Short Film "Dario, Room 632B, ICU, St. Bartholomew Hospice"

Help Fund My Short Film!

Goal: 500 EUR/USD

ANYTHING BETWEEN 1-10 EUR/USD WOULD BE A BIG HELP

THE MISSION

Me and a small collective of international students, who’ve taken over the mantle of “Maastricht New Wave”, are tackling our new short project in our last months in the city of Maastricht.

As a group, we rotate between projects where each of us bring our own directorial vision, but rely on each other's support and inspiration. For this reason, the “Maastricht New Wave” movement keeps pretty loose guidelines, if not for the presence and intersection of a multicultural cast - to represent the dazzlingly diverse Maastricht student setting.

“Dario, Room 632B, ICU, St. Bartholomew Hospice, NYC” is my second short film here in this city, our fourth one as a group, and I’m excited to present to you and to the world how we’re going to bring it to life (and how you can be part of the journey).

About the Film

"Dario" offers an objective lens on an intimate, culminating moment between two best friends. The film follows 22-year-old student Dario as he visits his best friend Patrick—now in a coma—for the first time.

The film sprouts from a very specific project idea on behalf of our group: plotting a short film which requires minimal planning, a less than 10 minute run time, and (most importantly) a single shot.

What’s special about this film is the unwavering and static lens, which strips the film of its usual audiovisual artifices, and makes its cinematic power reliant on the emotion established within the scene. What goes on between the two isn’t a melodramatic moment of confession and melancholy, but rather Dario simulating a typical and casual night out as they would have had when Patrick was awake. In the beginning, there’s tension (awkwardness) in the air, but the film unravels as Dario shreds his anxious skin and gets more and more comfortable, culminating in a moment of quiet, platonic affection (an implicit expression of everything he could never express when the other was awake). Finally, Dario stands up, adjusts the covers, picks up his things, turns around and exits the room. Perhaps forever.

The inspirations for such a project are films that tackle the overlooked topic of friendship, such as American indie darlings like “Old Joy” (2006), “Gerry” (2002) and “Good One” (2024). Stylistically, it’s films who experimented with minimalism like Chantal Akerman’s “Me, You, Him, Her” (1974) or Dogme 95 flicks like “Festen” (1998).

The Team

In order to keep this one as intimate as possible, the group we’re working with for “Dario” is composed of six essential people. We each have different backgrounds in film as well as cultural inputs (it’s an Italian-American-Hungarian-Dutch cast and crew), and we have established a good synergy between us to bring this to life.

Crew

Director & Writer: Hadrian Di Ianni (yours truly)

Director of Photography & AD: Knuth Petra

Production Design and Wardrobe: Giulia Sperati

Location Sound: Lenja Burmeister

Intimacy Coordination: Camilla Kokali

Cast

Piersson Clark as Dario

Yannick Toussaint as Patrick

The Shoot

The shooting has been scheduled for the 6th-7th of June. Considering the limited scope and length of the project, only two days will be needed: one for rehearsal, another for shooting. Having experienced the times of making short films, we’re confident this is what we need to pull it off.

As mentioned above, one of our main prerogatives is intimacy and naturalism, which is why we will be collaborating with the actors in terms of improvisation (during the rehearsal day), in order to adjust the script for reality. Our coordinator will help out with theatre workshops on intimacy and chemistry. During the shooting day on the other hand, we’re currently experimenting with a “The Zone of Interest ”-like approach, where we keep the camera and audio on location with the actors, and the rest of us watch it through a remote-monitoring system on our phones. That way, we ensure the leads feel as safe and alone as possible.

About Me

Growing up, I’ve always loved stories. When I turned 14 I started to venture into screenplays, and as I got older and realized my need to make movies, I started thinking about shorts. I came to Maastricht to study European law, a second interest of mine (and a surefire way to ensure enough cash flow to realize my filmic ambitions). Here, I shot my first (very ambitiously long and technical) short film “Hiraeth” (2024). I expressed the nostalgia I feel as an individual whose childhood was split between two countries (the US and Italy).

After presenting it thanks to the help of a couple local associations, I took a semester abroad in Berlin, where I volunteered for a big short film festival (InterFilm). This put me on the path towards discovering more festivals and markets, even in my professional career, and as a returning member of the previewing committee, I get to see what works and what doesn’t in short film productions. This project is, of course, very personal, but I know it has a place out there in the film world.

Recent Work

“We’re Here” (student short film, 2025) - Producer (instagram handle @we_rehere)

“The Sun, the Moon, the Sky and All the Stars” (short film, 2024) - 1AD (currently in post production)

“Apnea” (student short film, 2023) - 2AD and Script Supervisor

“Hiraeth” (short film, 2024) - Director, writer, editor (https://youtu.be/7O0bm0ZbbhQ) (below you can find some BTS and stills of the production)

️Why we Need Your Help

“Dario” is intended to be a micro-budget and minimalist production, and most of all a collaboration between like-minded artists, which therefore doesn’t require a lot of funds. we want to create the most impact with the least amount of means possible.

That being said, the money we manage to gather for this product will mostly be used for the purpose of equipment rental, set design, transportation of cast and crew, and festival submission.

For the EQUIPMENT expenses, here’s an approximate price list:

Sony A7IV: 45,00€ /day

Rode Microphone NTG: 12,00€/day

(using our own stand and our own recorder)

Aputure 120d (as a key light): 25,00€/day

Godox SL-60W (as a fill light): 10,00€/day

(diffusion/bounce off material and light dome provided by our journal association)

For the SET DESIGN, here’s a run down of the stuff we need:

Hospital gown

(https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/gp/product/B00I07940M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A299FAWKEGRQUE&psc=1)

IV Bag

(https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/gp/product/B0915RJ4PB/ref=ox_sc_act_image_3?smid=A3U2FNZO1SR46R&psc=1)

IV Stand

IV Hook

(https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/gp/product/B0BGGFZ6LT/ref=ox_sc_act_image_5?smid=A387ZL1S0UYM4Q&psc=1)

Plastic medical tubes

(https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/gp/product/B0CP16GM7X/ref=ox_sc_act_image_4?smid=AM2O6YLW0PDVC&psc=1)

Hospital sheets

(https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/gp/product/B0BY8Y9NF2/ref=ox_sc_act_image_2smid=A3MUIW6AGPH75W&psc=1)

Flowers

Get well cards

As an example of a few FESTIVAL SUBMISSIONS we are considering:

For this year:

For next year:

Considering extra costs in terms of transportation and catering, and this is why the overall estimate required is of 500 EUR/USD. And we’re excited to get it done with only that much.

What If We Exceed Our Goal?

Additional funds will allow us to:

- Pay cast and crew volunteers who are donating their time

- Submit to more festivals to get this film seen by the right people

- Get our hands on even better equipment (especially in the field of lighting)

Your Part

Given the nature of this project, any kind of contribution will be more than enough to ensure your part. Already 10 EUR/USD will bring us closer to making this happen.

We’re very happy to keep the people contributing to this project involved - whether it’s through updates or reading the screenplay. In just about a month, you can expect to see the short you helped create, and you will of course be credited as supporters of the film.