10-year-old Neil has a great life and a whole lot of charisma. His parents love him endlessly, and his best friend, Audrey, is basically the Robin to his Batman (if Batman and Robin were cool). But minutes after Neil and Audrey get his parents' wedding tape stuck in the beta player, his parents share some news - they're getting divorced.
Neil is convinced he's stuck in a dream. That's the only way to explain a coincidence THIS big. The only way to wake up, it seems, is to fix the tape, so Neil recruits Audrey's help, and the two set out on a doomed-to-fail mission to do just that.
Why make this film? When I was 15 years old, my parents divorced. I think divorce is likely one of the first decisions a parent consciously makes that might have a negative impact on their child, but for me this period of time was actually enjoyable. When I see divorce on screen, however, I never see this experience. Divorce in film is always negative, always dramatic, and often victimizes the children. Your Mother and I is born as an exception to this unspoken rule. Yes, the moment your idyllic family image falls apart is traumatic, but there is still room for fun and for humour.
Your Mother and I is a comedy about realizing you're not the centre of the universe, and learning to be okay with it.
Making a period piece is expensive! Who knew?
As students of Ryerson University's Image Arts program, we're expected to fully fund the film ourselves. Unfortunately, we can barely afford our rent, let alone a film. Our entire crew volunteered their time for free, and many of us contributed towards the financing, so any amount in excess of our goal will go into repaying our hard-working team.
A whopping 50% has been funded by various crew members, so our goal is the remaining $7k. We were lucky enough to have the support of Digital Canaries, who helped us out with our studio needs in Hamilton, as well as the generosity of the people of Hamilton, who offered up their homes, but now we need your help!
We've got something for everyone! From a thank you in the credits and a digital postcard, to a copy of the movie, to a limited edition "Child of Divorce" t-shirt and/or mug! We even have a special mystery box of 70s decor items (and the occasional set piece!). As the tiers increase, so do our perks. We have tickets to the premiere at the Ryerson University Film Festival in May, and even an executive producer credit if you're keen on joining the team! Each tier comes with all previous perks, too!
We hope you love the perks, but if you don't - that's ok! To make a donation without claiming a perk, click the "Back This Project" button at the top of this page.
ANDY REID (director) is a writer, director, and actor from Hamilton, Ontario. He is currently in the final year of his BFA in Film Studies at Ryerson University’s School of Image Arts. Starting in musical theatre and moving to film, his roots in front of the camera have always been in comedy, from I Declare War (2012) to Pat Mills’ Don’t Talk to Irene (2017), and this has translated into a passion for stories that find humour in truth. In 2016, he was the recipient of the Universal Studios Scholarship in Filmmaking. Andy hopes to one day have a clean divorce like his own parents.
FRANCI DIMITROVSKA (producer) is passionate about funny people and unforgettable movies that bring said people into your field of view. As a child, she was unbearable about making every single person in a two block radius to come see whatever skits she had prepared that weekend. It’s only natural that she’s fallen into producing and is now unbearable about making sure folks make their deadlines. Her most recent films include STARRING (Yonkers Film Festival ‘18) and Campus: AM (Toronto Vanguard Film Festival ‘19).
ALESSANDRA SCONZA (producer) is a Toronto filmmaker, currently completing her BFA in film studies at Ryerson. From making movies to managing social media marketing, she loves to share the stories of real people and brands through any medium available to her. Her past credits include WET (TIFFx- Instagram, 2018) and Undressed (Toronto Short Film Festival, 2019). Alessandra is excited to be producing Your Mother & I and finally helping to tell a different (and probably the cutest) story about divorce.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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