Sadie García has perfected the art of drinking at work. But when Deepak, her crush from the recovery group, drops by to see why she’s vanished, Sadie must improvise. While her boss and friend Sebastian might be unsuspecting, Madison, the salon trainee desperate to prove herself, catches Sadie and seizes the upper hand. If anyone else finds out, she could lose everything: her job, her hidden stash, and the guy worth getting sober for.

Want to know more?

Check out Graphic Designer TANIA KALINA's fabulous pitch deck to meet all characters and get the vibe we're going for! We're referencing other impactful short films you don't want to miss.

When my friend and long-time collaborator CASEY KILLORAN (playing Sadie) shared her path through alcoholism and recovery, I was struck by her conflict between the need for truth and the instinct to hide from it. I also realized how little I understood about the disease and how much stigma still shapes how we talk about it today. We're using cinema as a tool to help shift that narrative.

CUTTING IT SHORT approaches relapse not with melodrama but with humor. By letting the comedy unfold in real time, I want the audience to laugh with Sadie rather than at her, to feel tenderness toward her even as she undermines herself, and to recognize something familiar in her frantic attempts to hide her vulnerability. Because while Sadie’s situation is uniquely hers, the connection she is reaching for is something we all recognize.

Beneath the humor, the film is a plea for compassion and a reminder that people battling addiction are fighting private wars we rarely see. The United States is facing a significant public health crisis, with roughly 1 in 10 Americans aged 12 and older (approx. 27.9 million) living with Alcohol Use Disorder as of 2024. Despite declining participation rates, alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of death, according to the NIAAA.

Beyond a standalone short, CUTTING IT SHORT is the tonal proof of concept for our next feature film, 3 MONKEYS, an ASL/English hybrid that scales some of these characters and themes into a broader narrative. We are happy to share the production-ready feature screenplay with interested investors for a first look.

Save the date: June 20-23, 2026 is when the filming takes place. Thanks to a solid pre-production, this 14-minute story can be captured in only 3 nights (5pm-5am, yup!) out in Branford, Connecticut, where salon owner Dee Lewis McQuade is kindly offering up her space. If you're in the area, book a hair appointment to experience the salon for yourself, but expect it to look transformed after our set designer EVE PETERS has worked her magic!

And when is the movie done, done, you ask? We never underestimate the value of thorough post production. It'll take time to finesse the edit, work on score, a live orchestral recording, sound design and color grade, but we expect to have all deliverables before the year ends, which is when the festival submissions shall begin. :)

Thanks for asking! We're an ever growing team of long-time collaborators mixed with newcomers. Most of us are seasoned indie film professionals, a few have joined the industry in recent years. We're New Yorkers as well as CT locals, united in our passion for making movies:

Besides our lead actress, Casey, we've proudly attached amazing talent, namely KARIS ASSAM, MADISON TRICE, CAROL E. DREWES and MICHELLE GATPO, and the casting continues. The salon's own AMBER DOWNEY will keep everyone's make up and hair in order.

There to capture their great performances and set the comedic-romantic mood is our acclaimed cinematographer SHELDON CHAU. His indispensable wife, BONNY CHAN, is our digital imaging technician, and their dog, MUZZY will be playing a crucial role in generating cutaways and smiles.

Also joining forces with us is SAM WILSON, himself a Director and long-time collaborator of mine, who is our unit production manager this time around. And there will be more skilled crew members to join!

When all is said and filmed, my two gifted composers NATALIA KIËS and LAUREN VANDERVELDEN will be hard at work to add a comedic percussive and an orchestral romantic score respectively, with all sounds being generated by humans and live-recorded instruments!

Hey, but why don't you visit our team page to get to know us better?

That's the question! Before beginning this campaign, we've secured a whopping $25,000 in private funding and grant money, which covers small salaries and the location fee. We are now only $22,586 away from making this grassroots production a reality.

[Our stretch goal is $24,404 and will be invested in better equipment. If we're lucky enough to exceed even that number, we'd love to improve salaries for Cast & Crew.]

Your support goes directly toward transporting, housing and feeding our cast and crew, renting additional equipment and designing the space. Lastly, paying insurance will help us sleep at night. Please help us check off these crucial items on our wishlist!

And if you are interested in providing accommodation near Branford, donating objects or time or discussing a good old barter, please reach out to [email protected].

Your support is a gift! We can't offer tax deductions or profits (for the feature film, we will). Here are the Seed&Spark Supporter Terms of Service.

Ready to jump into action? Let's make a movie!

For this campaign, AI was used to partially generate images in the pitch deck and incentives section.

It will not be used in the production of the film.