A fast-paced dark comedy about the parking fine crisis in Manchester shot on donated 16mm celluid film from the award-winning production team.

Our award-winning team, whose British comedy caper, Bricked Up, captivated the North West, are now rebelling against petty parking fines with FINED short film, blending absurdist humour with a scathing critique of systemic indifference.

A self-righteous traffic warden in Manchester becomes obsessed with ticketing an illegally parked car, only to learn its owner died. Forced to confront his own ruthlessness, at the funeral, he must decide whether to uphold the law or salvage his humanity.​

Join us rebelling on petty parking fines in Manchester by supporting our fundraiser to bring this short film to your screen!

Motivation

Let's be honest: It’s a story that’s urgent, universal, and painfully timely.

Synopsis

FINED is a five minute dark comedy about Gary, a self-righteous traffic warden, who thrives on punishing drivers who overstay their welcome in Manchester’s parking chaos. His world revs around slapping fines with glee — until he encounters an abandoned car on double yellow lines. Day after day, Gary tickets the unmoving vehicle. His frustration towering as the windscreen gets littered with yellow notices.​

When a sharp-tongued Dogwalker reveals the car’s owner, Richard, spun out from a heart attack, Gary bolts. He speeds to the hospital, only to screech in as Richard flatlines. Detouring to the funeral, a flicker of humanity crashes when Gary serves 29 outstanding fines to the grieving widow. She shoves them back into his hands, kicking off a scruffle with mourners, a snarling terrier, and a gobsmacked priest. Gary stalls, swerves, and plummets into the open grave landing atop the coffin in a slapstick pile-up of bureaucratic absurdity and poetic justice.

FINED satirises systemic exploitation through Gary’s tailspin from rule enforcer to petty tyrant, forcing audiences to ask: When bureaucracy gives it some welly, who becomes roadkill?

Audience

You'll likely love FINED short film if you're a fan of dark comedies. Think: The Death of Stalin (2017), or In the Loop (2009).

Meet the Award-Winning Crew

We are an award-winning, majority-queer team of film school graduates whose fast-paced British comedy caper, Bricked Up, proved our knack for blending grit with heart: Winner of the Royal Television Society North West Student Television Award for Best Entertainment and Comedy Drama 2025; Best Film and Best Edited graduate short film from the University of Salford BA (Hons) Film Production class of 2024, winner of Outstanding Achievement in Editing award.

As first-gen immigrants, LGBTQ+ creatives, or Mancunians like director Max James Walker — who’s battled petty fines firsthand — we ensure that the satire humour of our film never punches down, but amplifies voices sidelined by bureaucracy. For us, FINED is a stepping stone to features and TV series exploring class and identity.

At Memorisica, we’re more than an independent content company — we’re a production collective. We help diverse, entry-level talent produce award-winning content by sharing production resources: Think equipment, studio spaces, distribution networks. Our focus directly tackles barriers outlined by the British Film Institute.

Our group is made up of professionals from various cultural backgrounds, beliefs, sexual orientations, and gender identities, each bringing their unique voice to award-winning programming across all genres. Focused on creative innovation and development, we aspire to become a home for emerging talent and original storytelling.

Known for the fast-paced, gritty caper with British 2000s indie vibes, Bricked Up, winner of the Royal Television Society North West Student Television Award for Best Entertainment and Comedy Drama 2025; Best Film and Best Edited graduate short film from the University of Salford BA (Hons) Film Production class of 2024, winner of Outstanding Achievement in Editing award.

Max James Walker is also known for The Façade, and Schamlippen. He's an award-winning writer and director from Stockport, Greater Manchester, always looking for the deeper meaning in things.

Nominee for Mars Elkins El-Brogy Award for Multimedia Content at National Student Television Association, Xavier Sonski is also known for producing and editing a talk show all about filmmaking and industry insights, Beyond The Reel, filmed at MediaCityUK with a live studio audience.

From a working-class background of rural Northern Ireland, Ryan tells new stories that challenge audiences’ perspectives on current social issues with a light-hearted tone. FINED is their next project under this mission, taking a satirical stab at the UK‘s parking fine crisis and councils’ negligence on it.

Award-winning production designer known for In Another Time (2025), winner of Outstanding Achievement in Production Design award from the University of Salford BA (Hons) Film Production class of 2024. Also known for Bricked Up.

Your Support Matters

Every £1 gets us closer to exposing bureaucratic absurdity on screen. Help us start rolling before 2026.

Contribute to the production costs of the short film by making a donation. Every donation brings us one step closer to realising our potential.

We do not offer any rewards for donating to the project via GoFundMe. We know it's not ideal.

Project Stage & Feasability

FINED is intentionally lean, focused, and achievable, with just four shooting locations: the gritty streets of Manchester, a residential house, a hospital room, and a gravesite.

Our production received a donation of 16mm film stock, meaning your support goes on what truly elevates the film: production design and costumes, hiring local actors, locations, as well as travel and catering expenses. Some portion will also go towards equipment rental, though we’re using some equipment our group already own, too!

Ways to Support

Donate to our GoFundMe. Contribute to the production costs of the short film by making a donation. Every donation brings us one step closer to realising our potential.

Don’t get left out! Stay connected with all the behind-the-scenes and project updates. Follow our social media: Instagram & Facebook.

Share the word! You know someone screwed over by a petty parking fine! Statistics don’t lie. Show that you care by sharing FINED with your friends, family, and networks. Every mention, like, and share helps us reach a wider audience and support!

See Your Impact

Join us on social media for behind-the-scenes content; updates and milestones; and crew takeovers.

Tag us in your parking fine horror stories and we’ll feature the most absurd ones on our feed!

Add FINED to your Watchlist on Letterboxd.

Thanks for your support!