Arcade (Short-Film)

A short film that delves into the found family unit of a young neurodivergent boy, a pregnant high school dropout and a traveler who doesn't stick around too long. A film about family, about acceptance and belonging.

A small crew of aspiring filmmakers. Studying at South Seas Film School, aiming to make a touching story of belonging, family and acceptance.

Writer / Director Eamon Longmann is a huge fan of coming-of-age stories, and being neurodiverse himself, has based the protagonist on a younger version of himself.

The crew consists of Producers Aidan Coll; a committed aspiring producer with an eye for location and beautiful settings, and Jack Sinfield, neurodiverse himself, he's a strong advocate for more diverse stories for the autistic community. 

Our DOP is Anna Stevenson, a wonderfully creative person with an eye for beautiful cinematography, grown up around neurodiverse children and working with them with their parents, Anna understands the importance of representation for the community

And our editor is Charlie Percy, a brilliant mind for piecing together stories in fun and unique ways.

And the most important person behind us? You guys, the donors who will make this whole thing possible.

This story is a love letter to our past selves and the role models who shaped us. While our talented actors will work to represent these characters in the best way possible, we need to create the world around it. 

The top goal of our budget is to:

• Secure a top notch location
• Support local artists and musicians, working to bring our world to life.

We're telling this story about family and acceptance because, often as young people, especially with neurodiversities, we're pushed aside, and people aren't the kindest growing up, I experience firsthand how people could be. This is the opportunity to tell a story with an autistic lead in a film that's focus isn't on his neurodiversity, and instead on the friendship he builds with his two new friends, and how they can come together to become a support network for each other.

The story features Elsworth Cole, young, autistic, and alone, who finds solace and safety within a local arcade. Delilah Bennett, 17 years old, high school dropout, unsure of her own future. And Isaac Doyle, in his 20s, he's a drifter, off to see the world, but beginning to feel a connection to his new found family.

This film is important to the autistic and neurodivergent community, being a film that doesn't frame it as a problem, or for something the other characters need to "accept" and "learn to love", instead celebrating his diversity and giving him people who care for him regardless.

This film shows young boys with autism that they deserve care and love, and a support network who just loves them. It's important to show, especially in this current status of autistic leads being relegated to a plot point that an actual lead of the film has to learn to accept over the course of the film. Elsworth is just allowed to exist, that's enough for him.