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Logline

An irreverent widow and former CIA spy kindles an unlikely friendship with her young new neighbor that pushes his relationship with his partner to the breaking point. As they navigate the lives they’ve lived and confront the secrets of their past, they must find a way to move forward together.

Synopsis

Lillian, Next Door is a dramedy about Lillian Wallingford Blanton, a confident and independent southern matriarch who possesses a take-no-prisoners wit that leaves others laughing or furious, and often craving more.

An irreverent widow and former CIA spy, Lillian shrewdly takes inventory of everything and uses off-color witty malaprops to keep others off-guard.

One summer afternoon, Lillian spies two men moving into her Arlington neighborhood outside Washington, D.C. Having embarked on home ownership, Jason and Aaron believe it will demonstrate the solidity of their relationship. It may instead reveal deep-seated differences yet to be overcome. When Lillian kindles an unlikely friendship with Jason, it pushes his relationship with his partner Aaron to the breaking point.

As they navigate their way forward together, they find common ground. It’s a story of improbable friends, generations apart, who create a chosen family.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Janice Engel – Director
Award-winning filmmaker Janice Engel’s feature-length documentary Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins premiered at Sundance in 2019. After winning the Audience Award at SXSW and garnering awards at numerous festivals, Magnolia Pictures released it in more than 1,000 theaters and had an 18-week nationwide run. It premiered in the UK and Ireland via Modern Films. In 2022, Rotten Tomatoes selected it as one of the Best Movies Directed by Women in the 21st Century.

Janice has made numerous documentaries and non-fiction television series and specials including Jackson Browne: Going Home (Cable Ace-Award), Ted Hawkins: Amazing Grace (Rose D’Or Special Jury Prize) and Addicted (Prism Award).

What We Carry, her on-going multi-media educational series, is dedicated to preserving Holocaust survivors’ stories. Premiered at The Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, it is in the permanent collection at Yad Vashem in Israel.

A Professor at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Janice teaches film production. She is a member of the International Documentary Association and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. She was invited to be a creative advisor for Film Independent’s Amplifier Fellowship and has lectured at Film Independent’s Documentary Story Lab.

James Egan – Producer
James Egan is a veteran independent producer whose narrative and documentary films have won numerous awards at film festivals such as Sundance, SXSW, and SFFF and have been distributed worldwide by Sony, Sony Classics, Magnolia, HBO, Kino Lorber, Visit, Paramount, Apple TV, Hulu/Disney, and more. James was the on-set producer for Wild About Harry, a film released on Apple TV in 2021.

Working with Director Janice Engel, he was lead producer for Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins, which premiered at Sundance 2019 to rave reviews, won the Audience Award at SXSW, was released by Magnolia Pictures theatrically nationwide and is available on multiple streaming platforms.

James founded Wild at Heart Films to create “Media that Makes a Difference.” The first project under the Wild at Heart Films banner was the critically acclaimed independent film Jackpot, winner of the John Cassavetes Spirit Award and distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.

He produced the award-winning Angels in the Dust, directed by Louise Hogarth. Kimjongilia, a feature documentary Executive Produced by James and Mike Figgis, was selected for Sundance 2009.

Tim Atkin – Writer
Tim Atkin is a military veteran who commanded two Coast Guard cutters, earning numerous medals and awards for search & rescue and law enforcement operations. He also served on the National Security Council staff at the White House under President Clinton, where he focused on our nation’s response to the Cuban and Haitian migration crises. Beyond his career in public service, Tim’s lifelong passion has been storytelling, which led him to begin writing screenplays.

In 2021, Tim completed the New York Film Academy’s 15-week Filmmaking program. Since 2021, he has collaborated with director Janice Engel to further develop Lillian, Next Door.

Bianca Butti – Cinematographer
Bianca Butti’s work has premiered at numerous festivals around the world including Sundance, SXSW, Slamdance, New Horizons Film Festival in Poland and the Scenecs Film Festival in Holland.

Bianca recently wrapped production on Lovers, an indie feature directed by Taylor McFadden. As an “A” Camera Operator, Bianca worked on the last three Luca Guadagnino films, Bones and All (2022), Challengers (2024), and Queer (2025).

She is also known for The Uncanny, released in 2023 and An American in Texas directed by Anthony Pedone. The feature Hank and Asha, directed by James Duff, won her the Director’s Award for Best Cinematography at the Woods Hole Film Festival. And the critically acclaimed short Untitled MARFA Film, directed by Emily Elizabeth Thomas, shot in 2019, won Best Cinematography at the Victoria Texas Independent Film Festival. Bianca has a BA in Cinema from San Francisco State University.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.