THE GIMP
Struggling to make ends meet, a desperate young man takes a gig as a gimp, only to find himself framed for murder when the man dies mid-session and his unsuspecting wife walks in, catching him in the most incriminating position imaginable.
WHY THIS PROJECT?
THE GIMP was born from a simple but unsettling truth: we assume we know people.
We assume we know our neighbors, our families, even ourselves, and we build our social systems on that shaky belief. But what happens when those assumptions crack?
This story unspools in the span of minutes, yet it captures a lifetime of projection, misunderstanding, and fear. A masked figure, a dead man, a terrified family, these are the ingredients for a gut-punch thriller. But what makes THE GIMP resonate is that beneath its latex and panic, it's about something deeply human: the danger of misjudging someone based on limited context.
We often trust our instincts and our narratives over reality. A boy in a suit becomes a monster. A man with a leash becomes a victim. A mother protecting her child becomes a threat to someone else’s child. We discredit each other's experiences because they don’t align with what we expect. But how could they? Every person is a layered story we’ll never fully comprehend. And in this film, that misunderstanding ends in tragedy.
THE GIMP is about how easy it is to dehumanize someone when fear takes over. It's about how even those closest to us, our partners, our children, and ourselves harbor truths we may never understand. In a world moving faster than ever, this story slows us down to ask: what assumptions are we still making that could cost someone everything?
TEAM
Becca Standt
DIRECTOR
Becca Standt is a German-American writer, director, and indie producer based in Los Angeles. After graduating from Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts with a BFA in Film Production and an emphasis in directing, she got her start in the UTA mailroom. Standt went on to pursue independent filmmaking, producing Stealing Pulp Fiction (Tribeca Films) at the age of 23 - a heist comedy written and directed by Danny Turkiewicz, starring Jason Alexander, Cazzie David, Jon Rudnitsky, and Karan Soni. She also produced BOSSES, a limited digital series alongside Keke Palmers.
Inspired by the careers of Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, Standt founded her own indie production banner Letná Films, where she currently has projects in development with Killer Films, Olive Productions (Steve Buscemi), Anonymous Content, and 6 Point Harness. She is passionate about telling LGBTQ+ and female-led stories and is committed to centering queer joy and emotionally rich, complex, character-driven narratives in mainstream media. As a filmmaker, Standt most recently filmed FML, a queer coming-of-age, short film executive produced by Marja-Lewis Ryan (The L Word: Generation Q). Her debut feature film BITTERSWEET is in development with Milk and Honey Productions and Joe Pirro (THE WEDDING BANQUET, WE GROWN NOW). Standt is represented by Verve and Entertainment 360.
Emerson Tenney
PRODUCER
Emerson Tenney is a writer and director based in Los Angeles, known for creating bold, character-driven stories across animation and live action. Since graduating from Brown University with a B.A. in Literary Arts, Emerson has developed literary projects with Toei Animation (ONE PIECE), Lion Forge (HAIR LOVE), and Ntertain Studios (LOS MONTANERS.)
Her directorial debut, Vibrantea, won Best Animated Short Film at the 2025 Manchester International Film Festival, marking her arrival as a fresh voice in animation.
Emerson is currently writing an upcoming animated feature to be directed by a critically acclaimed filmmaker that will be announced publicly soon. She is repped by Magnet Management.
Nick Fenjves
WRITER
Nick Fenjves is a Los Angeles born writer. After high school he left for Texas on a poet’s scholarship but departed quickly after to board horses and work closely with animal sanctuaries throughout the rural south. He has always had a deep connection to the faults in human beings and works telling stories about how those are navigated, in both the right and wrong ways. He has currently optioned his first feature, RODEO MAN, with Asa Germann (GEN V, SCREAM VII) and Blaine Kern III (HAPPY DEATH DAY, MASCOTS). Nick is also in the process of writing a book to film adaptation.
Above all, Fenjves is inspired by the literary works of Larry McMurtry and Cormac McCarthy, as well as plays and films by Kenneth Lonergan and Taylor Sheridan. As a writer he believes the stories that matter most are the ones that you leave the theater thinking about, talking about, feeling as if the lives you’ve witnessed on screen extend so far beyond just that, that is what he strives for as a creative and will continue to do.