Synopsis: Taylor, a woman in her early 30s working at a catering company, has not-yet-diagnosed ADHD and has been stuck on an NHS Right to Choose assessment waiting list for 18 months and counting. The lack of understanding from her colleagues exacerbates Taylor's constant internal overwhelm and, after a petty fight with her supervisor, she's placed back on probation. However, when an unexpected company disaster ensues, Taylor single-handedly salvages the situation while her neurotypical colleagues crumble under the pressure. 

An independent film that's supporting ADDISS and ADHD Europe 🤲🏻🎁

Intro About Us

Hi there! We're Shayna and Rebecca, and we both have ADHD. Like so many women living with this underdiagnosed neurodevelopmental condition, it wasn't recognised in us until we were adults, and we have way too much experience of the toll it takes on our mental and physical health when people and environments don't understand or accommodate our brains.

Together, we're making a short film inspired by Shayna's own lived experiences with ADHD to foster greater understanding of why the condition is an invisible disability. It will provide needed representation for a demographic within the disability community that too often goes unnoticed, misunderstood and inaccurately represented in media and wider societal discussions. 

Here's some brief info about us...

✍🏻 Shayna (writer/director): "Hello! As is common with ADHD in women, most of my symptoms are internal or ones I've become very good at masking. Trying to explain them to people who don't have ADHD has often been stressful - I'd keep convincing myself they think I'm making it up. But one day I realised: I don't need words to describe what ADHD feels like if I make a film about it! I'd have access to a cinematic language that would likely depict ADHD better than words could. So I wrote a draft of 'Deficit' and shot a proof-of-concept scene in my flat. I knew I'd ideally need a fellow woman ADHD'er as producer to help me bring the film to life. That's when, in March 2026, I came across a call for scripts online from a producer who mentioned an interest in disability/neurodiversity stories. I sent her the 'Deficit' script and..."

✨(cue switch of speaker)✨

👩🏻‍💻 Rebecca: "Hiya, I'm an award-winning filmmaker and composer. I've written/directed/produced two short films (one of which received multiple nominations at The British Short Film Awards) under my production company Cantilena Pictures. 

My ADHD is closer to the typically male presentation (very externally hyperactive as well as inattentive) but that didn't stop it (and the endless struggles) from going unnoticed until I was 23. Since being diagnosed in 2024, I've been determined to use my creative work to raise awareness of ADHD in women and increase the number of authentic and accurate ADHD stories in the arts/media. Best believe I was ecstatic when Shayna reached out - I knew 'Deficit' would be a game-changing film if we made it!"

So please join us to help raise awareness of the over 1 million women living with ADHD in the UK - the vast majority of whom remain undiagnosed - and improve their lives by closing the gender gap in accessing a diagnosis, support and understanding. Thank you for following the 'Deficit' journey! 🙏🏻

(PS. We highly recommend watching our campaign video at the top of the page to learn more about us and 'Deficit' - we want to avoid making it feel like you're reading a PhD thesis😅)

Our Endorsements & Supporters 

'Deficit' has gathered a growing list of endorsements and supporters from fantastic charities, organisations and individuals within the ADHD and wider DDN space who share our mission and believe it's a film that needs to be made. We want the list to keep growing throughout the film's journey so please get in touch if you would like to join it. 

• ⭐️ ADHD Europe (plus its ADHD Women project)
• ⭐️ ADDISS (the National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service) 
• ⭐️ Stimpunks Foundation 
• ⭐️ The Hidden
• ⭐️ You, Me & ADHD
• ⭐️ ADHD Clinics
• ⭐️ Re-focus
• ⭐️ Employers for Disability NI
• ⭐️ Eden Consultancy NI
• ⭐️ Inclusivity Films
• ⭐️ Andrea Bilbow OBE: CEO of ADDISS, former President of ADHD Europe
• ⭐️ Professor Sandra Kooij: Founder & Chair of European Network Adult ADHD, a leading psychiatrist specialising in adult ADHD
• ⭐️ Dr Dheeraj Chaudhary: Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, RCPsych NDPSIG Executive Committee Member, author of ADHD Rules
• ⭐️ Neal Mankey: Founder of Mankey Mind, Trustee & former Chairman of ADHD UK
• ⭐️ Ryan Swain: Presenter & DJ, ADHD Speaker & Ambassador 
• ⭐️ Phoebe De Leiburné: Production Manager of The Hidden Podcast

What makes 'Deficit' different from other advocacy films?

