Hi! We're an all female creative and producing team and we're raising funds for our short film  - Daughter. We're looking to shoot the film in early autumn.



STORY

Amee arrives unannounced to look for her birth mother, Miriam. She plucks up the courage to knock on the door and the woman she's been thinking of all her life, answers the door.  Once inside,  they struggle to connect.  The past is painful to unpick. And when teenage mum Belle turns up, (Miriam’s younger daughter), Amee feels pushed aside. Belle knows nothing about Amee’s existence and Miriam tries to keep the sisters apart.  Amee’s bruised by this deceit and after the truth comes out, Amee decides to leave, never wanting to return. She has the truth, that's what she came for.  Amee hears Belle arguing with her mum and watches her storm off down the road, taking her baby with her. Suddenley, Amee feels a pull towards her biological sister. Is this the bond she's been seeking? Should she follow?



THEMES

Daughter  focuses on themes of identity, belonging and motherhood through the eyes of a bi-racial adoptee. Belonging is complex. The film delves into the complexities of where we come from and ultimately who we are. What does it mean to belong? What makes the bond of a blood relative strong? The three female characters explore the layered relationships between mothers and daughters and siblings and show some of the expectations and judgements we make about motherhood. Daughter questions the far-reaching consequences of adoption and explores how the deep scars of Amee's adoption impact on the decisions the women make now. The script is very personal to the writer, it’s inspired by her own family and her experience of meetings and reunions between blood relatives.



LOCATION

Plymouth, Devon

We'll be filming in the gorgeous South West, the childhood home of our producer, Grace Nelder and we'll be making the most of what Plymouth has to offer. We're excited to get to know this superb location and work with new sites and local businesses.



THE SHOOT

3 days.

Plymouth has exactly what we're loking for to shoot this film, the balance of rural and urban. We have always envisaged this film set out of London, where space and quieter tempos reign. It has always been of interest, the difference between London and other places around the UK. We do not reference Plymouth per se, but we want the feel of a coastal town.



THE TEAM 

Director: Athena Mandis

Athena is an award-winning filmmaker and lecturer in film practice at Queen Mary University, London. She has two features in development and a short in post-production. She is driven by female led stories and exploring issues around belonging and place.

 

Writer: Jo Harper 

Jo is a screenwriter and playwright with a wide range of experience in film and theatre. She is passionate about developing stories for female protagonists and 'Daughter ' is particularly personal to her. www.joharper.com

Amee (cast): Lynne-Anne Rodgers

Lynne-Anne's acting credits include DC's Justice League and indie feature film Dark Beacon, for which she won Best Supporting Actress prize at the International Film Festival in Wales. Other feature films include: Faces; White Colour Black and; Patients of a Saint. Lynne has featured in a host of high-profile commericals and award winning campaigns.

 

Miriam (cast): Juliet Cowan

Juliet is a wonderful and very experienced TV, film and stage actress. She’s guest starred in many long-running shows such as ‘Eastenders', 'Silent Witness' and ‘ Casualty'. She’s also known for ‘Killed By My Debt’, 'This Life' , 'The Sarah Jane Adventures', ‘Skins', ‘Cuckoo' and much more. Most recently she can be seen in 'I Hate Suzie' on Sky. 

Belle (cast): Nicole Nettleingham

Nicole is a young up and coming actress whose breakthrough role is in HAPPY NEW YEAR, COLIN BURSTEAD, directed by Ben Wheatley and screening at BFI London Film Festival 2018.
 

Executive Producer: Sara Sehdev

Sara has worked in talent since she joined the industry. She started her producing journey on award-winning shorts Seconds Out and Boiling Point, and then went on to executive produce on feature films Villain and the feature version of Boiling Point. A BAFTA member, she is an advocate for diverse casting and story telling. She is a Cambridge graduate and Women in Film and Television Mentee 2019.

Producer: Grace Nelder

Grace is a BIFA-nominated producer that has worked on shorts including Seconds Out (2019, dir. Philip Barantini), Spanish Pigeon (2019, dir. Barantini) and most recently Boiling Point (2019, dir. Barantini) with Stephen Graham. Boiling Point was nominated for Best British Short at British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) in 2019 and won Best Director and Best Cinematography at Lift Off Global Network Awards in 2019, and was nominated for a further three. 

Campaign Coordinator: Aimée Ellerton

Aimée was a marketing intern at media agency Article 10, creating content for their social media and upcoming projects. She has just finished her second year at Queen Mary University of London, enjoying the practical aspects the most, alongside Screenwriting and Filming. 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Find us online:

Instagram: @projectdaughter

Twitter: @projdaughter

Facebook: Daughter - short film



HOW WILL THE FUNDS BE SPENT?



We're looking to raise £5000 for production through Greenlit crowdfunding. We have in-kind camera kit granted by Antonyms Productions under the Synonyms Community Project and we'll be raising more money at a later point for the post-production process.