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Dinner for Six

A overprotective family spies on their disabled daughter's first date in absurd ways. Reimagined as the rom-coms and Disney Channel sitcoms she grew up with, Emily Kranking tells an exaggerated version of her first date.

FULL SYNOPSIS: In "Dinner for Six," a young woman with cerebral palsy named Zoey is getting ready for her first date. Her nondisabled family seems supportive as she talks all about him and her concerns. But after she leaves, her family sneaks behind her and goes to the restaurant! The date starts awkwardly between Zoey and Chris, an intelligent man who works in banking. However, the date gets spiced up when one of Zoey’s sisters, named Cassie, pretends to be a waitress, and Zoey catches her family spying on them. Things get more embarrassing when Cassie gives Zoey an edited menu, causing a fight between them over her motor issues and speech therapy. Their mother loudly stops the fight, but then asks Zoey for a cute picture with Chris. Zoey tells Chris that she regrets the date. She tells him that she’s not good enough for him, but Chris insists the opposite, "You’re great as you are!" When Zoey tells Chris how embarrassed she is with her family, Chris reveals that his dad is there. When Cassie questions him about his dad, he tells her his dad is supervising because he’s also disabled. Cassie scoffs at that claim ("You don’t look disabled"), and he tells her that he’s autistic. The whole family (and Chris’s dad) breaks out in celebration that Zoey is dating another disabled person. The poor, humiliated Zoey awkwardly smiles at Chris and offers him bread as our story ends.

  • Emily Kranking
    Director
    Best Summer Ever, F**k 'Em Right Back
  • Emily Kranking
    Producer
    Best Summer Ever, F**k 'Em Right Back
  • Emily Kranking
    Writer
    Best Summer Ever, F**k 'Em Right Back
  • Curtis Nishimoto
    Co-Director and Director of Photography
    Sorry, The Gym's Closed!, Nurikabe
  • Thomas Nishimoto
    Co-Director and Director of Sound
    Sorry, The Gym's Closed!, Nurikabe
  • Emily Kranking
    Key Cast
    "Zoey"
    Best Summer Ever, F**k 'Em Right Back
  • Richie Dobson
    Key Cast
    "Chris"
  • Tanya Davis
    Key Cast
    "Mom"
  • Rachael Rabinovitz
    Key Cast
    "Cassie"
  • Malarie Zeeks
    Key Cast
    "Sister"
  • Brayden Piccolo-Klein
    Key Cast
    "Brother"
  • Joseph Brugh
    Key Cast
    "Chris's Dad"
  • Timmii Pinto
    Production Assistant
  • Stephen Letnes
    Music
  • Stephen Charles Mann
    Music
  • Freesound
    Sound Effects
  • SoundSnap
    Sound Effects
  • Audi and Michael Nagi
    Special Thanks
  • Frederick Social
    Special Thanks
  • Mary Kranking
    Special Thanks
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Romance, Comedy, Family
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 23 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 2, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    400 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Easterseals Disability Film Challenge
    Remote
    United States
    April 8, 2023
    World Premiere
  • Winter Park Film Festival
    Fraser, CO
    United States
    September 8, 2023
  • Glendale International Film Festival
    Glendale, CA
    September 29, 2023
    Best Micro Short Film (Nomination)
  • Altanta Comedy Film Festival
    Atlanta, GA
    November 12, 2023
  • Georgia Comedy Film Festival
    Atlanta, GA
    United States
    November 7, 2023
    Best Romantic Comedy Micro Film (Pending), Best Micro Film (Pending)
  • HollyShorts Monthly Film Screening
    Los Angeles, CA
    October 30, 2023
  • Central Florida Film Festival
    Orlando, FL
    United States
    January 20, 2024
Director Biography - Emily Kranking

Emily Kranking is a neurodiverse actress, writer, and disability advocate with cerebral palsy. As a graduate of the Honors Acting Conservatory at The Theatre Lab, Emily is one of the leads of the first disabled movie musical Best Summer Ever, which can be found on Hulu, and was seen in Sundance in the short film F.E.R.B. She has also performed at the Kennedy Center. She is also currently going for her Master's in Disability Studies at the City University of New York. Her independent articles recently have been published on Yahoo and The Mighty.

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