Care Taker
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Film Short
LGBTQ, Family
When a son returns home to care for his disabled mother, she forgets who he is – and that he is trans. A family drama for the modern age brought to you by a Philadelphia-based team of diverse and emerging filmmakers.
Care Taker
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Film Short
LGBTQ, Family
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $5,188 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
58 supporters | followers
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When a son returns home to care for his disabled mother, she forgets who he is – and that he is trans. A family drama for the modern age brought to you by a Philadelphia-based team of diverse and emerging filmmakers.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Set on the back porch of an isolated rural American home, CARE TAKER unfolds in about 15 minutes of real time as Cody processes the events of a difficult day caring for his mother, Diana.
Elise, Cody's girlfriend, thinks he should take a step back. Cody can't imagine giving up his responsibility. Diana isn't ready to go to bed. Together, each character must decide where to go from where they stand -- and what's best for each other.
From the writer --
"My interest in writing CARE TAKER came from memories of growing up queer and having regular conversations about caregiving and disability within my own family. I’ve always been really drawn to characters who you learn about bit by bit as a story unfolds, and as a young person, it was discovering characters whose queerness was not their center that broadened my understanding of what it can mean to be a part of this community. Additionally, I was always looking for stories that reflected the nuanced experiences of the disabled loved ones in my life. To be honest, while there has been progress in recent years, a lot of mainstream media still leaves much to be desired.
The questions I wanted to investigate in writing this script almost two years ago feel more urgent as we navigate the beginning of the United States' current political administration. As the rights of trans and disabled Americans are systemically threatened and dismantled, the ground that CARE TAKER covers is more relevant than ever.
That being said, this is also a short film about three people who see each other deeply. The heart of their conflict is how (not if) their love for one another will guide them. Whether you identify as a part of the disability community, the LGBTQ+ community, or neither of these, CARE TAKER is meant to be for everyone."
Question for the Creative Team: What Movie Makes You Think of CARE TAKER?
Cormac (Director): “I chose THE DAYTRIPPERS (1996) because of the way it depicts family relationships as complex, at times dysfunctional, but always sincere.”
Colleen (Director of Photography): "While reading the script, BLUE JEAN (2022) was the first film that popped into my head. Between the pace and how the film gently introduces the audience to the internal and external struggles of being queer, I couldn’t help but to see these two scripts as siblings to each other."
Tara (Art Director): "The movie I’ve been thinking about in regard to CARE TAKER is PATERSON (2016). It’s a subtle but very environmental movie, with carefully curated tableaus around the home offering a glimpse into the every day motions and emotions of the couple who lives there."
Maggie (Writer): "My pick is AFTERSUN (2022). The way it balances slice-of-life narrative with more experimental retrospection was really impactful to me. I also watched AFTERSUN for the first time right before I started writing the script for CARE TAKER, so they're connected that way in my mind."
Shot deck compiled by Director of Photography, Colleen Mulville.
- MARCH 2025: We're currently in the thick of pre-production! The CARE TAKER team is meeting regularly, we've secured our filming location outside the city limits of Philadelphia, and our cast will begin rehearsing.
- APRIL 2025: As rehearsals and meetings continue, we'll have our sights set on principal photography over the course of a weekend at the end of the month.
- MAY - JULY 2025: Diving right into post-production, we aim to have a cut of the film ready for a festival run by mid-summer.
- AUGUST 2025: Our festival submissions begin! Stay tuned to see where CARE TAKER will screen.
- SUMMER 2026: CARE TAKER will release to the public!
We're grateful to have received some grant funding to get CARE TAKER started, but we need your help to bring this project to life in the way we want to. One of our most important goals is to compensate everyone - from cast to crew - equally for their hard work.
Labor is by far the largest portion of our total budget. Your support will directly impact emerging filmmakers! If donations exceed our campaign goal, extra funds will go towards paying our cast and crew a higher rate.
Thanks so much for checking out our campaign! Wondering what to do next?
1) Follow us here on Seed&Spark, give what you can, and share with a friend!
2) Find us on Instagram and TikTok @CareSpaceTakerFilm -- we'll be sharing BTS from set, updates on production, and more info about the cast and crew as we approach principal photography.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Craft Services
Costs $300
We gotta keep our cast & crew healthy, not hungry!
