Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program opens the door to nonprofit funding for independent filmmakers and media artists. Donate today and help bring Smile… the Worst is Yet to Come to life.
 

Logline

An LA-based couple grappling with a series of personal and professional losses retreats to Big Bear Lake for a weekend hoping to rekindle their dwindling romantic flame.

Synopsis

After closing his business amid Covid-19 and her suffering from repeated IVF failures, the death of their beloved dog is too much to bear for BEN (42) and BIRDIE (37).

Ben is an aspiring novelist whose writer’s block and student debt forced him into opening a (now closed) bar which he had no heart in from its onset. Birdie’s talent as a photographer was sidelined by her need to support Ben’s creative pursuits and be the financially “stable one” in the relationship. The L.A. couple retreats to Big Bear Lake for a weekend hoping to escape their ruts.

They try to reignite romantic sparks, but fail every time. Their efforts get upended when they meet JANUARY (20s) and JEREK (20s), hip social media influencers looking for good content in nature. When Birdie invites them to the cabin to try some of Ben’s original cocktails an alcohol-fueled evening of truth telling ensues.

In a game inspired by NPR’s Moth Stories, each person shares a defining moment of their life in a performative setting… and ultimately opens Pandora’s Box. January and Jerek shine a public spotlight on the private struggles Ben and Birdie hide, even from each other, and force them to dismantle the facade of their relationship.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Chloe Lenihan – Director/Producer
Chloe Lenihan is a writer/ director/ producer with a penchant for telling female- centric stories thematically rooted in Americana. Her films have screened at such festivals as SXSW, Atlanta, and Palm Springs.

Chloe holds an M.F.A. from Columbia University where she received the New York Women in Film & Television scholarship. She was awarded the Katharina Otto-Bernstein grant to write and produce her thesis film How Far She Went, which was awarded “Jury Honors” and “Audience Award” at Columbia University’s Film Festival and “Best Female Student Filmmaker” by DGA East. She co-wrote, directed, and starred in All-American Sex Offender, which won “Best Web Series” at HollyShorts Film Festival. Recently, Chloe was selected to develop her feature script, Metanoia, at Stowe Story Lab and Cine Qua Non’s Script Revision Lab.

A graduate of the William Esper Studio in New York, Chloe has been a member of SAG since 1989.

Joseph Mancuso – Writer/Actor/Producer
Joseph Mancuso is an actor, writer, and editor. He has spent twenty years working in the theater, performing on NYC stages like The Cherry Lane, The Public (developing works with LAByrinth Theater Company), and 59 East 59th St, and has trained under esteemed acting teachers David Gideon, Terry Schreiber, and Larry Moss. T.V. & Film credits include: The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, Shades of Blue, and Pee Wee’s Big Holiday.

As a producer and editor, Joseph has sold and cut shows for clients like A&E, National Geographic, Discovery, and Netflix. Against the Odds, a documentary edited by Joseph, has accrued over 6 million views on YouTube. His work as a writer was recognized with a “Best Series” win at La Femme International Film Festival for his dark comedy digital series Life, Coached, which was directed by Chloe Lenihan.

Elizabeth Masucci – Actor/Producer
Elizabeth Masucci is a NYC-based actor, producer, writer, and director. Notable roles include a series regular on Public Morals (TNT) produced by Steven Spielberg and created by & starring Edward Burns, Shame (dir: Steve McQueen) alongside Michael Fassbender, and several starring roles in off-Broadway theater productions, including Unlikely Japan, written and directed by Neil Labute.

Elizabeth co-produced and acted alongside Kelsey Grammer and Julia Stiles in The God Committee, a feature film which premiered at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival and is currently streaming on Netflix. She co-founded In The Meantime Productions to produce her own episodic & feature projects. Currently in production is Crazy, Baby, a dark comedy series about women suffering from Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders, represented by Range Media Partners under A&E Studios.
Elizabeth sits on the board of nonprofits Urban Arts Partnerships and Girl Be Heard. Her most important role, however, is mother to two children.

Make a donation to Smile… the Worst is Yet to Come.

Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.