGBTQ+ affirming schools across the country, giving them publicity and allowing them to become known to a wider audience of prospective students and families. In addition, your support would allow us to continue hiring our majority LGBTQ+ crew, who are currently receiving only a small stipend for their work. While Allison and Ben dedicate themselves to the J.S. Bryant School and its future students, our crew dedicates themselves to documenting every step with the idea that someday, young queer people can see themselves in the media, in schools, and in society. While we are making a film, we are also building a community of young queer creatives looking to provide representation for the next generation.
Key Personnel
Christina Kiely – Director/Producer/Writer has been producing and directing documentaries for over 25 years. She wrote, directed and produced ABC News’ first digital documentary series, A Murder On Orchard Street. and co-produced the accompanying podcast to the 7-part series (2018) – which hit #1 on Apple Podcasts.
In 2004 she was nominated for an Emmy for her work on the ABC News documentary series NYPD 24/7. While at ABC she also produced for the series In the Jury Room and the weekly news magazine Primetime Mondays.
Outside of ABC, Christina has produced and directed numerous programs, including the A&E Biography of Yo-Yo Ma, 12 hours of the TLC series Code Blue, the PBS weekly news magazine Rights & Wrongs: Human Rights Television, and various documentaries for the International Labor Organization of the United Nations.
In production:
Coal Country, a feature documentary directed by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen. Co-produced by Audrey Rosenberg. A community in West Virginia devastated by the deadliest U.S. mining disaster of the 21st century struggles and strives towards a brighter, more sustainable future.
Strong Girls: The Sixsters, a feature documentary about an all-girl Ukrainian rock band who fled the war and became anti-war ambassadors Co-producing and directing with Sean Gullette.
Kiely is also part of a screenwriting duo with her sister, author Maria Kiely. Their fictional family comedy We Should Celebrate is in development with Producer Amenya Makuku. Christina serves as the VP of Education and Advocacy on the Executive Board of New York Women in Film and Television.
Lorelei Essman-Freeman – Director
Lorelei Essman-Freeman is an award-winning filmmaker who focuses on gender and queer rights, bodily autonomy, mental health, and sexual education. She began making films in high school and graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in Film and Education. Throughout her education and beyond, she worked with film legends such as cinematographer Ellen Kuras, director Sean Lennon, producers Beth Levison, Marilyn Ness, and Christina Kiely, actor Denis O’Hare, and more. Lorelei believes that film is and should be the most accessible form of education, which is why she focuses on current social issues. Her first film PRETTY ODD (2018) won Best Student Director at Top Shorts Film Festival and Best Student Short and Best Young Actor at Indie Short Fest. Her first thesis film TOUCHY SUBJECT, a short documentary about female masturbation, won an honorable mention at the Chroma Art Film Festival. It is still circulating through festivals, along with her second thesis film FIVE MINUTES, a short narrative about a reality-bending pregnancy scare, which is an Official Selection at the Women’s Voices Now Film Festival and the East Village Film Festival. Lorelei currently resides in NYC and works as a freelance Director, DP, and Camera Operator on narrative films, shorts and features, documentaries, music videos, commercials, and more.
Jane Lipper – Producer
Jane Lipper (she/her) is a graduate of Vassar College with a B.A. in Mathematics, Art History, and Spanish. She has experience working in production and costume design on theatrical shows at Vassar such as Gloria, The Pillowman, and Rodeo and Juliet. Since graduation, she has been working freelance in arts administration and development at organizations such as Inspiration Point, NALA Projects, and The Century Foundation. Jane is currently working as the Finance Intern at 321 Theatrical Management.
Mallory Holst – Director of Photography
Mallory Holst (she/her) graduated Boston University in May 2024 with a B.S. in film & television with a specific concentration in cinematography. Over the past year, she has been a cinematographer for multiple short films and works as a gaffer and electric for music videos, commercials, feature films, and short films. Her variety of experience allows her to bring a unique approach in lighting and composition to each project. She is a passionate advocate for the queer community and uses her background in the female and queer community as a visual lens.
Nina Essman – Executive Producer
Nina Essman (she/her), a Founding Partner of 321 Theatrical Management, has produced and managed dozens of Broadway and International musicals and plays including Purpose, The Outsiders, Fun Home, Peter and the Starcatcher, Next to Normal, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Wicked, and The Lion King. Nina is an active member of the Broadway League and a founding board member of Detroit Public Theatre, located in Detroit’s cultural district. In the last ten years, DPT has cemented itself as a leader in the regional theatre community and moved into its permanent home in 2022. Most recently, Nina, alongside Epic Theatre Ensemble, created The Sweets Factory Fellowship, which is open to high school seniors enrolled in the Epic NEXT Arts Leadership initiative, providing them the opportunity to work alongside leaders in commercial theatre
