A HOMELESS teen (Brandon Larcom) struggles with dangerous choices from the fateful flip of a coin.

In Begging for Change, two universes diverge from a single random coin toss in this dramatic short about desperation and redemption. Living out the aftermath in parallel but intertwined stories, a homeless teen rejects the aid of a handsome jogger, only to continue to live hungry and abused on the streets; in an alternate timeline, the coin flip leads the same boy into the arms of that same jogger, but with significantly different consequences. Will either path lead him home?

Back again at Q-Cinema, Begging For Change won the award for Best Dramatic Short Film. Making a departure from J.T.’s usual comedies, Begging for Change tackles deadly serious subjects.

Festival Director Barb Lee, says “J.T. refuses to let us shut our eyes when the going gets rough. Nor does he allow us our comfortable queer ending. With Begging for Change, J.T. has proved he is more then just the director of gay lifestyle comedy films. He has become an artist of film, able to reflect to us reality whether it is absurd and laughable or serious and important.”

Watch the Begging for Change trailer

This 12-minute film was released in 2006 and is available for purchase on the Begging for Shorts DVD.