GIRL BABY SPECIAL
Short Film
Project Type: Short Film
Project Status: Pre-Production
Director: Morgan Gruer
Producer: Greta Gordon Producer: Cassidy Campbell
Writer and Actor: Rebecca Gever
LOGLINE
On a third date at a Russian bathhouse, Lucy navigates unspoken expectations as she pushes past her own discomfort to be the version of herself she thinks Marco wants.
SYNOPSIS
For their third date, Lucy and Marco meet at the Russian and Turkish Baths. As they flirt and explore the space together, the differences in their expectations and communication styles become clearer. Marco wants Lucy to be game and Lucy wants Lucy to be game, so she ignores her discomfort until push comes to shove.
WRITER’S STATEMENT ABOUT THE PROJECT
What inspired this story was reflecting on how difficult it can be to communicate clearly. I realized, on some level, I had internalized the belief that being direct is bad, a belief many women I know share. For me at least, this has caused a lot of problems.
I am particularly interested in how the difficulty of expressing oneself intersects with gendered expectations and dating conventions. The trouble these thorny topics has gotten me in--situations that range from funny to disturbing-- and the sense I've tried to make of them inspired the screenplay this short comes from.
The short explores how we date and communicate today with honesty but without a bad guy. In the small moments of miscommunication, awkwardness, expectation, avoidance, and misrepresentation are bigger stories and patterns. Writing this piece is how I am learning to make sense of these experiences. As an actor, writer, producer and someone in the thick of these questions, my hope is that people will laugh and squirm in recognition and that more nuanced conversations will be started.
Meet The Filmmakers
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Rebecca Gever
Actor and Writer
Rebecca Gever (she/her) is an actor and writer based in New York City. Her solo show lemons, which she wrote and starred in, was recognized by several festivals and had an Off-Broadway run at 42nd Street Theatre Row. She has also performed at the prestigious Williamstown Theatre Festival, among others. Her plays have been recognized by the National Theater Institute and the National Playwrights Conference. As an actor, she recently starred in Morgan Gruer’s Fire at Will and Half-Life at HERE Arts Center, written by Isabella Waldron and directed by Rosie Glen-Lambert. In her work as an actor and a writer, Rebecca explores stories about women who are contradictory things all at once and the (sometimes misguided) ways we try to connect to ourselves and each other. She likes her funny a little sad and her sad a little funny.
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Morgan Gruer
Director
Morgan Gruer (she/her) is an Emmy® Award-winning Director with a flair for female-driven stories that blend sharp humor and emotional depth, exploring women’s journeys to empowerment.
Morgan’s most recent short film, Fire at Will, (starring Rebecca Gever) World Premiered at Tribeca Festival 2025 and won a Silver Screen at the 2025 Young Director Awards. Critics praised it for its "hilarious and seamless writing, performances and direction" (Ben Thompson, VP Shorts Programming, Tribeca) and described it as a "precisely choreographed chaos" with "masterful writing" (The Produced).
Morgan earned Best Director at Nòt Film Festival for her mixed-media short, Ghosted and Best International Animation at both the Louisiana International Film Festival and National Film Festival for Talented Youth for her innovative animated short, Reflections.
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Greta Gordon
Producer
Greta Gordon (she/her) is a New York-based, Boston-bred producer and fiction writer. As a writer herself who studied literature, Greta focuses on script development, helping create a cohesive, coherent narrative. If the best novels put into words what humans feel and can’t describe, the best films show in image what words cannot encapsulate.
Greta’s recent producing credits include the award-winning artist Grace Vanderwaal’s “High” music video, a stunningly shot, sumptuous video that demonstrates the artist’s creative maturity.
Upcoming short films include “Angel” by Playwright and Director Nolan Phillips, shot by DP Graham Barbour and “Hurt’cha” by Director and Producer Richard Simon.
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Cassidy Campbell
Producer
Cassidy Campbell (she/they) is a NYC based producer and creative connector championing bold, authentic storytelling that center femme and LGBTQ+ voices.Cassidy’s producing career began with Dirty Towel, a short that premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. It was praised as “a short, salient and sensitive exploration” of shame and self-worth and celebrated for its emotionally honest coming-of-age perspective.
She is also the producer of Man-Hating Lesbians, a queer comedy TV series following three best friends navigating life in NYC. As the project prepares to launch, it continues to expand the world made possible by over 200,000 supporters across social media and a passionate community of queer filmmakers.
Her portfolio also includes the dramatic short FAULT and The Big Game, her first narrative feature she coordinated, both in post-production.
Your Help
GIRL BABY SPECIAL is a fiscally sponsored project of Cinematography for Actors, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your donation will be tax-deductible!