thank you everyone

When I set about making this film a few people told me there was no way I’d make it on such a small budget and turns out they were right! Despite the I was overwhelming support and talent this ambitious project, on our busiest day we had 50 cast, crew and extras

needless to say I went slightly over projected budget so as much as I hate being here I am trying to raise the final all out to ensure I give this film the finish it deserves.

Every donors name will be thanked in the credits.

Donations 50 and over will be invited to the private screening.

Story

Return is a short film written, produced and starring myself, Lynn Rafferty. Return is based on my experience with family suicide; it is a dark comedy and an exploration of grief set during a working-class inner-city funeral. The journey of the film is based on James Joyce's Ulysses quote, "Think you're escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home."

This film is a love letter to my area Dublin 1, a love letter to my two cousins I lost to suicide and a love letter to everyone struggling with mental health or grief.

The story follows queer woman Shay McMann as she arrives home in Dublin 1 from Australia for her younger brother's funeral, Declan McCann. Declan took his life. As she navigates through the funeral, each person she meets represents a stage of grief—Anger, Denial, and Depression. We follow Shay as she makes her way from the funeral through the area she is from, Dublin 1; the area represents Hope, making her way home where she and her father reunite and sit in the Acceptance stage.

I was lucky to receive some funding under the screen Ireland Actor As Crestor scheme; we shot the film over three days in April. We had an incredible cast and crew; on our heaviest day, we had 50 cast, crew and extras. As this was an ambitious project, I went over our budget and now looking to raise money to cover remaining production costs and pay for post-production.

My crew included recent Oscar-winning cinematographer Narayan Van Maele who shot the Oscar winning short film ‘An Irish Goodbye”

The incredible cast was Dublin Icon Hilda Faye ( Fair City, Let the Wrong One In, Float Like a Butterfly) Jimmy Smallhorne ( Love Hate, Taken Down) Aaron Edo, ( Taken Down, Deadly Cuts) Lauren Larkin, ( Deadly Cuts) Liadh Ho,( Bodkin) and myself Lynn Rafferty ( Love / Hate, Taken Down / North Sea Connection)

Post-production; which I have Oscar-nominated Colourist Gary Curran ( The Quiet Girl) , award-wining editor John Walters ( Black 47)