Hi, we’re Cooper and Ciara.

As members of the AAFTA Young Actors Ensemble, we’re passionate about storytelling that gives young people the opportunity to explore meaningful ideas, take creative risks, and tell stories that reflect the world around us. That passion led us to co-create Counterpoint, a coming-of-age short film about identity, friendship, music, and the pressure young people feel to have their entire futures figured out.

Our film follows Chloe and Milo, two teenagers who appear to come from completely different worlds. Chloe is confident, popular, and expected to follow the path her family has planned for her. Milo is known as the smart kid—quiet, observant, and often overlooked. Although neither truly knows the other, one unexpected conversation reveals that they are both struggling with the same question:

Who gets to decide who you are?

For Chloe, music becomes the first place where she can admit what she truly wants. After an argument with her mother leaves her feeling unheard and disconnected from her own future, Milo becomes the first person to listen without judging her or trying to change her. Although they would never normally move in the same social circles, music creates an opportunity for them to connect honestly.

Through that connection, Chloe begins to understand that she does not need permission from a school, her family, or anyone else to call herself a singer. She can sing now. Milo, meanwhile, is given the chance to be seen as more than his grades, intelligence, or academic future.

We wanted to tell this story because music is a universal language. It allows people from different backgrounds and experiences to connect, even when they believe they have nothing in common.

At its heart, Counterpoint is about how similar we all are beneath the labels placed upon us. We are all navigating uncertainty. We are all carrying expectations. We are all trying to understand what the future might hold while taking life one wave at a time.

For many young adults, the pressure to choose the right school, career, identity, and future can feel overwhelming. Counterpoint reflects that struggle while offering a hopeful reminder: we are more than one thing, our futures do not have to follow a single predetermined path, and sometimes the person we least expect may be the one who understands us most.

We are incredibly proud of this short film and the message behind it. Now, we need your help to make it happen.

Thanks to Diversity Pictures, AAFTA and Ryde Entertainment, we have an incredible crew... but we still need support with

Every donation, no matter the size, brings us closer to production. Sharing the campaign with friends, family, and fellow supporters of young artists also makes an enormous difference.

By supporting Counterpoint, you are not only helping us make a film, your supporting our ensemble. You are supporting emerging young storytellers, independent filmmaking, and a story that encourages people to look beyond appearances and truly see one another. We have included our full film deck below.

Film Deck

Thank you for believing in us, in young artists, and in the power of storytelling.

We cannot wait to share Counterpoint with you.

Cooper and Ciara

The Counterpoint Team