About · My Dream Has Thorns

Cale Jayden

Director, Producer, Editor

Cale Jayden is an award-winning editor, cinematographer, producer, and director whose work thrives at the intersection of authentic storytelling and razor-sharp timing.

How It Began

A Story Five Years in the Making

MY DREAM HAS THORNS AND I WEAR IT ANYWAY began in 2022, after director Cale Jayden watched Academy Award-winning Ben Proudfoot's documentary and realized what documentaries could do with sounds, sensations, and storytelling. As a professional dance filmmaker, he wondered how those cinematic techniques might translate the beautiful minutia of dance onto camera.

In 2025, the inspiration finally took shape as a proof of concept centered around an up-and-coming dancer in Washington. Following Cale's move to New Orleans, the project found an unexpected home within the city's motivated and loving arts community. By 2026, partnerships with dancer Jakki Kalogridis and Versipel New Music expanded the documentary's narrative scope and added an original contemporary classical score, composed specifically for the documentary and performed live during a screening.

Today, produced in partnership with 643 Productions, the project exists as a documentary, a live musical collaboration, a public interview series, and a demonstration of solidarity across multiple art forms.

Commissioning an Original Score

How Are We Doing It?

To commission a composer, arrange a live ensemble performance, and organize a screening in a New Orleans venue, the film is partnering with local nonprofit Versipel New Music – a nonprofit that champions classical contemporary music composed and performed by Louisiana musicians.

The Screening With It

The documentary's original score will debut in a multidisciplinary red-carpet screening with an accompanying chamber ensemble. Composer applications are currently under review. Seeking to support each other's communities, the film and Versipel form a unified statement about celebrating each other's art in a culture that demands a high personal cost for it.

Learn More About the Screening →

Beyond the Documentary

a conversation

Ecosystem

The documentary is one expression of a larger artistic collaboration. Through cinematic street interviews, artists across New Orleans will add their own voices to the film's central question, expanding it far beyond the three featured subjects.

a public

Movement

By inviting artists to publicly reflect on the sacrifices behind their creative work, the project aims to spark meaningful conversation, strengthen artistic communities, and leave an impact that extends beyond the documentary itself.

Our Partners

Versipel New Music

Score & Event Partner

Versipel New Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to championing experimental music in Louisiana, presenting contemporary classical music, New Orleans style. Reflecting the breadth and beauty of today's concert music scene, Versipel performs and presents music of our time — frequently collaborating with living composers in the U.S. and overseas, spanning fresh European modernism to U.S. postmodernism, with a heavy dose of technology, improvisation, and performer creativity.

643 Productions

Lead Production Partner

643 Productions utilizes revenue earned from contracted work to fund passion projects within the company. 643 views pre-production as the most important part of the process in order to be prepared for any level of production. Having everything planned out with alternatives at the ready ensures smoother production and guarantees a quality product. Skilled and passionate filmmakers are hired on to match each project's needs.

Stalled Productions

Production Partner

Stalled Productions is an independent film production company driven by a passion for storytelling that matters. Beyond the set, Stalled is committed to building and celebrating grassroots filmmaking communities through showcases and screenings that connect audiences with the heart and talent behind independent cinema.

New Marigny Theatre

Artist Residency Partner

The New Marigny Theatre is a nonprofit arts organization that empowers artists through performances, educational programs, residencies, and creative collaboration. As an Artist Residency Partner, they provide the creative home where MY DREAM HAS THORNS is being developed, produced, and shared with the community.

Want to Stay in the Know?

Join our newsletter for behind-the-scenes updates, artist interviews, screening news, and new ways to support the film as the project grows.

How can I become a sponsor?

Reach out to mydreamhasthornsfilm@gmail.com and we'll share sponsorship tiers and how your logo can appear on the film, across the website, and at the screening.

Where does my donation go?

Every contribution funds production, compensates artists, and helps the film reach its audience. See the full breakdown on the Support page.

How else can I help?

Share the film on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube, sign up for the newsletter, and tell other artists about the project — it all helps grow the conversation.

When and where is the screening?

A multidisciplinary red-carpet screening is planned for Fall 2027 in New Orleans. Details are on the Screening page.

About The Project

Cale Jayden

A Story Five Years in the Making