Just A Little Bit Longer

Aim

This is a final year student production, shooting in late February and early March 2026.

A sudden death in the family, ashes stolen from a wake; two estranged siblings grapple to mend their broken relationship in the face of their eldest sister’s sudden death.

Set over one night, Ava and Archie attempt to reconcile their strained relationship, made worse by the family that pits them against each other. 

The world they knew is crumbling, the luxury of being understood has vanished with their eldest sister’s sudden death, leaving a minefield of grief and resentment in her absence. Accusations, guilt, anger, grief and a desperation to be known are all that ties Ava and Archie together now, the question is whether they have the courage to reconnect. 

Why Support Us?

Just A Little Bit Longer is a student film that strives to encapsulate the complexities of family relationships and grief. The simplicity of the concept, following a pair of siblings throughout the course of one day, spotlights the emotional struggle of making connections in a time of pain. Ava and Archie's characters explore different stages of grief and the impact of internal-family conflicts. As a student team we intend to give our all to this story. We plan on filming in Sussex and in our local area of North Surrey. 

Where Is the Money Going? 

The money we fund on this page will provide our filming and travel fees, accommodation and feed our crew! Every donation enables us to create a happy and safe environment for our crew and actors alongside providing us the opportunity to push this production to the highest quality it can be. As this film prioritises realism in both its visuals and messaging, our budget will focus predominantly on accommodation, location fees and catering. 

The Creative Vision: 

"We've worked on other projects together, and it is always such a fun and unpredictable experience as we build a story and characters together. 

The writing process of this film developed rather naturally once the foundations were put in place. We wanted this film to centre a confined space and explore both the loyalties and conflicts of sibling relationships. A strong inspiration for the writing process on this project was Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag (2016), particularly the explosive family arguments and natural dialogue. But also for the Brittish-ness of the show and how the characters interact, which was a tone we really wanted to shine through in our own portrayals. 

We also drew on our own sibling dynamics for our dialogue authenticity, both of us having younger brothers was very helpful for how we wrote the varying pressure and responsibilities of these characters. Overall, despite the heavy subject matter, we really focused on creating a realistic sibling relationship- full of low-blow insults, pettiness, insecurity, illy-timed banter and protectiveness. What we really wanted to spotlight, and hope comes across to you our audience is the light at the end of the tunnel- that despite the rockiness of Ava and Archie’s history they will always have each other’s backs.”  

-The Writers. 

I am so excited to be directing this project with such a strong team of people! All your contributions will go towards locking in our locations, accommodation and a range of other things so, anything you can give is everything to us. This story is a beautiful, raw depiction of a sibling’s relationship and a new challenge for me personally as it is ever so slightly out of my comfort zone. So naturally, I CAN’T WAIT! Keep an eye out on our socials, can’t wait to show you our film!

- Deni, Director

Our Crew:

Producer: Chloe-Jayne. O'Connell 

Director: Deni Mistry

DOP: Alex Smart

Editor: Ana-Catalina. Giraldo-Magnani 

Screenwriters: Chloe & Ana-Catalina 

Sound Designers: Anjali Pramod & Lauren Henderson

1st AD: Sofia. Del Olmo Gutierrez

Production Designer: Alex Smart

For more information: including casting call, social media and music. 

This project successfully funded on 2nd March 2026