THE SHORT STORY.
Desiderium is a story about how Brendan and Casper, two mates on a countryside get-away, drift away from each other as their own personal demons pull them apart.
THE LONGER STORY.
In a vibrant exploration of friendship, responsibility, and the passage of time, Desiderium follows Brendan and Casper, two friends embarking on a brief countryside escapade. The arrival at Brendan's family home marks a sudden shift from freedom to familial duties, as Brendan confronts the expectations of his mother, Sarah, and the responsibilities toward his sister, Ellie.
The narrative unfolds through a series of snapshots: late evening car journeys, conversations under a tree, and moments of introspection, all painting a picture of deep, albeit complicated, friendship. Brendan grapples with his sense of inadequacy and the realisation of his neglected responsibilities, especially towards his family. The light-hearted banter between the friends often veils deeper conversations about life, regrets, and the future.
The screenplay adeptly navigates themes of maturity, the enduring bond of friendship, and the inevitable confrontation with personal shortcomings. It weaves together moments of humour, tension, and emotional depth to create a compelling narrative that resonates with the universal struggle to balance the joys of youth with the onset of adult responsibilities.
WHO ARE WE?
Hello, we are Angelo Dellicompagni and Tom Feasby. Two young and passionate actors who just a few months ago put together an idea for our short film exploring loneliness, suicide and men's mental health.
ANGELO DELLICOMPAGNI.
Angelo Dellicompagni is a actor born on the May 8th, 2001 in Staffordshire, England. Angelo has notable roles in film and TV such as Jew, Lagging and Charon. Beyond his acting prowess, Angelo has a passion for freestyle iceskating and working on cars. Angelo will be playing the part of Brendan, one half of the central male friendship who is struggling to handle the pressures of adult responsibility.
TOM FEASBY.
Tom Feasby is a northern actor based in London. Having started training with Michael Keogh at Inspire Actors in Manchester he then moved down to Brixton in London to train for a year on a method acting course at Brian Timoney's Acting Studio. His notable credits include Pope in The Stoic a directorial feature film debut by Jonathon Eckersley starring Jason Flemyng and Bruce Payne as well as playing an AI robot in Connected - A Post Human Species currently streaming on Apple TV and Amazon Prime. Tom will be playing the other half of the central male friendship, Casper. The comedic support for Brendan while he's going through a dark time.
MEET THE REST OF THE CAST
ANNABELLE DOWLER
Annabelle Dowler is a British Actress born in Formby, England. She has notable credits in Suffragette (2015), Doctor Who (2005) and The Six Wives of Henry VIII (2001). Most recently she has appeared in The Reckoning starring Steve Coogan and has a wide range of TV credits from Emmerdale and Eastenders to Silent Witness. Annabelle will be playing the role of Sarah. Brendan's mum, who is struggling after recently going through a divorce.
THE TEAM BEHIND THE LENSE.
We have collaborated with award-winning director Dan Lowenstein of House of Create and talented DOP duo Tom Walder & Matt Perren at 84Films to help bring that vision to life.
DAN LOWENSTEIN.
Dan Lowenstein is a celebrated film director, distinguished by his “bold & passionate” approach, as described by the Daily Express for his work on EGO. His dynamic portfolio ranges from feature films to commercials and music videos, collaborating with a diverse array of talent including top comedians and chart-topping musicians. In cinema, Dan is acclaimed for directing several notable films such as That's Just Me starring Pixie Lott, Hubris with Andrew Koji, Becoming Everything featuring Steve Leeds, and the feature film The Book of Laws.
TOM WALDER & MATT PERREN.
Matt and Tom, aged 19 and 22, initially met while working on a promotional documentary for CNN. This project, filmed in challenging conditions, marked the beginning of their collaborative efforts in filmmaking. Following separate projects—Matt in Kuwait and Australia, and Tom on his first feature film—the duo reunited to pioneer a co-Director of Photography strategy. This innovative approach involved Tom focusing on lighting and Matt on framing, significantly speeding up their production process. Their collaboration led to a nomination for Best Cinematography at the Milan International Film Festival. Capitalising on this success, they founded 84 Films, where they continued to apply their co-DOP method. This approach has proven effective, allowing them to complete five feature films in just three years and produce over 100 music videos, which have amassed more than 500 million views online.
WHERE'S THE MONEY GOING?
Unfortunately, like any project in this industry, it comes at a cost. And films need money to be made. Our director Dan Lowenstein has managed to get a lot of highly talented people involved for a fraction of their usual price. However, as the case with short films, there are still expenses that are unavoidable. The money raised will be going towards things such as hotel room reservations, food and drink for the cast and crew on set and expenses for travel for all those crew members. By contributing to this campaign you will help us raise the remaining funds we need to make this film a reality. This, in turn, will help us shed light on the undoubtedly important issue of men's mental health.
WHATS IN IT FOR YOU?
As well as being involved with what we are sure will be a highly impactful film, we also have a range of perks depending on the different contribution amounts, all of which are greatly appreciated. Starting with a digital poster and ranging through first looks, special thanks, physical posters, seats at screenings and finishing right at the top with an Associate Producer credit there are plenty of perks to get involved with.
WHAT IF I CAN'T GIVE MONEY?
If you can't contribute anything money-wise, we would love it if you could give this campaign a share online with the Indiegogo share tools, to help give it the exposure such an important issue deserves. Shout out and shares on social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook are invaluable forms of exposure that would mean the world for us to utilise.
WORKING TOGETHER WITH A CHARITY.
We are also excited to announce that we will be partnering with the charity Chasing The Stigma.
Chasing the Stigma is a national mental health charity on a mission to normalise and humanise conversations about mental health, whilst ensuring that everyone in the UK can access clear pathways to support, whenever and wherever they need it.
With lived experience at our core, we are driven to create a society where there is no longer a stigma associated with mental health, where people are as comfortable talking about their mental health as their physical health, and where everyone is able to find appropriate support before they reach a point of crisis, leading to a significant long-term reduction in self-harm and suicide.
We strive to achieve this through the provision of pioneering training services, awareness-raising campaigns and lobbying activities whilst also operating the UK’s largest and most comprehensive directory of community mental health services, the Hub of Hope.
As part of this partnership they will be coming down into set and shooting a small BTS video for the project which we can't wait to share with you!