SUNNY OAKS is written and directed by MAX DAVIES

MAX DAVIES is a filmmaker, co-founder of Collected Film and, a devout cineaste, whose work has been showcased at HollyShorts, Aesthetica Short Film Festival, and London Short Film Festival, among other prestigious festivals.

Having been his own cinematographer on all previous projects, Max’s artistry is intertwined with his profound technical knowledge of filmmaking, including transforming his own bathroom into a makeshift darkroom to develop his own films. 

Over time, his storytelling has developed a unique voice, grasping at his deep fascination with oddball characters - those who live on the edges of society or challenge conventional norms. Max frequently incorporates surrealism as a creative lens, offering fresh perspectives on everyday life and encouraging audiences to see the familiar in unexpected ways, formerly on near to no budget.

But for his new project, SUNNY OAKS, Max wants to scale up, concentrating on screenwriting and directing and stepping away from his usual solo approach. As Max brings together a broader creative team, including the skilled director of photography, DAJIANA HUANG, driven producer TOBY MALLENDER, as well as experienced co-producer LIAM WALLACE-COOK, we need your help to bring his vision to life. 

Sunny Oaks is an Irish dark comedy that tells the story of a son who visits his elderly mother in a nursing home. During the visit, he faces an unthinkable dilemma when she asks him to euthanise her. The film explores the complexities of family, grief, and the challenging journey of letting go. With its unique mix of wit and emotional depth, SUNNY OAKS offers a compelling story with the potential to resonate strongly with audiences worldwide.

Director of Photography DAJIANA HUANG

Dajiana Huang is a Taiwanese-American cinematographer based in London, with roots in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. Growing up, her formative years were spent pursuing music videos and fashion magazines, which sparked a love for subversive arts and culture. After taking a film photography class one summer, her time spent in the darkroom led to a lifelong infatuation with capturing ephemeral moments using cinematic intention. The transcendental power of imagery inspires her to understand how different cultures approach visual storytelling.

Produced by TOBY MALLENDER

Toby Mallender is a Surrey based producer and co-founder of Collected Film. With an extensive past experience in the financial markets, Toby honed his skills managing portfolios as a trader and maximising business efficiencies as an analyst, which is now being used to inform his approach to filmmaking. He holds a deep passion for film, and a keen understanding of production which he is using to bring Sunny Oaks to life.

Co-produced by LIAM WALLACE-COOK

Liam Wallace-Cook is a producer and co-founder of Blend Films, with six years of industry experience. During this time, he has helped build Blend into a UKMVA-nominated company and seen his short films selected at numerous festivals. Liam has a deep passion for cinema—he loves clever thrill rides that subvert tradition, light-hearted stories, and thought-provoking dramas that resonate long after the credits roll.

Short films do not generate revenue. As creatives, we make them to showcase directors’ vision, style and sensibility, and the production team’s professional abilities. 

Successful short films go on to be screened at film festivals, but do not have a regular theatrical release, and are very rarely sold to a streaming platform or a TV channel. This is why, unlike feature-length films, short films do not attract private investors: they know that if they invest, they will never see their money back. 

Here’s where we need your help. Together, with many small donations from the communities of our core team, we hope to fundraise the amount we need to securely and confidently move towards production of this film.

FAIR AND EQUAL CREW PAY. Many short films rely on unpaid work, but we’re committed to fair compensation. We aim to pay our crew members at least minimum wage, ensuring pay parity across similar roles. With HODs earning £200 per day and assistants £150 per day for our 2-day shoot, crew salaries alone are estimated to cost over £4,000. Every contribution helps us pay our team fairly for their hard work.

FESTIVAL SUBMISSIONS. Months of work and thousands of pounds later, you made a film. You think: Finally! My wallet could use a break. But that is not the case, because now it’s time to promote your film and submit it to film festivals, to make sure that others - the audience and the industry professionals - see the stunning results of your hard work. 

Submissions to European festivals can vary, from free to under 20 Euros. (Krakow Film Festival - 15 Euros; Oberhausen Film Festival submission is free.) 

British Film Festivals are more expensive. (Oxford International Film Festival fee is £26; Raindance Film Festival is £28.) 

But when it comes to American Film Festivals, submission prices skyrocket. (Santa Barbara Film Festival is £40, LA Shorts is £44; Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival is £36. Prices are in pounds as they are shown on FilmFreeway website for festival submissions.)

In our producer’s previous experience, submitting a film to these 20 film festivals in 2024 amounted to an expenditure of £620. 

1. LSFF
2. Sundance FF
3. Austin FF
4. Cambridge FF
5. New Orleans FF
6. Hamptons International FF
7. Indy Shorts International FF
8. Sunderland Short FF, LA Shorts
9. LA Shorts
10. Chicago International FF
11. Edinburgh International FF
12. St Louis International FF
13. New York FF
14. Nashville FF
15. Flickers’ Rhode Island International FF
16. Norwich FF
17. Aesthetica FF
18. Bolton FF
19. Leeds International FF
20. Indie Cork FF

This gives us an idea of festival submissions expenditure for SUNNY OAKS. 

We want to offer as much as we can as a thank you for contributing to helping our production. All donations are hugely appreciated and will help us make SUNNY OAKS exactly as we envisioned it to be. 

All rewards are listed on the page, but feel free to drop us a note if you have any enquiries or questions.

Thank you for believing in SUNNY OAKS, we’re all exhilarated to get this film made, and we hope you are too.