Codependence Day
Emily is nervous about meeting her husband Wilson’s family for the first time at their annual Independence Day gathering. Having eloped, she is concerned that the family will never accept her as one of their own. But Wilson has a plan to bring her into the fold — competing in the family’s annual (if ridiculous) tradition of throwing balls at a target object, a barely-recognizable variation of bocce.
-
William R. CoughlanDirector
-
William R. CoughlanWriter
-
Lee PernaProducer
-
Pam W. CoughlanProducer
-
Mary EganKey Cast
-
Nello DeBlasioKey Cast
-
Nick DePintoKey Cast
-
Keith WatersKey Cast
-
Carol McCaffreyKey Cast
-
Erin Rose CoughlanKey Cast
-
Brooks TeglerKey Cast
-
Jean MillerKey Cast
-
Dan FosterCrew
-
Project Type:Short
-
Genres:Family, Holiday, Comedy
-
Runtime:5 minutes
-
Completion Date:May 3, 2015
-
Production Budget:900 USD
-
Country of Origin:United States
-
Country of Filming:United States
-
Language:English
-
Shooting Format:H.264
-
Aspect Ratio:2.40:1
-
Film Color:Color
-
First-time Filmmaker:No
-
Student Project:No
-
48 Hour Film ProjectWashington, DC
United States
May 8, 2015
World Premiere
“Best Of” Selection -
TIVA Peer Awards 2015Washington, DC
United States
November 14, 2015
Silver Award: Editing - Fiction | Bronze Award: Scriptwriting - Fiction -
Small World Film FestivalBradford, West Yorkshire
United Kingdom
June 1, 2016
European Premiere -
London Monthly Film FestivalLondon
United Kingdom
October 7, 2016 -
14th International Short & Independent Film FestivalDhaka
Bangladesh
December 5, 2016
Asian Premiere -
Indiana Comic Con Film FestivalIndianapolis, Indiana
United States
April 16, 2017
Indiana Premiere -
Ocean City Film FestivalOcean City, Maryland
United States
June 9, 2017
Maryland Premiere -
Tampa Bay Comic Con Film FestivalTampa, Florida
United States
September 1, 2017
Florida Premiere -
San Francisco Comic Con Film FestivalSan Francisco, California
United States
September 1, 2017
California Premiere -
300 Seconds International Film FestivalToronto, Ontario
Canada
September 18, 2017
Canadian Premiere -
Movie Night at the Evening Star CafeAlexandria, Virginia
United States
February 25, 2018
Virginia Premiere -
Comedy World Network Film FestivalLas Vegas, Nevada
United States
December 1, 2018
Nevada Premiere
William R. Coughlan is an award-winning screenwriter and director, and is one of the founders (and primary financier) of Tohubohu Productions — which basically means that even on pictures he doesn’t direct, he can at least squeeze in an Executive Producer credit. He worked for 26 years as a senior director with The Advisory Board Company in Washington, D.C., where he began as a graphic designer before segueing into video and multimedia, and then eventually into the ranks of creative department management. In addition, he is the Associate Artistic Director of Jabberwocky Audio Theater, and serves 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 stepping in as President in 2018. 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 Burke, Virginia, with his wife Pam and their two daughters.
Given the mandate to develop a “holiday film,” I wanted to shy away from the traditional “year-end celebration” motif (particularly as we’d already mined that territory for our film “Please Forward”). Instead, in the story-breaking process, I focused on the underlying conceptual elements that define the genre: togetherness, the comfort of family, and a sense of belonging to a larger whole. Putting aside the external yuletide trappings, situating our film at some kind of family gathering still seemed logical; from there, the notion of an Independence Day celebration fell into place. With no desire to get overly sentimental, I developed a decidedly absurdist, dysfunctional family — and built in a clear ”be careful what you wish for” turn. Shooting in a Wes Anderson-influenced composition style leapt out as an amusing (and appropriate) challenge, and the offbeat family of “Codependence Day” was born.