Kali Bailey is a local lesbian filmmaker. Recently, she was one of hundreds who submitted a short, comedic film to SoFi's #DebtLife competition. The challenge was to create a short, comedic film on the theme of "ditching the #debtlife." Now Bailey's film is one of ten finalists, and the winner will be chosen by audience vote, so she's asking for your support (and you can vote once an hour til the competition ends)!

On the set of Kali Bailey's film

In her own words:

"I've been working as film director for several years. I’ve known since I was 13 that I wanted to be a filmmaker. I went to UGA for film and moved to Nashville about 3 years ago."

"I've entered several contests over the years but this is the biggest one I've ever been a finalist in. The contest is being run by a company called SoFi (pronounced 'So-Figh'), and they asked for comedic films detailing life while paying off student loans. I gathered some local Nashville actors, submitted and was chosen out of hundreds as a top ten finalist!"

"The winner will be determined by public vote. People can vote once an hour, so I've been rallying my friends and family to vote for the contest until July 5th at 5:00 p.m. (that's when the voting closes). Here is a link to our video for you to review! It's fun, entertaining and quirky."

As to what filmmakers get out of participating in such competitions, besides of course the cash prize, Bailey said, "Doing these competitions keeps my skills sharp during breaks between projects. There's also potential to win prizes so it's good motivation. I love any opportunity to film so having a deadline and a goal is helpful motivation!"

Bailey is working on a few other film projects as well! "I am currently working on a script for a short film about women in the space program in the 1960s. That would be my next project I go after. I also co-wrote a feature film script sell that will film in Nashville in the fall."

So be sure to watch O&AN for more in the coming months! And CLICK HERE for more on LGBT filmmakers!