Didn’t get cast in The Stranger? No matter – update those headshots and sharpen your audition skills for this selection of intriguing short films currently auditioning for leads and supports through the Backstage casting platform, from dysfunctional family relationships to a daughter confronting her abusive father in a world of superheroes.
Minimising Loss
This short film is aiming for film-festival success, and follows a recent university graduate coming to terms with her father’s death. A new job offers distraction, though unexpected issues complicate matters. Lead role Evans is the graduate – she’s a “skinny/athletic Londoner” aged 25–30, a female with a “polite attitude.” Supporting role Smithers is male, Asian, 40–50, a “short man who’s hard-working and professional,” polite and cheery, who helps Evans as an office assistant. Another supporting role is Irvine, male, 40–50, a “skinny British dude” and a “silicon valley CEO-type.” A supporting actor/extra role is also available. Rehearsal dates and compensation TBD. For full details, head over to the casting notice.
The Pill Box
This short film tells the story of two unlikely allies, an elderly man reliving his army service on a recurring loop, and a young black boy transplanted from London to a small-minded seaside town in the 1980s. Lead role Peter is male, 8–12, and black or mixed-race. He has a south London accent and an expressive face. Other roles include Peter’s Mum, 30–40: she’s “curvy” and “motherly” with a Jamaican accent; and Herbert, a lead role for a male actor, 50–60, white and ex-army. Then there are the Bullies, who are 12–15 and “able to appear menacing and nasty.” The project shoots in early April during half term and pays Equity plus buyout. For more roles and full details check out the casting notice.
READ: How to Get Cast on Backstage In the UK
Dysfunctional
This short student film is shooting 13–15 April in Bournemouth. Details are scant, but the project explores a dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship and those between the mother and her boyfriend. Lead role Mark – the boyfriend – is male and aged 38–58. He’s rebuilding his life after losing his wife, and plays a father-like figure to his girlfriend’s daughter, Hattie. For more details head on over to the casting notice.
My Hero
A host of roles are being cast for this student film, a production set “in a world where superheroes are commonplace,” where an impressionable young girl confronts her abusive father. Lead role Lexi is female, white, 10–13, and is fascinated by the superheroes that run her town. She’s highly optimistic, though unaware of the real-world issues around her. Supporting role Mr Heavy is male, white, 15–35, and “a stereotypical spandex-style superhero.” Supporting role Leon is male and 35–55. Family and providing means everything to Leon, who lost his job as a police officer and is now struggling with insecurities. Another supporting role is Sarah, Leon’s wife and Lexi’s mother. She’s 35–55, supportive of her daughter and trying to help her husband through these difficult times. A variety of further roles are available – check out the casting notice for more details. The film shoots 8–15 April around the west of England.