Experiencing Interruptions?

A Chance Encounter

LOGLINE


While on a day trip up the Northern California coast, a woman who feels trapped by her own choices, meets a young traveler who presents her with an opportunity that could change the course of her life forever.

BRIEF SYNOPSIS

Leigh Powell has been trapped in an unhappy, untrusting, unfulfilling marriage for the past nine years but desperately longs for a family of her own. When she and her husband get into yet another fight while spending Thanksgiving with his family, she flees to steal a day to herself and spends the afternoon peacefully driving up the coast. On her way back, she meets Bryan, a young traveler with an old soul whom Leigh feels safe opening up to. As they part ways, he reminds her of the importance of not allowing fear to stop her in life, about trusting her gut, about speaking the truth, and that it’s not too late to be happy. During their brief encounter, Bryan teaches Leigh something about herself that could change her outlook forever. The question is, will she let it, or will she allow fear to continue to hold her back?

TAGLINE

It's never too late to live the life you want

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Stefanie Butler
PRODUCED BY: Stefanie Butler & Abbi Butler in association with Butler Sisters Productions

  • Stefanie Butler
    Director
    Kaziah, Same, Followed, Shark, Car Dogs, Tales From The Grudge
  • Stefanie Butler
    Writer
    Stranger Things, Helter Skelter: An American Myth, USS Christmas, Mob City, Rizzoli & Isles, I Remember You, Billy: The Early Years
  • Stefanie Butler
    Producer
    Same, A Chance Encounter
  • Abbi Butler
    Producer
    Same, A Chance Encounter
  • Angela DiMarco
    Key Cast
    "Leigh Powell"
    Mr. Bleachers, The Parish, Second Nature, Brides to Be
  • Sebastian Ramón
    Key Cast
    "Bryan Lazaro"
    65th Zuavo, Nos vemos después
  • David S Hogan
    Key Cast
    "Marcus Powell | Young Dad"
    Z Nation, Grimm, Going Home
  • Abbi Butler
    Key Cast
    "Young Mom"
    County Line, The Odds
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    27 minutes 32 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 25, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    27,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital - Canon Raw (CRM)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4096x2160
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Paladino d'Oro Sport Film Festival
    Sicily
    Italy
    November 20, 2023
    International World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • San Diego Shorts Film Festival
    San Diego, CA
    United States
    October 22, 2022
    Best Unproduced Short Script
Director Biography - Stefanie Butler

Stefanie Butler is a storyteller in every sense of the word. She is a film and television actor, a stage actor, a proud member of SAG-AFTRA & AEA, a screenwriter, a director, a producer, a children’s book author, and a blogger that resides in Los Angeles, CA. As an actor, Stefanie is known for USS Christmas (2020), The Legend of 5 Mile Cave (2019), Guest of Honor (2019), Stranger Things (2016), Car Dogs (2016), Zula the Infinite (2016), Followed (2015), and I Remember You (2015). As a writer, director, and producer, Stefanie makes up half of the dynamic duo that is the Butler Sisters Productions, an indie bicoastal production company based in Los Angeles, CA and Nashville, TN. Butler Sisters Productions most recent project was STORY, a creative conference by Istoria, where they have served as Co-creative directors for the past seven years. Beyond their live event productions, the Butler sisters have co-produced their short film SAME (which took home the second place prize for best short at the Christian Worldview Film Festival in 2018) and now have independently produced A CHANCE ENCOUNTER. A CHANCE ENCOUNTER has been a quarter-finalist and semi-finalist in numerous screenwriting contests thus far and won the best unproduced short film at San Diego Shorts Awards in 2022. A CHANCE ENCOUNTER had it's International World Premiere as an official selection at the Paladino d'Oro Sport Film Festival in Sicily, Italy last November.

Stefanie has multiple projects in development and worked as a Creative Executive at Pinnacle Peak Pictures, while she continued to act in, write, and produce her passion projects. Whether working in front of or behind the camera, Stefanie loves collaborating and cares about telling stories that deeply matter with people that matter deeply, because success isn't just about what you accomplish in your life; it's about what you inspire others to do. She hopes to do that with her storytelling.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

We’ve all had an experience in life (no matter how great or small) where we’ve either had a conversation with a stranger or bumped into someone unexpectedly and because of that encounter, it changed us in some way. A CHANCE ENCOUNTER is one of those stories. It’s about being open to the unique individuals that come into our lives and what happens when we allow these individuals to affect us versus shutting ourselves off from those connections and interactions. It’s a story about taking chances, trusting yourself, and realizing that you don’t have to live a life where things happen to you, but you have an opportunity to go out and happen to things to create the life you want. It’s about the lies we tell ourselves, the fears that hold us back, and what we wish we dared to believe, trust, and act on. We so often believe what others tell us but doubt ourselves. But what if you could be braver? Be stronger? Be freer and not held back by the rules and obligations you think you're supposed to live by. Maybe these are things you already know deep down, but you're too afraid to look at them and act on them. I hope this film encourages you to do just that. Look at those things truthfully and act on them in the face of fear or trepidation. Thank you for your time and consideration. We hope you connect with our characters and enjoy our film.