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Logline

Down on his luck, a failed LA musician, Cary, begrudgingly accepts a songwriting gig for a viral country-rap sensation in a last-ditch effort to chase his dreams, reuniting his old band, and making amends along the way.

Synopsis

Following a disastrous, once-in-a-lifetime studio session with prominent A&R executive DENISE, our main character CARY grapples with escalating financial strain due to a rent increase and marital discord with his wife, NIXON, a steadfast supporter and occasional singer/songwriter. In a humbling turn of events, he reluctantly accepts a songwriting gig for viral yet gimmicky country-rap sensation, LIL XANNY PACK.

Despite daunting challenges, Cary successfully helps overcome Lil Xanny Pack’s writer’s block, crafting a chart-topping song on his first attempt. Fueled by this success, Cary reconciles with his former band, DRAMA QUEEN, consisting of PAUL, his drummer and lifelong buddy; V, a wickedly talented French guitar lead and single mother; GERALD, a good-natured Native American keyboardist; and ANDY, their bassist and a junior A&R executive, also Denise’s subordinate who coordinated the initial botched studio session in the first act. Allowing the anger and resentment of the band’s breakup many years ago to wash away, the gang cuts a comeback record to re-enter the music scene.

Drama Queen triumphantly stages a comeback show, only to discover that Denise and Lil Xanny Pack have stolen the rights to their new song, “Give up the Ghost,” with Andy’s betrayal. A tumultuous brawl ensues, leading to Drama Queen’s disbandment. Wounded, Cary and Nixon bid farewell to sunny Los Angeles, and despite the success of “Give up the Ghost” as performed by Lil Xanny Pack, embarking on an independent music career in Portland, Oregon. Despite the loss, Cary achieves two significant moral victories: industry recognition and liberation from the need for external validation.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Phillip Yaw Domfeh – Co-Writer/Co-Director/Co-Producer
Phillip Yaw Domfeh is the producer of Disney‘s “LAUNCHPAD” shorts Incubator and a writer/director from Los Angeles, CA.
Prior to joining The Walt Disney Studios, he served as an executive producer of the 2019 AT&T Mentorship Program. There, he worked alongside Emmy® Award winner Lena Waithe and Rishi Rajani to mentor underrepresented filmmakers and produce five short films starring Dascha Polanco, Loretta Devine, and Rob Morgan.

He and his wife’s debut comedy short film, Rudeboy’s Restaurant, was financed by Little Ugly, Vimeo, Dolby Labs, and Ghetto Film School through the 2019 Emerge! Filmmaker Lab Short Film Competition premiered in August 2020 as part of the American Black Film Festival 2020 Emerging Directors Showcase.

He and his wife’s latest short Cary In Retrograde premiered at the inaugural 2021 ABFF Comedy Festival and additionally won awards at the Austin Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, and Buffalo Film Festival.

In 2024, Phillip was nominated for a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Short Form Series Comedy or Drama for Disney Launchpad Season Two.

Priya Jane Domfeh – Co-Writer/Co-Director/Co-Producer
Priya Jane Domfeh, is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles, CA is a writer, director, producer, and set decorator. Her notable works include acclaimed series such as How To Get Away With Murder, Good Trouble, Dead to Me, Maggie, and Station 19, where she worked in the set decorating department. Notably, she worked as the Art Director for the Sundance 2017 Next Category Official Selection, It Happened in LA.

In a collaborative effort with her husband and creative partner, Phillip Domfeh, Priya co-founded and currently operates Cosmic Otter Productions, an independent production outlet. Under this banner, the dynamic duo have successfully written, produced, designed, and directed their debut short film, Rudeboy’s Restaurant, in collaboration with Ghetto Film School, Little Ugly, and Dolby Labs.
Priya achieved her co-directing and co-writing debut with the surrealistic musical dramedy, Cary in Retrograde, which garnered recognition by winning jury awards at the Nashville and Austin Film Festival.

Furthermore, the feature-length script of Cary in Retrograde competed for the title of Best Comedy Feature at the Nashville Film Festival in 2023.

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Contact

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