Directed by Shannon Kohli, Animal Mother Films’ latest micro-budget feature centres around Charlene, an aspiring stand-up comic. All Joking Aside aims to prove that women are just as funny as men in this story about dreams and ambitions and the joy and fear that can come along with them. Charlene is given the chance to perform at the Laugh Hyena- an NYC comedy club. Relentlessly heckled by one particular punter, Charlene is disheartened until she learns that the man in question, Bob, was once a stand-up comic himself. With a new found respect for him, Charlene and Bob become an unlikely pair of friends.

With Kohli behind the camera and a woman of colour (Raylene Harewood) as the main character, the film wants to take aim at exploring those not routinely featured in discussions surrounding stand-up comedy. Their crowdfunding goal is $20,000 by October 31st and this is largely to cover cast & crew costs and the cost of locations, as well as post-production.

You can find their crowdfunding campaign here and below is their promotional video detailing some more about the project.