Meet-Cute Film Festival Fundraiser

Aim

To fund the festival run (with your help!) for our short romantic comedy Meet-Cute starring Jake Bhardwaj and Poppy Abbot.

LOGLINE:

Mark, an anxious neat-freak and Mia, a chaotic, rebel are on a first date. They list through their red flags - the bar is so low you couldn't limbo under it! Despite their differences they appear made for each other, there's only one small problem...

SYNOPSIS:

Meet-Cute is a rapid-fire rom-com for the anxious, nerdy and neurodiverse. Jaded by endless dates that go nowhere with people too afraid to put their real personality out there, Mark and Mia decide to lay it all on the line, their pet peeves, red flags and their sexual hard nos! We see cutaways of their sad little lives and dating disasters. Whilst they're both odd balls and cultural snobs we can begin to see a connection forming however, the rug is pulled from under us at the last minute. A style that sits somewhere between Wes Anderson and Edgar Wright with a dash of Arrested Development thrown in. A micro-short that packs a lot of punch.

CAST:

• Mark - Jake Bhardwaj
• Mia - Poppy Abbott
• Beatles Guy - Rob Fuz
• Female Date - Emily Tietz
• Male Date - George Ormerod
• Steve - Lewis Wallace
• Man in Mask - John Wilkinson
• Waiter - Jack Richardson
• High School Friends – Seb Gran, Michaela Morgan-Bullock, Fiona Fuller

CREW:

• Writer/Director - Nadine O’Mahony
• DOP - Ash Connaughton
• 1st AD - Jack Richardson
• Line Producer - Tom Woolley
• Producer - Nadine O’Mahony
• Editor - Will Simpson
• Composer - Rupert Cole
• Post Production Sound Mixer – Nick Acacia 
• Colour Grader – Ash Connaughton
• Gaffer - David Graham, 
• Nigel Chapwanya (Dailies)
• DIT - Luke Turner
• 1st AC - Dario LiguorI
• 2nd AC - Fábio Calundungo
• Camera trainee - Simmy Sehmi
• Key Researcher - Priya Joshi
• Casting Researcher - Scotty Powell
• Location Scout - Dario Liguori
• Production Designer - Sherrie Edgar
• Art Director - Simmy Sehmi
• Sound Mixer - Chas Sheppard
• Script Supervisor - Toyosi Ige
• Hair & MUA - Tiona Findlay
• Production assistants - Priya Joshi, Satish Danny Paul, Scotty Powell
• VFX – Joshua Allwood
• Key Wardrobe provided by Top Banana
• BTS - Rob Fuz
• Executive Producer - Caroline Officer

HOW WE MADE IT:

With a budget of just over a thousand pounds Meet-Cute was an ambitious project to pull off. We had over ten weeks of pre-production where our talented art department created storyboards, physical props, graphics and hand drawn art without the use of generative AI. This was also my first attempt at mixed media animation, printing off and even painting photographs myself (with help from my daughter) before rescanning to really give that handmade feel to those sections which could have easily be done digitally. I was inspired by filmmakers like Wes Anderson and Richard Ayoade who embrace the human and imperfect element of animation and production design. This film was made as part of Solihull College's CPD Bootcamp.

We wanted to keep our film as green as possible and most of the wardrobe was loaned by a local vintage shop called Top Banana or the actors' own clothing, veggie food options were provided by a local falafel truck and people were encouraged to bring their own water bottles with water on tap as we were filming in a restaurant. All our cast and crew were local to the Midlands region except our lead actor Jake Bhardwaj. Travel by public transport was encouraged. 

This is my first time directing a comedy I have also written and the humour very much speaks to the shows I love such as Peep Show, Spaced and Arrested Development, my number one goal with this was to make people laugh. 

Fewer young adults are engaging in sexual relationships and the discourse around dating seems to be more divided than ever. Dating apps, podcasts, financial instability and cultural shifts all seem to contribute to this trend. Whilst this is well worn territory I believe Meet-Cute offers a fresh, sharply funny take on our desire for connection (a theme running through all my work) and the struggles to find it and keep it.

Bios:

JAKE BHARWHAJ is currently starring as co-host and producer on the critically acclaimed podcast Joe Marler Will See You Now and official social host of SNL UK, bringing exclusive behind the scenes content to a wide digital audience. He also hosts The Pub Quiz Pod alongside Liam Shaw where they complete a pub quiz every episode along with a different celebrity guest. 

Jake will be performing his late night, variety show Not Another Quiz Night at the Brighton Fringe and the Edinburgh Fringe in 2026 after a hugely successful residency at the Clapham Grand. The show has been a sell-out success, bringing in corporate audiences like Spotify and Channel 4, and leading to quiz hosting on Kiss FM and Absolute Radio. 

Jake has starred in multiple short films and will be appearing in the BBC1 sitcom Ann Droid later this year.

Poppy Abbott is a Birmingham-based actor, writer and producer working across film and theatre. She trained at Identity School of Acting and was part of the BFI NETWORK Creative Producer Lab 2024.

Her debut play Blackout was performed at theatres in Birmingham and London, and she later led the short film adaptation. Poppy stars in the RTS Award-winning short film No Worries If Not! for which she received Best Actress nominations at festivals.

She has led multiple short films, and most recently filmed for the new comedy pilot Kitty Clap Klub and Rash Productions’ upcoming series Belief.

NADINE O’MAHONY is a writer/director who makes films about misfits seeking connection. She is a memebr of BAFTA Connect and CineSisters as well as an associate member of DirectorsUK. 

She was selected for the Channel 4 x Leap Lab in 2026 and the BFI Midlands Directors Lab in 2024. Her screenplay VIDEO NASTY was longlisted for the Funny Women Awards, Best Comedy Writing and shortlisted for the BBC Comedy Collective (top 5%). 

She wrote the BFI funded short RUSHED, which premiered at the BAFTA qualifying Flatpack Film Festival, won Best Breakout at the Windrush Caribbean Film Festival and was nominated for Shooting People's New Shoot's Awards. In 2025 she was selected for BFI Early Development Funding for her feature film SAMEFOOD which was commissioned by Vicarious Productions in 2026.

An award-winning filmmaker, Tom has produced festival and competition winning short films, and production managed / co-produced multiple independent projects including TV Pilots and a narrative music video including “I’m Toby”, which won the Reel Brum 48 Hour Film Challenge and the Audience Vote Award at the Birmingham Film Festival, alongside several additional nominations and official selections. 

Most recently, he produced the comedy-horror short “The Wretch”, directed by award-winning filmmaker Jack Richardson, and served as Production Manager on the independent comedy TV pilot “Kitty Clap Klub”, produced by award-winning creative producer Aresa Foster.

ASH CONNAUGHTON is an experienced DOP with over ten years of expertise working both nationally and internationally. He is a BAFTA Connect Member and has shot multi-award-winning narrative shorts, including BFI-funded projects, as well as promotional content for major brands, hard-hitting documentaries and music videos. His list of clients includes the NHS, Channel 4, BBC, Warner Brothers, Specsavers, Vax, and many more.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made