Please Stay Here
Story
A 10-Minute Narrative Short Film
A supernaturally empathic volunteer at a suicide prevention helpline calls a stranger at the exact moment he most needs to connect. Ginny supports David through his grief and anger with one straightforward invitation: Please stay here, just a little bit longer. We’ll take it minute by minute. You’re not alone.
About
Team
Impact
Updates
About the Project
Goal: $20,000
The Story
A supernaturally empathic volunteer at a suicide prevention helpline calls a stranger at the exact moment he most needs to connect. Ginny supports David through his grief and anger, never offering platitudes or judgments, just extending a straightforward invitation: Please stay here, just a little bit longer. We’ll take it minute by minute. You’re not alone.
Project Summary & Ask
The Impact
Our goal is to create a film that offers hope, compassion, and connection while fostering conversations about suicide, grief, and mental health. The film is intended to serve as both a mirror for those who recognize their own experiences on screen and a window for audiences seeking to better understand the struggles of loved ones. Our goal with the project is to reach out to our communities and to as wide an audience as possible, with the same tender message that Ginny has for David: Please stay here. Don’t give up. You’re not alone.
Our goal is to create a film that offers hope, compassion, and connection while fostering conversations about suicide, grief, and mental health. The film is intended to serve as both a mirror for those who recognize their own experiences on screen and a window for audiences seeking to better understand the struggles of loved ones. Our goal with the project is to reach out to our communities and to as wide an audience as possible, with the same tender message that Ginny has for David: Please stay here. Don’t give up. You’re not alone.
The Look
The cinematography will be informed by the work of Claire Mathon and Marcel Rév.
We’ll employ minimal, intentional camera movements and deep, saturated colors to create a world that feels
Because we are in a world with magic we are invited to light for the emotional truth, rather than the literal.
“So, it’s not really based on realism. We called it ‘emotional realism’ that’s more based in the characters’ emotions, and not how the world surrounding them really looks.””
Ginny
Greens, pinks, and purples, inviting, cozy, magical, visually dense frame
ERICA SALONGA as Ginny
Cast bio?
Cast bio?
David
Saturated blues and oranges, sparse, cold, liminal, absent of all but key props
CHIMELE GEORGE as David
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Cassandra E. Rose
WRITER
Cassandra Rose is proud to write for the stage, screen, video games, and radio-- often at the same time. Originally from Rockford, IL, she followed up a BA in Playwriting at Columbia College Chicago with a decade of Chicago playwriting self-productions and residencies, including Chicago Dramatists' Tutterow Fellowship. Most recently, her play Billy To His Friends was a Semifinalist at Austin Film Festival, and had a well-received workshop at Fresh Fruit Festival in NYC. She won Austin Film Festival in 2022 with her scripted digital series, Walk Into A Bar. No matter the format or genre, she writes about people making genuine connections in surprising ways. -
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L. Elleseg
DIRECTOR
L. Elleseg’s most recent short film, Glory Obscured, won Best Director at Toronto Feedback Female Film Festival, and was a semi-finalist for Best Narrative Short Film at The Detroit Independent Film Festival and the New York Indie Shorts Awards. They directed a staged reading of Cassandra Rose’s play, Billy To His Friends, at Celebration Theater (Southern California’s oldest LGBTQ+ theater company). They’ve also worked extensively in post-production and are currently employed at Pro-Tek Vaults where they digitize 35mm motion picture film for archival and streaming. -
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Vance Smith
PRODUCER
Vance Smith has produced and directed award-winning short films that have screened at festivals around the world including Austin Film Festival, LA Shorts, Cleveland International Film Festival, Dances with Films NY, and Leeds International Film Festival. Before moving to LA, Vance spent 20 years making theatre in Chicago, most notably in his capacity as Artistic Director of Stage Left Theatre, where he worked closely with writers to develop and produce dozens of new works. He started The Peach Productions in 2023.
The Impact
Please Stay Here is a 10-minute narrative short film written by Cassandra Rose, directed by L. Elleseg, and produced by Vance Smith and The Peach Productions. We are a passionate team of independent creatives trying to make the work we want to see in the world. Our goal is to create a film that offers hope, compassion, and connection while fostering conversations about suicide, grief, and mental health. The film is intended to serve as both a mirror for those who recognize their own experiences on screen and a window for audiences seeking to better understand the struggles of loved ones. Our goal with the project is to reach out to our communities and to as wide an audience as possible, with the same tender message that Ginny has for David: Please stay here. Don’t give up. You’re not alone.