Rather than describing Taylor's ADHD symptoms through dialogue or narration, 'Deficit''s visual and sonic approach will actually place the audience inside Taylor's brain, allowing them to experience her ADHD from the 'inside out'. It will reveal what it's like to survive inside systems not built to accommodate your cognition and show how ADHD would not be as debilitating if those systems accommodated neurodivergent brains. 

• 🎥 Camera Movements - Shots will be handheld when depicting Taylor's ADHD from the 'inside out' to impose a viewing experience on the audience that feels as uncomfortably restless as her brain function. By contrast, scenes from an 'external observer' perspective will use static or smooth-moving shots to show how Taylor's working environment doesn't accommodate her. 
• 💡Lighting - Subtle changes in lighting will reflect how different surroundings affect Taylor's internal overwhelm.
• 🎧 Sound - Sound design, music score and Taylor's racing internal thoughts 'monologues' will create layered competing sonic priorities to emulate her overstimulation, auditory processing struggles and disassociation her outward masking keeps hidden from those around her.

Moodboard / References / Comparable Films

Why 'Deficit' Now?

👩🏻 Raise Awareness of ADHD in Women

• In the UK, the average age for men to be diagnosed with ADHD is 7-9 years old. For women, it's 30-35 years old. 'Deficit' reflects on how women can display more inattentive and internal symptoms and are more prone to masking than men. It explores the negative impact this can have on their quality of life, and the increased risk of their ADHD being misdiagnosed as anxiety or depression. 

🗣️ Dispel ADHD Misinformation & Stigma

• There has been a worrying rise of misinformation and stigma surrounding ADHD, trying to suggest it's overdiagnosed or isn't a real neurodevelopmental condition. It's permeating ADHD-focused academic research, university medical schools and mainstream news outlets & media (*ahem* Channel 4). 'Deficit' will use cinematic language to depict ADHD with detail and intricacy words alone cannot achieve, making it a powerful tool to dispel a lot of this misinformation. 

🎬 Increase ADHD Representation in Film

• Despite the progress film festivals have made in programming disability/neurodiversity stories, films about ADHD are still very rare compared to those about other neurodevelopmental conditions - especially with narratives centred around adult women. 'Deficit' will hopefully be a catalyst for other ADHD creatives to tell their stories and collectively represent as many different lived experiences of the condition as possible.

Our Distribution Plan

1. 🎯 Screen the film at qualifier and local film festivals in the UK, Ireland and internationally - especially those with an emphasis on programming films by, and about, disabled/neurodivergent people.
2. 🎯 License the film to ADHD charities & nonprofits for inclusion in their resources used for awareness/education, seminars and training.
3. 🎯 Publicly release the film online to watch indefinitely for free, including via a short film distributor like Omeleto.

Team 

We're forming an amazing creative team to bring 'Deficit' to life. We will have a majority DDN crew and entirely neurodiverse cast. To ensure authentic representation, a female actor with lived experience of ADHD will be cast as Taylor. 

✍🏻 Writer & Director: Shayna Langford (she/her) - The Developing Room, National Youth Theatre 

👩🏻‍💻 Producer & Composer: Rebecca Doherty (she/her) - Founder of Cantilena Pictures, British Short Film Awards-nominated producer and award-winning composer, University of Cambridge 

🥇 Access Coordinator: Abbie Hills (she/her) - winner at National Diversity Awards (2021), Women of the Future Awards (2024), D-30 Diversability Disability Impact List (2025)

📋 1st AD: Lily Allmark (she/they) - Film Barking & Dagenham, Inclusivity Films

🎥 Director of Photography: Randy Fioti (he/him) - Ellis x Peace, Ollo Footwear

🎨 Production Designer: Emily Miles (she/her) - Heartstopper Forever (Netflix), Sky Kids, winner at RTS Student Awards

As part of our commitment to inclusivity, we are partnering with the London Screen Academy, a free sixth form academy for students aged 16-19 to access the screen industries. 'Deficit' will allow at least 6 SEND students to gain work experience on our professional film production across a wide range of crew departments and receive their first IMDb credit. 

Our shoot will have full safeguarding practices in place for work experience students who are under the age of 18 or identify as vulnerable adults. Rebecca has an enhanced DBS and has completed safeguarding and paediatric first aid courses as part of her work in education. The SEND tutor at LSA will also be on our set to assist the work experience students.

