WIRED SHUT: A Thriller

Welcome to the GoFundMe page for the thriller feature film, Wired Shut. Thank you for showing interest in our project!

Wired Shut is a pulse-pounding, hair-raising, and heart-stopping home-invasion thriller. Our aim is to take this feature to festivals in order to sell to a distribution company for theatrical release.

Wired Shut follows Reed Rodney, a disillusioned, world-famous novelist. While recovering at his remote mountain home from major reconstructive jaw surgery (which has rendered him physically unable to speak) Reed receives an unexpected visit from his estranged daughter, Emmy. After a life-threatening secret is exposed and upends their reality as they know it, Reed and Emmy must decide how far they are willing to go together in the name of survival and redemption.

While Wired Shut is a “hard R” home-invasion thriller in the vein of Hush or Don’t Breathe, it is also grounded in a poignant father-daughter dynamic, as Emmy and Reed attempt to repair their utterly broken relationship in the midst of the most extreme circumstances imaginable.

For any donation amount, backers will receive a "GoFundMe Backer" credit in the film. 

For donations $500 and above, backers will receive an "Associate Producer" credit in the film. 

For donations $1,000 and above, backers will receive an "Executive Producer" credit and will be able to see an initial rough cut of the film and share their input toward the finished product. 

Stay tuned for further cast & crew announcements!  Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter @wiredshutmovie.

Statement of Intent from Alexander Sharp (Director/Producer) and Peter Malone Elliott (Screenwriter/Producer)

After the success of our previous collaboration on the short film Ziggy’s Will, which has been selected by a number of film festivals across the globe (Cannes, Hollyshorts, Manchester, Santa Monica, and Gig Harbor), we knew that we wanted to tackle a feature film project next. Thus, using Peter’s girlfriend’s real-life major reconstructive jaw surgery as a springboard (we love you, Michaela!), Wired Shut was born.

Wired Shut is a blend of two of our favorite cinematic aesthetics: highly visual storytelling steeped in visceral, gut-wrenching tension, and nuanced emotional relationships that shine a light on universal struggles of the human condition. Wired Shut examines two central themes: the long-lasting, deep-seated psychological effects of trauma and the meaning of forgiveness.

Within the pressure-cooker circumstances of the home-invasion, Reed and Emmy are forced to look within themselves and confront their deepest fears, insecurities, and sources of pain. For Reed, he is haunted by his past, where his various addictions led him down the road of being a failure of a man, husband, and parent. Now sober, Reed is looking for anyway possible to prove that he has started a new chapter in his life. Emmy, on the other hand, as one of the main recipients of Reed’s horrific behavior, is on the opposite end of the spectrum. A ticking time bomb of fury and heartache, Emmy is looking for some semblance of justice to rectify everything that she’s lived through.

Our hope with Wired Shut is to give audiences an exhilarating, electrifying, and absolutely unforgettable experience that follows you home from the theatre.

The Cast

Blake Stadel, "Reed Rodney"


Blake Stadel is an actor from Vancouver who has worked in the local film and television industry for a number of years. He recently appeared in History Channel's Project Blue Book and is also in a new short about a futuristic world filmed in Vancouver called Tessalate, that will be hitting the film festival circuit soon.  Blake has studied acting with some of the best teachers in the business, including Larry Silverberg,(Sanford Meisner's protege), Mickey Memisieic (from the National Theatre of Belgrade), and Paula Shaw. Blake currently resides in Vancouver and is always looking to find new and exciting roles to play and challenge himself with.

Natalie Sharp, “Emmy Rodney”


Natalie began working in TV guest starring in the 200th episode "Fan Fiction" for CW's cult hit series, Supernatural. Other television credits include Motive, You Me Her, and Loudermilk. During sophomore year of college, she booked her first major feature Miracle Season, directed by Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer), starring alongside Academy Award winners Helen Hunt and William Hurt. She played the competitive, charming, and jock-ish "Mack" with stellar volleyball skills. As a fan favourite, she has inspired girls around the world to stay strong when times are tough and keep playing. It had a North American theatrical release and can now be found on demand. During her junior year of college, she went on to land her first series regular, in the musical comedy show, Hit The Road, for DirecTV. She played the role of Ria; daughter to Jason Alexander's (Seinfeld) character, and the lead singer of the series. Not only was she able to showcase her comedic background, but also tear up the stage; something she has been trained to do since day one. Post college, she quickly got two more movies under her belt. Hallmark's A Godwink Christmas, as well as Lifetime's Family Pictures, where she worked very closely to Elisabeth Rohm (Joy, American Hustle), playing her daughter in a supporting lead role.

