Private Project

Most of the Time We Are Just Waiting

Set to the backdrop of her suburban town’s evacuation, Thirteen-year old Nora enlists the help of the boy next door to search for her apathetic big sister, who has snuck out to party with an older boy with questionable intentions.

  • Molly Shears
    Director
    Middle of Nowhere, Carrots
  • Molly Shears
    Writer
  • Michael Mandarano
    Producer
    Abuela, The Whelping
  • Aubree Field
    Key Cast
    "Nora"
  • Piers Bijvoet
    Key Cast
    "Hunter"
    Falling, It's Alright Now
  • Fegan DeCordova
    Key Cast
    "Taylor"
    I Am in the World as Free and Slender as a Deer on a Plain
  • Nikolay Michaylov
    Cinematographer
    Anne at 13,000 Feet, Fail to Appear, Bad Omen
  • Lori Atik
    Production Designer
    Pick, Abuela
  • Nick Nausbaum
    Composer
    Middle of Nowhere, The Middle
  • Joey Whitelaw
    Editor
    Massey Hall: 125 Years Later
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 59 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    40,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • FNC - Montreal Festival du nouveau cinéma
    Montreal
    Canada
    October 3, 2022
    World Premiere
    Official Selection - In Competition
  • Silver Wave Film Festival
    Fredericton, New Brunswick
    Canada
    November 3, 2022
    New Brunswick Premiere
    Official Selection
  • IFFO - International Film Festival of Ottawa
  • Ghent International Short Film Festival
    Ghent
    Belgium
Director Biography - Molly Shears

Molly is a Toronto-based writer and director. As a filmmaker, Molly is drawn to melancholic stories about growing up, and the way that youth interpret the world around them through media. Molly has explored similar thematic elements within her previous films, including shorts Middle of Nowhere, and Carrots; which have collectively screened both internationally and locally.

Additionally, Molly is a recent MA graduate of The London Film School, and has worked on productions worldwide, in countries including the United Kingdom, France, and the USA. She also possess multiple credits within various departments, most notably the Art Department, on projects including Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale', Joanna Wang's 'I Only Care About You'; and Global TV's 'Nurses'. Molly is currently in development for her first feature film, with production set to take place in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This is a film about a young girl trying to make sense of her changing world. Nora is feeling a sense of great emergency - but no one around her seems to feel it too. Her town is being evacuated for a natural disaster, but the whole community lingers at home. Her big sister is being pursued by a sketchy older boy, and yet she still wants to go to his party. Nora's sense of urgency matches my feelings when I was her age - I saw a world that seemed like it could end at any moment: global warming felt imminent and a local school shooting felt very likely. I wanted to do something about it and yet, the adults around me seemed like they were dilly-dallying. It felt like they didn't care that the world was going to end.

The film is about this exact feeling that happens when one is at the edge of their youth. We filmed it deep into the pandemic, and the kid actors were immediately receptive to the concept - they too felt like they were waiting for the world to end.