Budget: Where Donations Go 

Charity Donations 

By making 'Deficit', we are committed to supporting charities increasing ADHD awareness and support who rely entirely on private donations to carry out their invaluable work. We are delighted to announce that a portion of every donation to our campaign that's £5 or more will go directly to the following charities: 

• ⭐️ ADDISS (the National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service)
• ⭐️ ADHD Europe

Once the campaign's main 31-day window has passed, the portions from every donation that's £5 or more will be added together and this total will be split evenly between both charities. If you choose Greenlit's 'Pledge without reward' option, we highly encourage a minumum donation of £5 if you're able to - it will ensure as many funds are raised for these amazing charities as possible! 🙏🏻

Our budget encompasses every foreseeable expense across production, access, distribution and contingency. 'Deficit' will be made by an industry professional crew who will be majority d/Deaf/disabled/neurodiverse and champion authentic representation on and off screen. We will ensure:

• Everyone is paid according to London Living Wage
• All cast & crew access costs are fully met
• We secure fully accessible locations with designated quiet space for cast & crew (where no work or phone calls are allowed to happen) throughout our shoot
• We have majority shorter working days for our shoot 

Funding for 'Deficit' will be acquired in stages from multiple sources - below are our financial milestones:

• £10k = Core Production Costs - demonstration of strong public interest and a community around the project, enabling it to move forward
• £13k = Inclusive Production and Accessibility - covers the dedicated access budget for cast & crew
• £25k = Full Production Costs - lets us complete all filming
• £31k = Complete Post-Production - includes all editing, sound and contingency - resulting in a finished film
• £33k = Full and Accessible Delivery - includes core and accessibility deliverables, promotional materials and distribution costs so the film can reach as wide an audience as possible

What You Can Do

🎁 DONATE if you can! 

Every single donation - no matter how big or small - brings us closer to raising awareness of ADHD in women, championing authentic & accurate information about ADHD to a global audience, and financially supporting fantastic ADHD charities. 

📣 SHARE this campaign! 

This film is for both ADHD and non-ADHD audiences, so you never know who might be able to help. Just by sharing our campaign page on social media or sending it to a friend/family member/colleague, we can reach hundreds (or even thousands) more people. Creating this campaign has strengthened our determination to keep talking about ADHD and what we're doing to help the community - any help in keeping that momentum going will be hugely appreciated. 

'Deficit' Campaign share link HERE

📧 SIGN UP TO 'DEFICIT' MAILING LIST & FOLLOW our journey on Instagram: @deficit.film

'Deficit' is now part of a wider movement to end stigmatisation & misinformation surrounding ADHD, allow women living with the condition to be understood and accommodated in society, and close the gender and socioeconomic gaps in accessing a diagnosis and support. By signing up to the 'Deficit' mailing list, you'll receive exclusive project updates, photos, interviews, BTS content, and follow the film's journey all the way through to distribution. 

'Deficit' Mailing List signup link HERE

Finally...to our fellow women ADHD'ers 🧠

If you relate to any of the content in this campaign, you have our full sympathy, empathy and support. We know all too well how difficult it can be when you're trying to just live life surrounded by people invalidating and ignoring your lived experiences, having your own brain work against you, or not knowing if or when you'll access a diagnosis and treatment if going private isn't financially possible. By making 'Deficit', we will advocate for you as much as we can. We also highly recommend looking into the endorsing charities and organisations for guidance, support or community. 

Thanks so much for the support, 

Shayna & Rebecca ☺️

Risks and Challenges

Our main challenge is raising the budget needed to complete this film to the high standard required for exhibition at top-tier film festivals. We're more than confident in our ability to secure funding, but the process involves navigating a complex landscape of various funding sources including tax credits, private sponsorships and competitive external funding/grants opportunities. It involves demonstrating a clear community interest and determination to get this film made. We have a strong understanding of the funding hurdles, and we've established connections with organisations ad individuals that could offer 'Deficit' financial or promotional support - the latter of which would spark interest and financial backing for the film from within their contacts/networks.

A second challenge we face is making the film's entire production process as accessible and inclusive as possible both on and off screen. We have a qualified and highly experienced Access Coordinator on board the 'Deficit' team who will be carrying out the following duties: 1) Vetting potential locations to ensure they're fully accessible for any condition under the DDN umbrella; 2) Serving as the designated production team member to whom cast & crew can safely and confidentially disclose any access requirements they need to complete their work on the film to their highest standard; 3) Ensuring the casting process is fully accessible; 4) Ensuring cast & crew access requirements are fully accommodated and financially covered by the access budget in accordance with The Equality Act 2010 and; 5) Liasing with the SEND tutor at London Screen Academy to ensure access requirements for the work experience students are fully accommodated and financially covered by the access budget in accordance with The Equality Act 2010.