Quarter
a film by Arnon Manor & Kelsey Bascom
Quarter is a coming-of-age comedy-drama about Kelly, a young woman living with Type 1 diabetes, who’s about to turn 25, as she deals with the ups and downs of her blood sugar levels and the ups and downs of her personal life.
- Directed by Arnon Manor & Kelsey Bascom
- Written by Kelsey Bascom, based on her own experiences as a young woman living with Type 1 diabetes.
- Produced by Arnon Manor
- Executive Produced by Brooke Shields
Cast includes
Premise
Kelly has a bold inner voice and a vivid imagination that show up as we follow her personal journey in the days leading up to her 25th birthday. A near death experience on her birthday, as a result of an extreme low blood sugar episode, leads her to make a change, and her inner voice becomes her voice out loud.
Kelsey wrote Quarter with the intent of creating an intimate and very personal film, where the audience is entertained while watching something significant and earnest.
Most narrative films or TV shows that incorporate Type 1 diabetes either misinterpret or overdramatize it, and Quarter is a film that feels real and relatable, where the audience gets inside Kelly’s head, a normal person with an abnormal autoimmune disease.
The film also has a strong message about female empowerment, finding your voice and learning to overcome whatever obstacle, or in this case disease, life throws at you. The majority of our cast and crew live with or have personal ties to diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes
Over 11 million people in the world live with type 1 diabetes. The cause is still unknown and there is no cure.
Quarter has enormous support from the worldwide type 1 diabetes community, including the major diabetes foundations such as Breakthrough T1D (JDRF), celebs such as Nick Jonas, Jenna Bush, Este Haim, Adam Schefter, as well as diabetes companies, such as Dexcom and Insulet.
The intent is to release the film in November 2025 as a worldwide event to coincide with National Diabetes Awareness Month and World Diabetes Day that falls on Friday, November 14, 2025.
Production
Creatively, the film has a feminine sensibility, with vintage and retro references, along with a curated color palette, to be timeless, yet original.
We shot with Zeiss super-speed lenses from the 70s that enhanced the cinematography with a film-like texture.
The production and costume design reflect the mood of our lead, Kelly, in each scene and location, in relation to the other characters and situations she is in.
About the filmmakers
Kelsey Bascom is a writer, actress and diabetes advocate. She is the creator, writer, and lead of the web series MONDAYS, which received 13 million views on YouTube. Kelsey was nominated for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy series as well as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy series by the LA Web Fest. Her work was also nominated for Best Webisode at the HollyShorts Film Festival. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a BA in Film and Television Production.
Arnon Manor is an award-winning filmmaker, writer/director/producer and was also a senior production executive for Sony Pictures, collaborating with some of the industry’s most talented filmmakers across the globe. He is a recognized industry leader, including in the fight for social impact, highlighted by a Peabody Award in 2020 for directing and producing Cops and Robbers, a Black Lives Matter-themed animated short for Netflix. Arnon is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.
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