Cast
Costs $900
Help us pay our beautiful actors!
Crew
Costs $3,000
Help us pay our hardworking crew!
Production Design
Costs $200
This includes the props, set dressing, and wardrobe items needed to help bring our characters & world to life!
Equipment
Costs $1,600
Can't "lights, camera, action!" without lights or cameras... or sound equipment... or electric gear... or tape... or batteries!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Share this update!
About This Team
Meet the Care Taker Team!
Maggie Brennan (they/she) - Writer, Executive Producer
is an actor and writer based in NYC + PHL. Originally from the mountains of rural Pennsylvania, they graduated with honors from Temple University’s theater program. They’ve also trained at the Gaiety School of Acting and are a proud member of the Ring of Keys Collective. Maggie’s performances on stage and screen have been praised for their “ease, clarity, and smoldering intensity.”
Cormac Hennessy (they/them) - Director, Executive Producer
is a queer filmmaker based out of Philadelphia. With a BFA in Film Directing they are first and foremost a storyteller. Having also worked as a director, assistant director, sound designer, actor and most importantly a boom operator. Their work focuses on small character driven stories about queerness, absurdity, tragedy, or hopefully all the above.
Colleen Mulville (they/them) - Director of Photography
is a graduate of Temple University where they earned a BA in Film and Media Arts with a concentration in Cinematography. They currently freelance as an AC and work part time at Expressway Cinema Rentals as a camera technician. As a queer person, Colleen is super excited to bring this incredible story to life with such an amazing team!
Tara Cunniffe (she/they) - Production Designer, Producer
is a Philadelphia-based theater and film artist who recently completed a props management apprentice at the Walnut Street Theatre. In addition to her theater credits, she has worked as a production designer on a number of award-winning short films, including To Keep Your Vital Organs Warm and The Past, Tonight, With Mars Apollo, for which she earned a nomination for Best Set Design. Tara is drawn to works that push the boundaries of our visual expectations while speaking to the human condition.
Theo Kontonis (she/her) - Producer
is a New York City-based producer and makeup/SFX artist, and a graduate of Temple University. She began her professional filmmaking career as a makeup artist, and quickly found her passion for helping fellow artists bring their stories to life. Having taken on virtually every role on a film & TV crew, she has developed a deep appreciation for every aspect of the filmmaking process, and aims to utilize that appreciation to bring out the best in every crew she works with and every story she has the privilege of contributing to.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Set on the back porch of an isolated rural American home, CARE TAKER unfolds in about 15 minutes of real time as Cody processes the events of a difficult day caring for his mother, Diana.
Elise, Cody's girlfriend, thinks he should take a step back. Cody can't imagine giving up his responsibility. Diana isn't ready to go to bed. Together, each character must decide where to go from where they stand -- and what's best for each other.
From the writer --
"My interest in writing CARE TAKER came from memories of growing up queer and having regular conversations about caregiving and disability within my own family. I’ve always been really drawn to characters who you learn about bit by bit as a story unfolds, and as a young person, it was discovering characters whose queerness was not their center that broadened my understanding of what it can mean to be a part of this community. Additionally, I was always looking for stories that reflected the nuanced experiences of the disabled loved ones in my life. To be honest, while there has been progress in recent years, a lot of mainstream media still leaves much to be desired.
The questions I wanted to investigate in writing this script almost two years ago feel more urgent as we navigate the beginning of the United States' current political administration. As the rights of trans and disabled Americans are systemically threatened and dismantled, the ground that CARE TAKER covers is more relevant than ever.
That being said, this is also a short film about three people who see each other deeply. The heart of their conflict is how (not if) their love for one another will guide them. Whether you identify as a part of the disability community, the LGBTQ+ community, or neither of these, CARE TAKER is meant to be for everyone."
Question for the Creative Team: What Movie Makes You Think of CARE TAKER?
Cormac (Director): “I chose THE DAYTRIPPERS (1996) because of the way it depicts family relationships as complex, at times dysfunctional, but always sincere.”
Colleen (Director of Photography): "While reading the script, BLUE JEAN (2022) was the first film that popped into my head. Between the pace and how the film gently introduces the audience to the internal and external struggles of being queer, I couldn’t help but to see these two scripts as siblings to each other."
