Experiencing Interruptions?

DAUGHTER

A female led drama following a mixed race adoptee, Amee, searching for her birth parents and her identity.

Amee turns up at her birth mother’s door, the woman she's been thinking of all her life. A white woman called Miriam lets her in but after an awkward reunion, frustrated Amee doesn’t have what she was looking for. When teenage mum Belle turns up, Amee is pushed aside, Belle knows nothing about Amee’s existence and Miriam tries to keep the sisters apart. Amee’s bruised by this deceit and leaves. But Amee hears Belle arguing with her mum as she storms off with her baby. Amee follows her to the park. Belle’s decision about the future of her baby, forces Amee to confront her own adoption.

  • Athena Mandis
    Director
    LOSING GRACE
  • Jo Harper
    Writer
  • Grace Nelder
    Producer
    Boiling Point
  • Lucas A. Ferrera
    Producer
  • Athena Mandis
    Producer
  • Lynne Anne Rodgers
    Key Cast
    "Amee"
    Justice League, White colour black, Dark Beacon
  • Juilet COWAN
    Key Cast
    "Miriam"
    Back to life, I hate Suzie, Killed by my debt, the power
  • Nicole Nettingham
    Key Cast
    "Belle"
    Happy New Year, Colin Burstead
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 11, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • The Soho London Independent Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    November 17, 2022
    official selection
  • London Independen Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    April 14, 2022
    Audience Award
  • South Coast Film Festival
    Hastings
    United Kingdom
    November 26, 2022
    Best UK Short
  • Borrego Springs Film Festival
    Borrego
    United States
    January 12, 2023
    North America Premier
    official selection
  • CineFam
    Punta Del Este
    Uruguay
    December 16, 2021
    South America Premier
    Best international short
  • lift-off
    london
    United Kingdom
    November 30, 2021
    official selection
  • East European International film festival
    Warsaw
    Poland
    November 30, 2021
    official selection
Director Biography - Athena Mandis

I am a lecturer in Film Practice at Queen Mary University. I began my professional career as a dramaturg for the David Glass Ensemble (2000-05). This year I completed 2 high-end short dramas; LOSING GRACE and DAUGHTER. In 2018 I co-wrote, produced and directed SOUTHGATE TO BRIGHTON, a comedy short. My short script FOX was shortlisted for both BLUECAT and SHORESCRIPT writing competitions, this later developed into LG. XENOS was first developed through MODERN TALES in 2017. It won best screenplay at Cyprus IFF 2018. I attended Torino Development Lab in 2019.

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Director Statement

I was looking for an intimate family drama to direct and put a call out on all the channels. Jo Harper submitted her script which I loved. It was intimate, deep and based on a loved one’s personal experience. It took us two years to get the project of the road, lots of conversations about the story over endless cups of coffee. The one thing I was keen to explore as a director was the spaces between moments, the silences, the waiting. Jo's script had space in it for this. To find the characters through what they were not saying as much as what they did say. it was a wonderful collaboration between writer and director.