Vanilla Vacation

Aim

Vanilla Vacation, is a feature film about a girl’s trip getaway to the Highlands. With platonic love, they soothe each other's growing pains

Shan Shan, writer & director:

“I began developing Vanilla Vacation in the summer of 2025. I was inspired by my closest friends from home and university, and the importance of girlhood during this transitional period of being a university student in your early 20s. From endless conversations with my friends, who are studying all around the world, I realized, in between all the joking around, that the same interpersonal themes kept recurring. I created the characters to reflect realistic, tight-bonded female friendships and the mundane turmoils everyone faces. My goal is to create a story where every viewer can naturally relate to one of the girls and allow them to escape with the characters into the soothing and stunning Scottish Highlands.”

Four university students go on a girls' holiday to the Scottish Highlands where they turn to each other for support , as they navigate the challenges of being in their liminal early 20s.

University friends Marie, Florence, Ava, and Valentina embark on a holiday together to Marie's family farm in the Highlands. The girls are desperate to get away from their everyday lives and enjoy the serenity away from the city. They begin to relax and open up more to each other about each of their own concerns and struggles in uni and at home. These scenes ebb and flow along with the girls' banter and teasing, just like their friendship dynamics. Each character comes into the holiday with something pressing on them, weighing them down. By the end, through the love and care they all give each other, the girls leave a bit lighter. We take a seat back and flow along with the girls observing their dynamics and the seemingly never-ending emotions that all come from coming of age.

🌿WRITER/DIRECTOR - SHAN LEYS

Hello, I am Shan-Shan, the writer and director of Vanilla Vacation. I specialize in directing and ADing; however, I want to broaden my experience and knowledge in all departments, particularly cinematography and writing. Through my work on film sets ranging from Constantin Film to graduating students, and personal student short films, I have realized how much I enjoy the practical experience and physical work of being on set. Creating a community with every cast and crew by working so closely together really creates an unmatched feeling with the reward of creating a film that connects everyone.

🌿CINEMATOGRAPHER - LENA BELKEBIR

Hello! I'm Lena and I am the Dop. on this wonderful film! I have a strong interest in indie and expressionist cinema. I am inspired by films that portray a raw and authentic portrait of a person, a community or an environment through the lens of surrealism or formal experimentation. Also drawn to quiet yet expressive visual storytelling, I like to create intimate imagery that reflects emotional and psychological inner worlds. I am well versed in the topics that Vanilla Vacation explores and believe I can capture the rich nuance and subtext it entails while creating a cohesive visual language that drives the narrative. A beautiful feature film, Vanilla Vacation is my first big challenge as a DP and I could not be surrounded by a more inspired, supportive and dedicated crew!

🌿PRODUCER - NIAMH CRANNY

Hiya, I’m Niamh the producer! As I’ve grown over the past three years studying film I have naturally taken to producing, finding it incredibly rewarding. What I’ve discovered through Vanilla Vacation is how passionate I am about creating independent films. I think it’s very important we pursue our creative desires. Production helps make these desires a reality, and that is what I really love about producing is the intersection of practicality and imagination. 

Vanilla Vacation explores friendship and sisterhood, and just how important these girls are in each other’s lives. It reminds me of the importance of the women in my life who love so wholly and care so deeply, and whom I respect endlessly. I’m pouring my heart into this project not only because I love the story, but I also love my team and I want to uplift our hard work and dedication!

Working on this project has been fulfilling in ways I never expected. From seeing our wonderful creator Shan Shan’s idea taking form last summer, to our deep pre-production stage now, I cannot wait to see our progress flower.

🌿PRODUCTION MANAGER/1st AC - ERIN MCGORM

I’m Erin, the Production Manager and 1st AC for Vanilla Vacation! I have been really interested in Producing while studying at Napier. It’s a job where you are constantly learning as you get introduced to new challenges and situations you have to work around. It has made me a more adaptable and levelheaded person, and therefore I find it very rewardable. As this film is our first feature length there is so many more lessons to learn, as production manager I will be able to enhance my skills as a producer that I can then carry on into my career and the rest of my time at university. As 1st AC I’m also excited to be working with an amazing camera team, which will help to capture the amazing visuals of the story and the stunning location of Loch Lomond!

