Vanessa Marano in “Dear Lemon Lima”

Vanessa Marano (April Nardini on Gilmore Girls) stars in the upcoming 2009 family comedy film Dear Lemon Lima. The film centers on Vanessa Lemor (Savanah Wiltfong), a lonely 13-year-old Yup’ik (Western Eskimo) girl obsessing over her breakup with Philip Georgey (Shayne Topp) who resolves to win him back at Nichols Academy, a prep school in Fairbanks, Alaska where the Georgey family is legacy.

Vanessa, at the prep school on the only minority scholarship, finds her new life horrible. Philip is popular, while Vanessa is not. She is relegated to the “FUBARs”, those “f*d up beyond all recognition”, along with 3 others including Samantha Combs (Vanessa Marano), a 14-year-old pathological liar who claims her father is Puff Daddy.

After some misinterpretations between Vanessa and Philip lead Vanessa to embarrass herself in front of the school, she finds herself elected to the Snowstorm Survivor competition, which is inspired by Native events in the World Eskimo Indian Olympics. Believing victory in the competition will bring Philip back to her, she and Team Fubar prepare for the event. Along the way, Vanessa discovers the true meaning of love and must embrace her Native heritage to reclaim the spirit of the World Eskimo Indian Olympics.

Dear Lemon Lima shares that life is a time to come together to celebrate common traits and differences, to inspire kindness, individuality and equality. All seen through the eyes of a 13-year-old girl and her diary, addressed to Lemon Lima. Dear Lemon Lima will hopefully come out in 2009 (not firm).

The movie was written and directed by Suzi Yoonessi, produced by Jonako Donley and Melissa Lee. The movie was based on Suzi Yoonessi’s own diary as a young girl, and her own first love. Like in the movie, Suzi wrote to an imaginary “Lemon Lima” in her diary.