PROJECT UPDATE

We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate our successful Seed&Spark campaign. Thank you to all of our generous supporters who contributed to get us green lit!

The film will shoot over two days in June 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. Once we wrap production, we will begin post-production in July 2026. Be sure to check below for updates on our casting and production!

We can't wait to share the film with you, host screenings and submit to film festivals once it's complete!

If you are still interested in contributing, there are several ways you can do so:

Checks:

Make checks to From the Heart Productions. Add ‘Pacific Pilgrimage’ in the memo line.

Mail to:

From the Heart Productions, Inc.

1013 Harbor Blvd. #53

Oxnard, CA 93035

Wire Transfer:

Please email [email protected] and we will request the transfer information.

Zelle:

Send to @CLNenterprises or scan this QR code: 

NOTE: A contribution via Zelle will not be tax deductible.

From the Heart Productions, Inc. is a 501(c) Non-Profit Fiscal Sponsor.

Tax ID Number 95-4445418

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.

Scenes from Location Scout

The Logline

Robby Palmer, a 12-year-old boy living with autism, and his parents create new connections and discover strength in vulnerability as they travel from Michigan to California to pursue Robby’s passion for birds.

The Why

One in 31 U.S. families has a child with autism, a lifelong disorder affecting communication, relationships and behavior. Autism impacts all family members, who love and fear for their children living in a world not designed for them. Robby’s a hero these families can root for, offering hope they’ll take away and draw upon in their own lives.

Project Description

Twelve-year-old Robby, a boy living with autism, pursues a passion for birds and learns the power of love, loss, and connection in Pacific Pilgrimage, a short film adapted from the novel Sparrow Migrations. The resilience of a rare boy and the wonder of a rare bird make a deeply resonant family drama.

With Pacific Pilgrimage, we want to illustrate the impact of autism on families and showcase female creatives from the Midwest. Cari Noga, the author of Sparrow Migrations, is thrilled to have an all-female team, including a director with a disability, bringing this resilience story to the screen.

Bolsa Chica Wetlands

Note from the Author

An autistic family member affects the whole family, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. The Palmers’ “pilgrimage” illustrates this – focusing on Robby but illuminating the impact on his parents, too, similar to the series Atypical. I specifically chose this section of Sparrow Migrations to adapt because it encapsulates Robby’s longer story arc, and translates well from my hometown in Michigan to southern California, where we plan to shoot.

Stories are the easiest way for people to make connections to unfamiliar subjects. As an ally and advocate for my son with autism, I have long maintained a list of books about autism, featuring autistic characters or written by autistic authors. After I wrote my own, Sparrow Migrations - which I wrote six months after my son's diagnosis - members of the book clubs I visited started telling me they thought it could be a movie. Of course it seemed like a long shot.

In 2016, however, I was introduced to screenwriter Carly Keyes through the Traverse City Film Festival (now sadly defunct). Since I was then focused on writing my next novel, I hired her to adapt Sparrow Migrations into a five-part miniseries that we aimed at the streaming market. (Fun fact: I used my advance from my second book to pay Carly, which was a wonderful, full-circle way to support a fellow female creative.) We have stayed in touch and this past summer, Carly met director Natalie Lomske (also a Michigander), which sparked the idea of kg a short film to hopefully pique interest in the streaming script. Now, after meeting Natalie and the other women on this team, I have a newfound energy around this project and believe the long shot is in fact possible. In addition, I believe audiences need hopeful stories like this more than ever. 

- Cari Noga, Author Sparrow Migrations

Titles by Cari Noga

Director’s Statement

The film will accentuate the comforting warmth of the California sun and the calming magic of the natural world. It's dreamy yet real, where nature glows with quiet beauty, allowing the audience to experience the comfort, connection, and wonder Robby feels when outdoors. The film should feel bathed in gentle morning light—soft, warm, and breathable, with a sense of freshness in the air.

- Natalie Lomske, Director

Visual Inspiration

Style

A soothing warmth should wrap the actors, allowing for a peach glow in their skin, while refreshing blues and rich greens are still accentuated with a subtle vibrance. Slight pops of color, shimmering sunlight, soft lightig, birds chipi, and nature's enchanting details infuse the world with a touch of ethereal magic. The film's visuals evoke the buoyant, enriching wonder of childhood, where curiosity makes every detail feel vivid and captivating.

Visual Inspiration

Character Descriptions

ROBBY PALMER (12): Robby is a young boy with autism whose passion for Plovers fosters a newfound sense of adventure, connection to others and desire to grow.

LINDA PALMER (40s): Mother to Robby, she supports expanding his comfort-zone. Cautiously optimistic, she works hard to manage her anxieties while ensuring Robby’s emotional safety.

SAM PALMER (40s): Father to Robby and a strong shoulder for Linda, he embodies a calm demeanor with a playful sense of humor. Struggles to bond with Robby and earn his attention. 

RUTH HERON (30s): Leads the guest tours and spearheads conservation efforts of the nature center. Deeply devoted to her cause, she happily takes Robby “under her wing.”