Tara (Art Director): "The movie I’ve been thinking about in regard to CARE TAKER is PATERSON (2016). It’s a subtle but very environmental movie, with carefully curated tableaus around the home offering a glimpse into the every day motions and emotions of the couple who lives there."
Maggie (Writer): "My pick is AFTERSUN (2022). The way it balances slice-of-life narrative with more experimental retrospection was really impactful to me. I also watched AFTERSUN for the first time right before I started writing the script for CARE TAKER, so they're connected that way in my mind."
Shot deck compiled by Director of Photography, Colleen Mulville.
- MARCH 2025: We're currently in the thick of pre-production! The CARE TAKER team is meeting regularly, we've secured our filming location outside the city limits of Philadelphia, and our cast will begin rehearsing.
- APRIL 2025: As rehearsals and meetings continue, we'll have our sights set on principal photography over the course of a weekend at the end of the month.
- MAY - JULY 2025: Diving right into post-production, we aim to have a cut of the film ready for a festival run by mid-summer.
- AUGUST 2025: Our festival submissions begin! Stay tuned to see where CARE TAKER will screen.
- SUMMER 2026: CARE TAKER will release to the public!
We're grateful to have received some grant funding to get CARE TAKER started, but we need your help to bring this project to life in the way we want to. One of our most important goals is to compensate everyone - from cast to crew - equally for their hard work.
Labor is by far the largest portion of our total budget. Your support will directly impact emerging filmmakers! If donations exceed our campaign goal, extra funds will go towards paying our cast and crew a higher rate.
Thanks so much for checking out our campaign! Wondering what to do next?
1) Follow us here on Seed&Spark, give what you can, and share with a friend!
2) Find us on Instagram and TikTok @CareSpaceTakerFilm -- we'll be sharing BTS from set, updates on production, and more info about the cast and crew as we approach principal photography.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Craft Services
Costs $300
We gotta keep our cast & crew healthy, not hungry!
Cast
Costs $900
Help us pay our beautiful actors!
Crew
Costs $3,000
Help us pay our hardworking crew!
Production Design
Costs $200
This includes the props, set dressing, and wardrobe items needed to help bring our characters & world to life!
Equipment
Costs $1,600
Can't "lights, camera, action!" without lights or cameras... or sound equipment... or electric gear... or tape... or batteries!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Share this update!
About This Team
Meet the Care Taker Team!
Maggie Brennan (they/she) - Writer, Executive Producer
is an actor and writer based in NYC + PHL. Originally from the mountains of rural Pennsylvania, they graduated with honors from Temple University’s theater program. They’ve also trained at the Gaiety School of Acting and are a proud member of the Ring of Keys Collective. Maggie’s performances on stage and screen have been praised for their “ease, clarity, and smoldering intensity.”
Cormac Hennessy (they/them) - Director, Executive Producer
is a queer filmmaker based out of Philadelphia. With a BFA in Film Directing they are first and foremost a storyteller. Having also worked as a director, assistant director, sound designer, actor and most importantly a boom operator. Their work focuses on small character driven stories about queerness, absurdity, tragedy, or hopefully all the above.
Colleen Mulville (they/them) - Director of Photography
is a graduate of Temple University where they earned a BA in Film and Media Arts with a concentration in Cinematography. They currently freelance as an AC and work part time at Expressway Cinema Rentals as a camera technician. As a queer person, Colleen is super excited to bring this incredible story to life with such an amazing team!
Tara Cunniffe (she/they) - Production Designer, Producer
is a Philadelphia-based theater and film artist who recently completed a props management apprentice at the Walnut Street Theatre. In addition to her theater credits, she has worked as a production designer on a number of award-winning short films, including To Keep Your Vital Organs Warm and The Past, Tonight, With Mars Apollo, for which she earned a nomination for Best Set Design. Tara is drawn to works that push the boundaries of our visual expectations while speaking to the human condition.
Theo Kontonis (she/her) - Producer
is a New York City-based producer and makeup/SFX artist, and a graduate of Temple University. She began her professional filmmaking career as a makeup artist, and quickly found her passion for helping fellow artists bring their stories to life. Having taken on virtually every role on a film & TV crew, she has developed a deep appreciation for every aspect of the filmmaking process, and aims to utilize that appreciation to bring out the best in every crew she works with and every story she has the privilege of contributing to.