Behtash Fazlali, “Preston Holt”


Behtash (Beh) Fazlali is an award winning actor from Toronto, currently based in Vancouver. He made his professional acting debut in the Toronto International Film Festival’s 2014 short film Sahar. For this same film he was nominated for and won 'Best Actor' at Vancouver’s Short Film Festival. He has since appeared in several films and television shows including Arrow, iZombie and the feature film The Evil in Us (2015) where his performance landed him several nominations, one of which was at the Leo Awards.

His versatile look and passion for his craft have led him to appear in several commercials and ad campaigns for well-known brands including Xbox, Nestle, Houzz, Reynolds, Pampers, Ziploc, Hot Pockets, Concorde Pacific, Hewlett-Packard and more.

Beh studied in the Acting for Film and Television program at Humber College in Toronto and went on to become a compelling actor. He has received formal training in movement, combat, and voice acting; he is also proficient in singing and dancing. Having gained a reputation as an up-and-comer in the Canadian film industry, Beh hopes to continue building momentum in his career and land additional lead roles in film and television.

When he is not immersed in acting, Beh lives for food, music and playing basketball.

The Crew

Alexander Sharp, Director & Producer



Alexander Sharp was born in 1994 in Vancouver, British Columbia. When he was 15 years old, he directed his first dramatic short film, Thank You, which was recognised by Vision Quest, a rehabilitation program for addicts that screens the film as part of their process. His third short film, Choice, was written, directed, shot and edited over the course of 72 hours as an entry of the 2012 MAD Film Festival in Vancouver, and it received the People's Choice, Best Director, Best Writing, and Best Cinematography awards. In 2013, Vision Quest asked him to direct another short film for their program, entitled Look Both Ways. By May of 2016, he had graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, where he studied Film and Television Production and Business. His junior thesis film, Impasto, premiered at the Playhouse West Film Festival 2016 in Los Angeles. His first indie short, Ziggy's Will, screened at Festival de Cannes and Manchester Film Festival 2018.

Peter Malone Elliott, Screenwriter & Producer


Peter Malone Elliott is an award-winning screenwriter and playwright hailing from the great state of Virginia. Growing up in a house with a New York Times best-selling author, Peter always knew he wanted to write. Inspired by Scorsese’s The Departed, he firmly decided on writing for film, television, and theatre, realizing that visual storytelling, and the unique exploration of character that it allows, was something that excited him to no end.

After graduating magna cum laude from Loyola Marymount University with a B.A. in Screenwriting and a minor in History, Peter focused his writing pursuits on crafting period dramas and character-driven crime thrillers. In 2018, Peter was selected as the Grand Prize Winner of the Script Pipeline Screenwriting Competition for his script about the true story of the 1963 kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr., beating out several thousand submissions to secure the competition’s $25,000 cash award. Additionally, his proof-of-concept short film, Ziggy’s Will (which he wrote, starred in, and Executive Produced) was an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival Court Métrage Short Film Corner, Manchester International Film Festival, Gig Harbor Film Festival, Santa Monica International Film Festival, and the Hollyshorts Monthly Screenings. 

Peter's main career goal is to create compelling, cinematic characters whose tragic flaws and tenacious triumphs captivate audiences and serve as microcosms for greater, universal human struggles. As Margaret Mead once said: “Don’t ever forget that a small group of thoughtful people can change the world, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Martin Taube, Cinematographer


Martin Taube is a passionate filmmaker who goes out of his way to create something unique with every opportunity he gets. He started out at an early age and has won multiple awards for his various crafts, including writing, directing, editing, and cinematography. Being such a well rounded visual storyteller, he understands not only the technical aspects of the art, but also the importance of the story. 

With the mind of a perfectionist, Martin always makes sure that the visuals of his stories are beyond what’s expected, whilst at the same time understanding the importance of efficiency on set. Finally, Martin prides himself on being a pleasure to work with, an utmost professional, and bringing a smile to everyone's face during production.