Private Project

The Girl in the Road

A young woman struggles with her mental health as she relives a traumatic day from her past. As she tries to run from her troublesome childhood, she realises she must confront her history in order to move on.

  • Dylan Duff
    Director
    Perspective, Phobia
  • Dylan Duff
    Writer
    Perspective, Phobia
  • Dylan Duff
    Producer
    Perspective, Phobia
  • Kaya McClure
    Key Cast
    "Martha"
    Teens 101
  • Emma McClure
    Key Cast
    "Young Martha"
  • Kathryn Bellamy
    Key Cast
    "Martha's Mom"
    Anne of Green Gables
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 36 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 5, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    300 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - High School
Director Biography - Dylan Duff

Dylan Duff is an award winning Canadian actor, filmmaker, and philanthropist. He won Best Performance in a TV series - Supporting Teen Actor at the 39th Annual Young Artist Academy Awards for his performance in Teens 101. Duff is very passionate about acting, writing, directing, producing and philanthropy. Dylan's goal is to use his craft and anything else he has at his disposal to do his best to make this world a better place for everyone. He has worked with organisations such as Me to We, The Canadian Cancer Society and many more. Dylan has also worked with The Family Channel on anti-bullying campaigns. Dylan Duff is an actor and writer on a new quarantine themed short form series called The Quaran-Teen(s). The show was created to bring some light and laughter into the dark times of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Duff is the president and CEO of Purple Monkeys Pictures where he also works as an executive producer and producer.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

"The Girl in the Road" is very close to my heart. This film has been swirling around in my mind for ages, and the fact that it is finally in existence is truly wonderful. "The Girl in the Road" is the story of a young woman by the name of Martha who is struggling with her mental health. Martha has been through a lot over the years, and many traumatic experiences have contributed to the overall decline of her mental wellbeing. I think this film is really important for those who may be struggling with some of the same issues as Martha. In this film, we see Martha hit rock bottom, and decide to carry on. She manages to get back on her feet and get help, and hopefully that will inspire others to do the same. If this film can make one person feel less alone, or instil them with hope for the future, it will have all been worth it. We did face many challenges on this production. In fact, the film was shot during the Covid-19 pandemic, that is unfortunately still a major problem facing the world. Many safety processions had to be taken to ensure the film could be completed, and we had to get by with an extremely small crew. Thankfully, everyone stayed safe and worked hard to make a film that I believe to be truly special. In "The Girl in the Road" Martha has also been raised by two mothers. I thought it was important to include LGBTQIA representation in the short. Many people have asked me about the meaning of Martha's lesbian parents and their relation to the plot, and in response to that I can only say "why must the fact that our protagonist was raised by two mothers be a plot point?". I simply included these characters to represent that each family is different, and all of them should be equally accepted regardless of the gender ratio.