Rosie

by Lisa Landi in Bournemouth, England, United Kingdom

We did it
On 15th December 2018 we successfully raised £5,160 with 125 supporters in 29 days

A realist drama about a social worker who struggles against crushing bureaucracy to help a troubled little girl find a new home.

by Lisa Landi in Bournemouth, England, United Kingdom

 New stretch target

With our stretched target we will be able to:

- Help our production designers to better realise the world of Rosie.

- Make Rosie look it's absolute best by allowing us to rent specialised lenses for our camera department.

- Give our costume designers more freedom to portray our characters.

- Reach a wider audience by entering more festivals.


Welcome to Rosie!


The film follows Izzy, a recently qualified social worker with a genuine calling and a sense of pride in her work. As she goes about her daily duties by attending a house visit, she encounters a case that will shake her naive view of the system she’s a part of. 

The house she visits is that of 9-year-old Rosie; a troubled little girl with a history of neglect and abuse. Her carer and sole guardian is Ellen, a warm-hearted, kind woman with a long history of foster care. When Izzy meets her, her house and family have become devastated by this placement and so has the woman herself. 

With Ellen talking about Rosie’s emotional trouble and violent behaviour, but nothing of sorts being reported in Rosie’s files, Izzy will have to judge what to believe and what to do. She realises just how insurmountable the issue is as it quickly becomes apparent it is a symptom of the bureaucratic, heartless machine that social care has become. 

Rosie explores the grey areas found between morality and the rules of a failing system. Deeply rooted within socialist realism, the film abstains from black and white judgment and offers a perspective of from each of the characters involved in the narrative.  

Following this concept, we aim to visualise these perspectives and show the thin line separating childhood innocence and the crushing reality. Therefore, the colour composition will be incredibly important in our film. The use of soft, baby colours will be juxtaposed against harsh blues and desaturated terracottas. 

That way, we intend to visualise just how the beauty of childhood can be damaged by the harsh reality of the system.

During his teenage years, Otto Hussain's family fostered a number of young children. Over this time he became familiar with private fostering agencies and how they work. Through an especially challenging case, the failings of the system began to shine through and an immense frustration built against the mistreatment of children and the families who try to care for them. Bringing his story and his frustration to his co-writer Kacper Jaszcz, they decided to look further into the issue. Their research showed that the problems Otto’s family faced were incredibly universal.

British foster care is currently facing a silent crisis. Through privatisation, there has been an unbelievable mis-prioritization of funds, seeing those who run the companies raking in huge profits whilst carers are not receiving adequate funding or support. 

The reality of the situation is that carers are treated as caretakers and the children as products. This leaves those whose job it is to handle the cases both prejudiced and powerless. In effect, it's a system where everyone loses.




The money donated will help us to cast the best actors to bring the characters to life and enable our art department and location manager to find locations that can appropriately build the world of Rosie. Additionally, it will be used to meet the logistical challenges of running a 30 person set, and covering the living expenses of our actors. 

Furthermore, it will be used to make the most out of our cinematography, costume, makeup, and distribution. All in all, your donations will make this film into reality. 

Please donate or share to help us tell this important story and to make this film happen!

If you have had similar experiences with foster care and would like to share your story with us, please email us at [email protected] (all messages will be treated with absolute confidentiality).

Follow us on our  Facebook Page and Instagram, and share it with your friends!

Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£15 or more

THE FILM

Help us get even closer to making the film and receive a link to access the finished film before general release. Also included are the digital poster and storyboard, as well as a shout out on social media.

£5 or more

Feed a member of the crew

Help build a good environment on set by keeping our crew fed and happy. You will also get a shoutout on our social media.

£10 or more

Digital Poster and Storyboards

Get a digital copy of our poster designed by the talented Fay Troote. At this donation level, you will also receive a PDF of our storyboards, giving you a sneak peek into the conceptualisation of Rosie. You'll also get a shout out on our social media.

£25 or more

A personalised postcard from the Director

You will receive a personal postcard from our director and all of the previous rewards. (Exclusive link to the film, digital poster and storyboard, and a shout out on social media)

£50 or more

4 of 10 claimed

THE ART PACK

A set of five postcards designed by our illustrator Fay Troote, physical copies of our concept work, and all of the previous rewards. (Exclusive link to the film, a personalised postcard from the director, digital poster and storyboard, and a shout out on social media)

£100 or more

4 of 15 claimed

The production book

A beautifully formatted art book containing all of our production material and content written by our crew detailing our process. This will include BTS photography, final storyboards, and the script. As well as this, you will receive all previous rewards. (Exclusive link to the film, a personalised postcard from the director, The Art Pack, digital poster and storyboard, and a shout out on social media)

£250 or more

0 of 5 claimed

Special Thanks

Your incredible generosity towards our project will be noted in the credits as one of a limited amount of special thanks. Also included will be all the rewards below £100. (Exclusive link to the film, our production book, a personalised postcard from the director, The Art Pack, digital poster and storyboard, and a shout out on social media)

£500 or more

0 of 3 claimed

Executive Producer Credit

At this level you will be an integral part of Rosie's production, earning the formal credit of Executive Producer at the very top of our credits and our undying gratitude! Organisations and businesses are just as welcome as individual donors. You will also receive all rewards under £100. (Exclusive link to the film, our production book, a postcard from the director, The Art Pack, digital poster and storyboard, and a shout out on social media)

£200 or more

1 of 1 claimed

Izzy's notebook

Receive one of the key props from the film. Izzy carries her notebook as her trusty companion throughout Rosie, becoming a key part of the ending. You can own an important part of the film with all the previous rewards included. (Exclusive link to the film, our production book, a personalised postcard from the director, The Art Pack, digital poster and storyboard, and a shout out on social media)

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