🌿EDITOR - BELLA SUTHERLAND

Hey, I am Bella the Editor. I am drawn towards the storytelling aspects of film, also specializing in screenwriting. Shan Shan has created a strong piece with beautiful character dynamics and rich mood. It's been exciting to be involved in the development. I can’t wait to place the pieces together and work with a talented crew I highly admire. I am determined to master the editing craft and further build my skill. The edit shapes the story and forms the tone. I have always been interested in its power. I can’t wait to play with rhythm, pace and witness its effects on this fun, uplifting story. Stories about people and emotions have always interested me. I love focusing on character reactions and finding subtle movements that capture their feelings. A raise of an eyebrow can change the whole tone of a scene. These characters are particularly close to my heart as they take inspiration from my best friends, making this story a whole lot more personal to work on.

🌿PRODUCTION DESIGNER - IZZY JOEL

Hi I’m Izzy, the production designer. I'm super excited to work on this project because I love the idea that our talented Shan Shan came up with and having the opportunity to work with our extremely talented crew! Over the last three years I have always been extremely interested in production design, having the ability to be able to create a space that reflects the thoughts and feelings of the characters, and the fact that I will be able to do this for a group of girls on holiday is so exciting as I haven't done anything like this before. I believe that production design gives more layers to unravel in a film, being able to add in little details that will be able to show the audience why the character is the way they are. I think that the whole process will be incredibly rewarding for everyone and I cannot be more happy to be working with the crew that we have!

🌿COSTUME - OLIVIA MACKAY

Hi, I’m Olivia, the costume designer. I am very excited to work on this project as it is the first feature film I have worked on, and there are so many themes I personally adore in this film. The diverse and complementary friend group is reflective of my own female friendships that I admire, and I love the challenge of representing this through costume. I love costume design as it is a core component in visual storytelling, conveying the personality and lifestyle of a character, and enhancing the mood and style of the film. I’m a big fan of the genre and I love the brilliant script that Shan Shan has written. I am honored to be a part of bringing it to life with the rest of the beautiful crew.

🌿SOUND RECORDIST - CHRISTOPHER WATKINS

Hey, I’m Christopher! I’m recording sound on set for this project! I love being outdoors, so I’m looking forward to spending time with our amazing cast and crew at our incredible location. I enjoy finding solutions and workarounds to provide the cleanest sound possible, and the farm location will prove a new and exciting challenge. I have worked with several crew members before on a wide range of projects and have complete faith in our ability to work well together and enjoy our time spent filming Vanilla Vacation. This will be my first feature project, and I am ready to put in the effort to make this film great!

🌿SOUND DESIGNER - CAMERON MIDDLER

Hi, I’m Cameron, and I will be doing Post-Production Sound! I am super excited for this project as I have never worked on a feature-length film before, and I like the challenge! I love the dynamics between the girls, and I am eager to explore them within my sound design. I want to keep the Sound Design authentic and natural. I am thrilled to work with the crew, as I have worked with many of them before, and I am also delighted to have the chance to work with new people! I have worked as a Sound Designer on multiple other films, and I feel confident in my ability to deliver for this project.

Making an independent feature film takes ambition, and with ambition comes a budget. Your donations directly contribute to our production from beginning to end. The main aspects of our budget comes down to accommodation, transport, design, distribution, and paying our actors. We are filming in Loch Lomond for its gorgeous scenery and its secluded environment. With its seclusion and sought after views however, comes expensive transport and accommodation. This is a passion project, so our entire crew is working for free and carving out time outside of uni, jobs, etc. We will be filming for 2 full weeks, and during these two weeks your donations will also go towards keeping the cast+crew fueled and healthy! We want to be able to pay our cast for the hard work they’ve dedicated over these past months and will continue to dedicate into shooting. Lastly, we plan to submit our film to festivals. Many festivals charge for submission, and then we must factor in transport to the festivals themselves. We would love for our cast and crew to be able to attend any screenings together, and this costs us too. All of these factors I have described contribute to what makes filmmaking so costly, and often why it is less accessible to independent filmmakers like ourselves! So, with that said, any donations would be greatly appreciated on behalf of our cast and crew. Thank you x

Donations are still not the only way to help! Just by sharing this crowdfunder link, following and interacting with our social media, and keeping up with our creative process goes a long way. We’ve started this process because we all care deeply about the film’s story and message, and also to try and see through our ambitions and aspirations. Just by spreading word of our project, you are bringing us closer to our goals. We want to make something we are truly proud of, and we are so proud of the work we’ve all put in so far. So please do share the link and socials below. Additionally, feel free to contact Niamh, our producer for any queries or comments!

INSTAGRAM: @dalrydivasproductions

TIK TOK: @vanilla.vacation

CONTACT: [email protected]

This project successfully funded on 6th June 2026