Funny/Not Funny
DCP AvailableIt’s hard to get banned from an open mic in New York City. But on this particularly very bad day for Rosie, she also happens to find out her mother has died. While on stage. Getting banned. And, to make matters that much more challenging, Rosie gets a very unwanted package from that same very, very dead mother. There is only one thing for Rosie to do, get rid of it. If she can get rid of this package, she can get rid of all the complications with having a dead mom, or so she thinks.
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Michelle LeungDirectorHomunculus (2025)
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Jocelyne O'TooleWriterEloise's Tree (2016)
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Shawn RegrutoWriterPoint&Shoot (2004)
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Michael MinardProducerCatfight (2016), Muse (2017), Standing8 (2015)
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Brendan DaltonKey Cast"Schlubby MC"Dickinson, FBI, Younger
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Nimo GandhiKey Cast"Stevie Sweats"Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Blacklist, The Sinner
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Laurent PitreKey Cast"Jesus"Fargo
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Paul MaurielloKey Cast"Manny"Fallout, American Horror Stories
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Dave BobbKey Cast"Bobbie Baldy"Succession, Life & Beth, Blue Bloods
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Island StylesSound DesignerThe Singers (2026) *Academy Award winner
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Carmen HilbertDirector of PhotographyRats! (2024)
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Alex SpiessEditorHigher Love (2020)
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Henry BloomfieldComposerMediha (2023)
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Daniel StuyckColoristJoe (2013)
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Comedy, Black Comedy
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Runtime:17 minutes 55 seconds
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Completion Date:April 16, 2026
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Production Budget:22,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:6K w/ anamorphic wide lens
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Aspect Ratio:2.4:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Digital Cinema Package:Available
Michelle is a New York-based producer and filmmaker whose work spans across hard-hitting documentaries and investigative video journalism to multi-million dollar ad campaigns, music videos, branded series, and now into narrative fiction. As a seasoned cameraperson and editor, her experience with the production process runs from the initial spark of an idea to final delivery. Her work has appeared on HBO, Vice, PBS Newshour, AJ+, Discovery+, and more. The feature documentary, The Surge at Mount Sinai, won two Webby awards. She was also selected as an emerging filmmaker in DOC NYC’s Storytelling Incubator program.
This film’s dark sense of humor kicks in right away when, in the oddest of situations, Rosie discovers that she’s lost her mother. The weirdness may continue forever unless... It’s a situation of grief but from a very different point of view.
As we all know, grief can be hopeless, but should Rosie be able to face that grief she may be able to be left with the opposite, hope that we can make amends with loved ones even after they’ve passed!
We went with a filmic color grade, inspired in no small part by the dark humor of Scorsese's film 'The King of Comedy.'
Also our female protagonist dropped into in a male dominated world is meant to give that universal feeling of persevering when the odds are stacked against one.
By the end, Rosie’s journey leaves her with two roads she can go down and leaves the question as to which one it will be and how successful she will be on the one she takes.
Writer's Statement: This is a passion project that was inspired by the love and grief I felt for my mother when she passed. I developed it with Shawn Regruto over the last couple of years before he passed as well. Shawn changed my life in so many ways. He gave me a rich community. He constantly checked in, encouraging me to keep writing. Though he wanted to direct the film before he passed, I’ve persevered to make it nonetheless. Honoring him and our work together, with the help of the Writers Group that Shawn founded, has now led me to share this story with the world. It’s a comedic love letter to my Mom and Shawn, but it’s also a love letter to all those that deal with grief and the issues that stem from it. - Jocelyne O'Toole