Beyond Us Short Film

This film is about three women that are connected by inheritance, grieving, and moving forward in life as the world shifts; ironically our creative team is led by three women from each department of directing, cinematography, and screenwriting. The team as a whole is made up of students, professionals, and locals of Maine.

Budget: $10,000

Film Synopsis:

Modern day with a nostalgic past. Louisa returns from her grandmother’s funeral, filled with the memories of the old family home. She remembers being a child in the backyard, feeling watched by a familiar spirit. A friend calls on Louisa and together through conversation they begin heal their wounds together.

Note from the Director:

The relationship to the material is a personal one, as my family immigrated and retired to Maine after World War II. In later years we had to give up the family home and this is reflected in the work. From the Director of Photography’s perspective, Maeve Coffey, she moved from Maine when she was eight to the UK; this piece is a generational homecoming for her as well, filled with memories of her grandmother and a place that she still considers home. Our piece holds this nostalgia in being reminiscent of 1980’s dramas with an artisanal and creative flair; natural light, smooth, and organic with a focus on the natural colours of Maine. Our plans for distribution are to send it to multiple film festivals, not only to represent our young creative team entering the film industry, but also representational of women-based stories, the hardships of economic recessions, and the shifting tides of Maine’s seascape.

We understand that this work is not only creative expression, but also a responsible story to tell in the current state of the nation with artistic citizenship. This representation makes the story we tell relevant and benefits society by giving an artistic voice to these topics. As a theatermaker first, the question, ‘why this story now’ is an important one and I take this vision seriously, as the socio-politics revolving around economics and the climate are inescapable. As it still feels like the film industry is a man’s world, the opportunity to tell this story financially would be monumental to, not only our futures, but the respect for women’s stories and women-based spaces, which has historically been malnourished and disregarded.