Visual Inspiration

Cast

OWEN HIMFAR (ROBBY)

Owen Himfar is a young actor from San Diego. He made his on-screen debut in the feature film The Short Game. He brings a natural, honest presence to his work. Outside of acting, he enjoys reading, playing soccer, and has a strong interest in meteorology. 

MAX ADLER (SAM)

Max Adler is most recognized for his breakout role as Dave Karofsky, the slushy throwing homophobic bully on Ryan Murphy's hit series Glee and as the fire-throwing villain turned heroic sidekick Jaco Birch, on the CW's The Flash which he played for three seasons. Adler is also widely recognized for his multi-season arc on the Peabody Award Winning Series Switched at Birth where he played Tank, the class clown frat boy who found himself at the center of a college sexual assault sandal. Adler has guest appeared in a multitude of other television series including The Pitt, The Big Bang Theory, The Rookie, Mom, 911, Bones and Shameless among many others. 

On the film side, Adler starred in the film Mope, a shockingly true story which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and has worked with many acclaimed directors such as Woody Allen in Cafe Society, Clint Eastwood in Sully and Aaron Sorkin in the Oscar nominated film, The Trial of the Chicago 7.  Most recently Adler completed work alongside Mila Kunis in the Ridley Scott produced horror film Nightwatching as well as alongside Pedro Pascal in the upcoming Tony Gilroy written & directed Behemoth for Fox Searchlight.

KATIE LECLERC (LINDA)

Katie Leclerc starred in the ABC Family hit series Switched at Birth for 6 years, receiving a Peabody Award and several other nominations for her performance. She had a recurring role on The Big Bang Theory and has appeared in such high-profile series as Veronica Mars, Community and NCIS, to name a few. She can be most recently seen in Netflix's Pulse. In addition to her work in television, Katie has starred in over a dozen feature films.

As a producer, Kate has been making films for a number of years. She has produced half a dozen films at Sony, Lifetime, Hallmark & AMC and has indie features coming out in 2026.

CARA MITSUKO (RUTH)

Cara Mitsuko is an actress/producer born and raised in California. After gaining her degree in theatre performance from San Diego State University, she originated the lead role in Luis Valdez's play Valley of the Heart. She then broke into TV with the fiery role of Sarah on Amazon Studio's The Man In The High Castle. Her incisive and passionate nature has allowed her to work on many different sets in different capacities, always seeking out new learning experiences. Her debut feature as a producer and lead actress, The Country They Call Life, will be streaming in fall of 2026.

Production Plan

We are in pre-production and excited to shoot our film in June 2026.

We can't wait to share the film with you, host screenings and submit to film festivals once it's complete!

Ways You Can Help

• Contribute financially to the film. We can't make this film without financial support and there's no contribution too small - every penny counts! We have locations to secure, talent to cast, crew (and the equipment they need) to hire, music to score, edits to string, and so much more to bring this story to the screen.
• Spread the word by sharing our Seed & Spark to people you know!
• Regardless of how many people pledge, once we hit 250 "followers," we'll start unlocking creator discounts for this and future projects. So you can help by clicking 'Follow' even if you aren't able to support financially.
• Follow us on Instagram (@pacificpilgrimagefilm) for updates!
• And share the following on your social media: Help @pacifipilgrimagefilm and the talented female creatives by supporting the short film project Pacific Pilgrimage on @seedandspark! Join them here: Pacific Pilgrimage Campaign

Fundraising Goals

• Minimum Goal: $40,000 
• This is our Seed&Spark goal because this is the minimum we need to complete production.
• Ideal Goal: $50,000 (We've met this goal with our Seed&Spark campaign, grants and other donations!)
• If we can raise this, we will also be able to complete post-production! (And it means we won't be back asking for more money in a few months!)
• Stretch Goal: $60,000
• In a perfect world (we know, we live in a far from perfect world but we can dream, right?) we would add an additional day of shooting at the nesting site of the western snowy plovers in Bolsa Chica State Park in California. Can you help us make our dreams come true?

Fiscal Sponsor

We are excited to partner with From the Heart Productions as our fiscal sponsor. This means your financial support of the film is tax-deductible. From the Heart Productions, Inc. is a 501(c) Non-Profit Fiscal Sponsor.

Grants & Awards

Pacific Pilgrimage is partially supported by a diversity, equity, inclusion grant from the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, made possible through the Foundation’s Endowment for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Diversity Equity Inclusion Fund.

Carly Keyes' Pacific Pilgrimage script was accepted into the Golden State Film Festival program for 2026.

Carly Keyes' Pacific Pilgrimage script was a semifinalist in the 2026 BlueCat ScreenPlay Competition, placing in the top 3% of over a thousand entries.

We'd like to thank The Puffin Foundation for their support of Pacific Pilgrimage.

Carly Keyes’ Pacific Pilgrimage script was selected by the LA Independent Women Film Awards as a Nominee for Best Unproduced Script.