Genre
Synopsis
GIRLS AREN’T FUNNY centers on Aiza, a young Pakistani-American comedian who leads a double life. Her conservative Muslim mother is trying to arrange-marry her and has no idea that Aiza is a comedian. Aiza’s unrelenting ambition to achieve her comedy dreams jeopardizes her relationship with her mother, and her friends. Newcomer queer comedian Lola is trying to adapt to the chaos of NYC and wants desperately to find her first romantic relationship and ends up crashing on Aiza's couch. High energy online sketch influencer Rachel avoids her grief after the loss of her best friend, and Aiza and Lola are too caught up in their own drama to support Rachel until her sunny facade finally cracks. Every week, the friends all contend with each other for the coveted newcomer spot at the high-stakes Brooklyn Comedy Show. Stand up provides a platform where the three women grow and evolve by sharing their truths and taking control of their own narratives, but it's also an industry that only makes space for one 'underrepresented' spot on the top shows. Whether they get the comedy success they badly want or not, Aiza, Lola and Rachel realize that not all of their problems can be solved with a great set. Ultimately, Aiza, Lola and Rachel come together to redefine the male-dominated comedy scene on their own terms, reevaluate what success means to them, and figure out how to share their full honest selves both on stage and off.
Bio
Jasia 'Ka' Kaulbach is an Emmy and Telly award-winning director specializing in documentary, commercials, music videos & television. Jasia grew up an All-American runner and dancer in downtown Philadelphia, a city that David Lynch described as a place where his imagination exploded, "fantastical...beautiful, if you see it the right way". She was inspired by a similar desire to explore and illuminate transformation in unexpected places. Jasia’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Paper Magazine, Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan, Conde Nast, and Buzzfeed. Jasia studied literature and performance at Amherst College and film directing in London at Met Film/Ealing Studios. She is currently working on her original television series 'Girls Aren’t Funny' with BRIC-TV and was awarded additional financing by the Made in New York/NYFA Women in Film & Television Media Grant.
Screening History
Premiere - Bushwick Film Festival 2023
Austin Film Festival 2024
SeriesFest 2024
Big Apple Film Festival 2023
Laugh After Dark Comedy Festival 2023
Awards History
SeriesFest 2024 - Best Comedy Writing
Laugh After Dark Comedy Festival 2023 - Best TV Pilot
Press
""On the comedy side, Jasia Ka is behind Girls Aren’t Funny, a dramedy that tells the stories of up-and-coming women comedians in NYC. Jasia told Deadline, “I’m primarily a film director, and when I moved to NYC in my early 20s, I got into doing stand-up and took notice of the way women comedians are ruling the scene – and they’re not just the comics that get Netflix specials, but the comics with day jobs performing in hole-in-the-wall bars, running open mics, and hustling to do three shows a night. A new generation of comedians are reimagining comedy as a vehicle to tell their stories, their way. I wanted to create a cheeky, heartfelt show that spotlights these incredible comedians and debunks the asinine myth that girls aren’t funny once and for all.”"
Deadline
""This is an example of a very successful pilot set up to be made into a TV series. The story is strong with multiple points of conflict and tension that weave together to create a longing for more episodes.""
The Wrap
Credits
Actor/Co-Writer - Amamah Sardar
Director/Creator- Jasia Ka
Actor - Caleb Eberhardt
Actor - Rachel Costar
Actor - Zubi Ahmed
