"Ellie and Noah" Short Film

Logline: A young girl who struggles with emotional awareness, is forced to confront grief and form a new friendship with a neighboring boy as she attempts to flee her sick grandfather's hospital room.

All proceeds will go toward production costs such as travel expenses and lodging, film and location permits, equipment rental, providing meals on set, cast and crew fees and more.

Director's Note: I'm a french graduate student at the University of Miami and "Ellie and Noah" will serve as my thesis film project. This project is very important to me, and I aspire to make it both ambitious and authentic, and reach a wide audience. I intend to incorporate elements of visual poetry and silence throughout the film, immersing viewers in Ellie's perspective and experiences, rather than presenting the story solely from an adult viewpoint. Additionally, the sound design will play a crucial role in creating a unique and stifling atmosphere, evoking the sense of discomfort and isolation that can arise from not fully comprehending complex situations.

This story is based on my personal history and what happened to my family and myself when I was a child. The loss of my grandpa was the most traumatizing and learning experience of my life, and I want to bring the audience’s attention on how to deal with children’s emotions while experiencing such a hard and complex situation to comprehend.

Part of the story also comes from what my best friend experienced as a kid, meeting this friend in a hospital. This very intense and powerful friendship that she described to me touched me immensely and I wanted to translate it in a film, showing how impactful someone can be in your life, and how subtle and beautiful feelings can be between young people, who don't necessarily understand the way the adult world works.

I believe that I have a very strong vision for this story, through which I really want us to see through the eyes of Ellie, how she perceives her environment, and how different it can be from an adult's perspective.

A Female-Based Crew:

Writer and Director | Julie Peley

Julie Peley was born and raised in Paris, France, and moved to the United States in 2018. Her passion for writing and photography led her to film school in Paris, where she started developing a desire to capture moving images, and to tell stories through the medium of motion pictures.

She has already worked on many sets as a director of photography, editor and director, and her two most recent productions have received multiple awards. Coming from a French culture background, she is always interested in mixing her influences with international collaborators, to create a unique voice into her work.

Producer | Daniela Orlando

Dani Orlando was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, and moved to the United States in 2016. Films have always been a part of her life but it wasn’t until she entered the University of Miami that she fell in love with production. Orlando has been given a unique perspective on how to effectively yet creatively build a story from scratch by bringing her Venezuelan and Italian heritage into the filmmaking process. A graduate of UM with a Bachelor of Science in Communication with a major in Motion Pictures and a minor in Spanish, she has worked on many sets as a producer, production manager, and production coordinator.

Director of Photography | Wenting Deng Fisher

Wenting Fisher is a visual storyteller specializing in cinematography and directing.

She spent years training in painting and calligraphy. This multi-discipline upbringing shapes her lighting and composition philosophy in cinematography. Finding and developing an effective and impactful cinema language is her passion and forte when working with directors.

Wenting is a mentee of the American Society of Cinematographers Vision Program. She is a cinematography fellow with Film Independence’s Project Involve 2023 and a member of the BAFTA Newcomers Talent Program.

Miami-Based locations: