Experiencing Interruptions?

All Roads Lead Away

Richard and Kate have lost everything: Job, home, lifestyle. Now, with everything they own packed into their battered old station wagon, they’re just trying to make it to Cleveland, where Richard’s brother has offered a chance to start over. But making the journey is easier said than done, and when Richard’s plans to borrow money from an old friend fall through, they are left with no choice but to seek out an old flame of Kate’s for help. But will this truly be a chance to move on, or the catalyst for a larger life change?

  • William R Coughlan
    Director
    Tex: Wisdom of the Old West, Number One With a Bullet
  • Barry Lyga
    Writer
    The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, I Hunt Killers
  • Pam W. Coughlan
    Producer
  • Joe Hansard
    Key Cast
    The Knick, The Wire
  • Jennifer Massey
    Key Cast
    Number One With a Bullet
  • Bjorn Munson
    Key Cast
  • Adam Young
    Crew
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 5 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 4, 2008
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • 48 Hour Film Project
    Washington, DC
    United States
    May 9, 2008
    World Premiere
    “Best Of” Selection
  • DC Shorts Film Festival
    Washington, DC
    United States
    September 12, 2008
  • Heritage Film Festival
    Largo, Maryland
    United States
    April 3, 2009
    Maryland Premiere
  • Rosebud Film & Video Festival
    Arlington, Virginia
    United States
    June 27, 2009
    Virginia Premiere
  • TIVA Peer Awards 2011
    Washington, DC
    United States
    November 19, 2011
    Bronze Award: 48HFP - Overall | Bronze Award: 48HFP - Directing
  • Central Michigan International Film Festival
    Mount Pleasant, Michigan
    United States
    February 12, 2017
    Michigan Premiere
  • Indiana Comic Con Film Festival
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    United States
    April 16, 2017
    Indiana Premiere
  • Tampa Bay Comic Con Film Festival
    Tampa, Florida
    United States
    July 29, 2017
    Florida Premiere
  • San Francisco Comic Con Film Festival
    San Francisco, California
    United States
    September 1, 2017
    California Premiere
  • Movie Night at the Evening Star Cafe
    Alexandria, Virginia
    United States
    February 25, 2018
Director Biography - William R Coughlan

William R. Coughlan is an award-winning screenwriter and director, and founder and CEO of independent video production company Tohubohu Productions, LLC. He worked for several years with The Advisory Board Company (and its offshoot companies, CEB and EAB) in Washington, D.C., where he began as a graphic designer before creating a full-service in-house video and multimedia department, and then eventually moving into the ranks of creative department management. In addition, he provides creative oversight for the global public affairs firm EGA, is the Creative Director of Jabberwocky Audio Theater, and served for several years on the Board of Directors for TIVA, the Television, Internet, and Video Association of DC, Inc., filling the roles of Treasurer and Vice President before finishing his tenure as President. He also enjoys acting, voiceover performance, design and illustration, editing, animation, and writing autobiographical comments in the third person. He is the illustrator of the therapeutic workbook Stories for Children with Problems & Wishes, has provided schematic graphics for several HBS case studies, designed the acclaimed Protégé clay poker chip line, served as the Critic at Large for the online literary magazine Inkblots, has been a judge for both the TIVA Peer Awards and the Emmy Awards, founded and co-hosted the long-running Tohubohu Producer Podcast, and is an accomplished animator and ambigram artist. He currently resides at a secret compound in Northern Virginia.

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Director Statement

We continued our string of working with accomplished YA authors by recruiting Barry Lyga — hot on the heels of his successful novel The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl — to the team for “All Roads Lead Away.” In preliminary brainstorming about the script (and well aware of the time limitations of a short film), Barry and I concentrated on boiling the plot down to the essential nature of a ”road movie”: traveling toward an intended destination. We thought about exactly how we would want that journey (both literally and thematically) to resolve, planning to work back from that conclusion. Traditionally, the protagonists arrive at their promised destination, changing as a result of their journey. But we felt there was more dramatic mileage to be gained if they failed to arrive. What series of events would result in that outcome? Turning those road-movie expectations on their head, and capitalizing on the readily identifiable real-world recession dominating the news, Barry crafted a straightforward story about a couple struggling with hardship and desperately hoping to make a new start. Anchored by stellar performances from Jennifer Massey and Joe Hansard (both of whom had worked with us on the just-wrapped “Number One With a Bullet”), the film struck a chord with audiences and remains relevant to this day.