It’s Britain in 1940 and rationing has begun, but that won’t stop Rosa from doing all she can with what little she has to create an exciting meal for her daughter at the end of the week.

Just as her life begins to get complicated and exciting when she meets an off-duty soldier, the brutal reality of war is brought to the home front and Rosa’s world is plunged into chaos. 

Hello There

If you're reading this - thanks for having a look at our crowdfunding page for our short film Rise.

Based in Cornwall, we (Finn and Pip - producer and director) bonded over our shared ethics and political beliefs.

Film can be a wonderfully complex and nuanced form of expression and we are already in the midst of pre-production with our wonderful team of creative and skilled people to make this film as beautiful as it should be.

Find below the story's plot, our amazing team, and how even a small contribution helps us fulfil this project's dream...

Synopsis

In 1940, Rosa Bianco, the offspring of Sicilian immigrants, lives with her daughter Maria in a cramped terraced house in London. 

They have nothing but each other.

Working gruelling, repetitive hours day in, day out at a munitions factory, The light in Rosa's day is when she can spend time with her daughter. 

Determined to bring some excitement into her daughter's life, Rosa is resourceful with what little ingredients she has to cook up tasty meals for Maria.

One night, after Maria has fallen asleep to a bedtime story, Rosa sneaks out to the pub. There she meets a charming off-duty soldier and the beginnings of an affair are sparked.

Life is beginning to look a little brighter for Rosa.

On a sunny afternoon, Rosa and Maria are kneading dough together in their kitchen when a bomb blasts into their house. 

Rosa is left digging through the rubble, looking for her child.

After the screen fades to black, we hear the hopeful sounds of assisting firefighters and Rosa's desperate insistence that she can hear her daughter.

What Matters

In times where a cost of living crisis forces us all to direct our attention to the basics, and global politics is bewilderingly insane, no one can be blamed for focusing on their own problems and shutting off the rest of the world.

These days, the bombing of innocent civilians occurring somewhere is almost certain on any given day.

This film seeks to humanise victims of war, promote empathy, and encourage open discussion. 

Above all: this film is a celebration of life and gratitude of the simple things.

Aside from the passion at the heart of this project,  Rise  will ensure we can all continue to do great work that addresses the important issues of the world going forward. 

Film is an inherently collaborative medium. What has been of highest importance to us when bringing crew members into the fold is that each of them really understand what this film is about and what matters most to us - in life and within this project...

How does a film about The Blitz relate to the present day?

Experts have estimated that between October 2023 and October 2024, approximately 85,000 tons of bombs were dropped on Gaza, surpassing the combined bombings of Dresden, Hamburg, and London during World War II ( Source: WeWorld).

To put that into perspective: around 20,000 tons of explosives were dropped on London over 8 months during The Blitz - an average of 83 tons per day. The estimation mentioned above puts the average of Gaza to 233 tons per day.

The Gaza Strip is also much smaller than London. When calculated, the firepower concentration on Gaza is 3.5 times that of London’s affected area during The Blitz.

Whilst the opinion polls show 73% of Israelis, 79% of Britons and 82% of Americans are in favour of the ceasefire deal, we still have work to do in pushing for the humanisation of this lived experience and striving for people not to be lost in statistics (Sources: AA, YouGov, The Times Of Israel).

Once the film ends, and the screen fades to black, we’ll include these statistics, relevant organisations and ways for individuals to feel empowered by engaging with humanitarian change.

The Team

Pip Nixon (director)  

Pip is an emerging writer/director based in Penzance, Cornwall who’s spent the last few years trying to uncover his voice as a filmmaker.

His focus is on crafting work that has human rights at the root of the story.

Finn Broadley (producer)

Finn has been producing short films for two years and has additional experience assisting producers on other productions as well as experience in a range of roles from camerawork, acting, retail management, engineering, product design and working with children.

Finn has a passionate interest in working in production for disaster relief charities and humanitarian organisations - this film will help him achieve this dream.

Daniel Georgiev (first assistant director)

Specialising as a 1st AD in his third year of study, Daniel is keen and proactive in ensuring his shoots run smoothly. Daniel does this by planning and organising shoot dates whilst also liaising with his directors, producers and DP’s to ensure a consistent vision. 

Polly France (production designer)

Based in London at Central Saint Martins (UAL), Polly is specialised in production design and performance for film and theatre but also has a background in engineering and production design, with experience in leadership of creative teams. 

The Team

Florence Kenny (costume designer)

As well as having a high level of technical skill in the field of costume design for film, Florence holds the 30s - 50s era as her specialist area of interest within her love of historical sewing and so is perfect for this project. 

Otis Chetwynd-Woods (props master)

A Cornishman of many crafts, Otis's wide and varied knowledge and skillsets have already proved most useful in the pre-production phase and will undoubtedly continue to do so.

Jess James (set designer)

Another local of Cornwall, Jess is a production designer that is primarily focused on set design, building and dressing within the realm of production design for film.

Amy Kristen (SFX makeup artist)

With a keen interest in production design for film, Amy is specialised in special effects makeup and is excited to create some very realistic effects for this film.

Ben Dargan (editor & colourist)

Specialised in editing for film, Ben really understands the look and feel of the film as the director envisions it. Aside from the project specifically, Ben and Pip also have closely aligning filmic influences which create the strong cohesion that is vital to a cinematic piece.

Aster Milne & Jade Baran (sound designers)

Having worked together previously in a similar capacity, Aster and Jade will be a solid team for this project. Both certified specialists in sound design for film, and with the skills and experience for great implementation of music, their combined efforts will mean the film has the carefully constructed score and soundscapes that it needs and deserves.

This Film Needs YOU

As a period piece - we need the film to feel historically authentic.

Simply put: if we can raise £2000, we can make this film happen.

If we reach our stretch goal of £3000, we can make this film excellent.

Anymore than that and we can push the boundaries of what we can achieve with this project.

A guide as to how your contributions will be spent:

As you can see - raising more money does directly correlate with the quality of the film, most notably in the area of production design.

This means you'll see an overall higher standard of historical accuracy in the props, sets and costumes when you see the film on screen!

We value the hard work of all our collaborators and so a higher budget means that we can still hit all the marks while also rewarding all those that are working for free with some extra-nice local food on the busiest and longest shooting day.

Additional funding would also allow for wider distribution of the film: more film festival applications and advertising so that the message of  Rise can reach far and wide.

Whether you are a contributor, a social-media sharer or even read all the way to the bottom: we thank you very much!

Rest assured that any financial contributions will be credited as such at the end of the film - but if you'd rather remain anonymous, you don't have to put your name in when you donate.

Lots of love, 

Finn, Pip, Polly, Dan, Ben, Aster, Jade, Florence, Jess, Otis and Brandon x

For more information, the script or any questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

shortfilmrise@gmail.com