Help Bring Nearly Departed to Life in Montana

Ashley Maria is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

We’re Ashley Maria and Molly Quinlan Artwick, and we’re so excited to be shooting our short film NEARLY DEPARTED in and around Missoula, Montana in September 2025!

Nearly Departed - written by Molly Quinlan Artwick and directed by Ashley Maria - is the story of Charlie and Jules, two sisters at odds discovering how to move on from their father’s death. This heartfelt piece deals with the dark, trying, and often funny ways grief manifests.

LOGLINE:

Two sisters at odds armed with a cookie jar of their father’s ashes take one last road trip with Dad to find the perfect place to say goodbye. When one threatens to smash the jar, they realize they have to learn a new way to live with each other — or risk losing their family forever.

Nearly Departed is currently in pre-production, preparing to shoot in September 2025.

We are proud to work with a Montana-based crew and support the local economy -- and extremely thrilled to be able to have the beauty of Montana as part of our story too!

OUR JOURNEY SO FAR

In 2024 we were honored to receive a grant through the Montana Film Office’s Big Sky Film Grant program. In the months since, we have been on a location scout to find the optimal places for shooting the film, putting together our crew, and taking the first steps of raising the rest of the funds and in-kind donations needed to bring this short to the big screen.

MAJOR THEMES IN THE FILM

1. Road Trip - taking one last scenic Montana road trip with Dad to find the perfect place to say goodbye

2. Dealing with Grief - exploring the diverse, painful, and sometimes absurd ways we cope with loss

3. Family - two sisters' bonds are tested as they clash over the loss of their dad

PRODUCTION FUNDRAISING

The Big Sky Film Grant is awesome but we are only part way there. In order to complete production and meet our ideal budget, we launched this GFM to find awesome people and organizations wanting to be part of this film!

YOU'RE INVITED TO PLAY A BIG ROLE

Once you've donated, then you will be the first to receive updates on the film as well as invitations to be part of private behind-the-scenes events...like a Zoom table read of the script or sneak peek of the location that we're shooting at for the day! You'll truly feel like you are a valued part of the making of this film, because you are!

If that's not enough incentive, well -- here's more!

BIG Supporter: Donate here on Go Fund Me!

Production Wrangler: Donate here on Go Fund Me or contact us about in-kind donations!

Bucket List Sponsor: Contact us to discuss your Bucket List Sponsorship!

Associate Producer: Donate here on Go Fund Me or contact us about in-kind donations!

Executive Producer: Donate here on Go Fund Me and contact us about being an EP!

Summit Partner: Contact us to discuss your Summit Partnership!

Contact: Molly & Ashley at nearlydepartedfilm(@)gmail.com

FISCAL SPONSOR

Our film is associated with a Fiscal Sponsor - From the Heart Productions - which means, when requested, we can arrange for your financial or in-kind donation to be tax-deductible. Please message us at nearlydepartedfilm(@)gmail.com to speak more about this option. Thank you!

SPECIFICS OF WHAT WE'RE FUNDRAISING FOR

Hiring, Feeding, and Housing the Cast & Crew

We will be in the Missoula, Montana area during a 1-week time period to prep & film “Nearly Departed”.

Production Equipment

We will be renting a cinema quality high definition 4K camera, lights, and sound equipment that will capture the intimate dialogue and the natural beauty of the surrounding area.
We will be renting a production van to transport crew and equipment to and from set.

The Creation of the Infamous “Bear” Cookie Jar (multiples)

A key element that helps bring our story to life is a cookie jar. Because this is a character in the film, we need to own the rights to it. That’s why we’ll need to make the cookie jar ourselves and create several as backups.

SSD Hard Drive Purchases

We will be shooting in a 4K format which requires specialized hard drives to store and backup each day’s footage.

Wardrobe Purchases

Since the story takes place during a one-day timeline, the cast must wear the same outfit for a total of 3 filming days. And, because an outfit may be damaged during filming, we will need to purchase at least 4 duplicates.

Location Fees & Permits

We’ll be filming in the picture-perfect Mission Valley and Bitterroot Valley areas, as well as other sites around Missoula, Montana.

Production Rigs

We have some amazing aerial shots planned for this film, so we’ll need an expert drone operator to fly a camera rig.
We’ll need to rig a car for sound and a 4K camera.

Miscellaneous