Hi, I’m Lara — a UK-based filmmaker, writer, and immigrant.

I'm the writer-director of Your Choice to Leave, a short film about friendship, fragility, and the quiet heartbreak of being forced to say goodbye.

Set over one summer night at a British boarding school, the story follows Daniel, who’s being deported to Russia, and Max, who’s leaving for university in the US. It’s their last night together — and neither of them is ready.

They make noodles.

They refuse to pack.

They draw on the ceiling.

They talk about nothing… so they don’t have to say everything.

It’s funny, devastating, intimate — a love letter to the kids we used to be, and the ones we couldn’t protect.

WHY THIS, WHY NOW?

I wrote this film because I know what it means to have your sense of belonging feel conditional.

Most of our cast and crew are immigrants or the children of immigrants — including myself. We’ve all felt that invisible, anxious line between safety and precarity. This story comes from lived experience. It’s about the quiet violence of borders, and the fear of being erased.

In today’s political climate, when immigration is debated like a statistic and rights are rolled back quietly — Your Choice to Leave reminds us that behind every policy are real, tender lives.

Two boys. One goodbye. No safety net.

WHERE WE ARE NOW

Your Choice to Leave won Best Short Script at LEEDSflix 2025 and is now moving into production!

We’ve already secured most of our budget through in-kind support and private contributions — but we’re still missing the final £2,000 needed to complete our funding. That’s where you come in !!

With your help, we can make it with full creative integrity, pay our team fairly, and share it with the world at major festivals like Sundance, BFI, and Cannes.

WHAT WE’RE RAISING FOR:

ARRI camera & lens hire

Travel & accommodation for immigrant crew

Production design (Daniel’s room, Max’s world)

On-set meals and transport

Post-production + festival submissions (Sundance, BFI, Cannes, etc.)

Every pound goes directly into the film.

WHO’S INVOLVED:

Written & Directed by: Lara Czernecki (NYU, Cambridge University Writing, CEO of Magia Films)

Starring: Sam Lawless (Bristol Old Vic Theatre School ‘27) and Philip Bayntun (BBC's Boarders, Bristol Old Vic's Mephisto)

Produced by: Mariia Nesteruk (Watercolors), Krisztian Manyi

Associate Producer: Marcel Stanek (UOB ‘24)

DOP: Walker Hull (London Film School, '25)

Production Designer: Jana Marinovic (Columbia University '27)

Art Director: Anya Chatterjee (London Film School, '25)

Score: Thomas Hooper (Guildhall, RWCMD)

1st AD: Marius Hatteland-Dunn

Script Editor and Supervisor: Ameena Naweed

Also Appearing: Olga Bayntun

We're building a film that’s delicate, emotionally raw, and visually poetic — one that shows what it means to be left behind, and what it means to love someone you cannot keep.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Donate anything you can — £5, £20, £100 — it all matters

Every contribution makes a real impact — no matter the amount

You’re not just helping fund a film — you’re helping tell a story that reflects lived immigrant experience.

While we can’t offer perks or rewards, your support means everything, and we’ll be forever grateful to everyone who joins this journey

Please feel free to leave a message or reach out — we’d love to stay connected with everyone who believes in this project