Keep On Smiling

Nina, an anxious control freak on the brink of burnout, is forced to carpool to a destination wedding with the groom's cousin, Tim, a chaotic goofball who masks his insecurities with humor. A tight schedule, no escape from the backseat, and an unpredictable driver push them to their limits. By the time they reach their destination, Nina and Tim discover that sometimes the bumps along the way take you exactly where you need to be.

  • Alia Mross
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Short Script
  • Number of Pages:
    15
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Writer Biography - Alia Mross

Alia is a writer based in Germany with a B.A. in British, North American, and Scandinavian Studies. Early in her career, she worked as a radio film critic and as a production assistant for an award-winning film & TV production based in Berlin.

After an involuntary detour in marketing, she returned to film three years ago, writing corporate films and commercials, while developing indie projects such as the fiction short Sohnemann and the feature documentary Vegan City Berlin.

Her voice blends a texture of life experience with training in linguistics, literature, history, and psychology always serving the authentic truth of her characters.

She is currently working on her directorial debut, while also writing the narration for a major international documentary project.

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Writer Statement

This story was born from a trip where everything went wrong, creating an absurdity from which the comedy emerged naturally. What stayed with me was how the journey became a metaphor for life itself: unpredictable and constantly requiring adjustment.

I'm drawn to character-driven comedy and dramedy that finds truth in the awkward spaces between people. The misunderstandings, the frictions, and the quiet moments where personalities collide and reveal themselves.

Having worked extensively on heavier material, I found myself craving something that could hold optimistic lightness without sacrificing depth. In a time when the world often feels overwhelming, there's a particular kind of relief in stories that let us smile without ignoring the mess.

Keep On Smiling is about finding connection in the impossible, confronting challenges with honesty, and learning to let go. This short is only a glimpse into Nina and Tim's journey and serves as a proof of concept