Can a mother save her son’s future by facing her own past?
A new film from Of Substance,
a verified 501(c)(3).
At first glance, Little Mother Lies is a long overdue reckoning forced upon sisters by a son’s battle with addiction.
But really, it’s a story about a mother ferociously protecting her son in the aftermath of treatments that failed him, and a sister who embodies the intergenerational chaos of family substance abuse.
THE GOAL.
Parents and children touched by addiction feel less alone
Explore how easy it is to run away and how hard it is to stay
Challenge a one-size-fits all approach to treatment
Demonstrate the lengths to which a parent will go to save their child
Start a conversation about multi-generational substance abuse
At its heart, Little Mother Lies is for parents of children in the grip of substance abuse and families affected by addiction. We must never give up.
Our film encourages people to open up about the impact of addiction.
It will help…
THE IMPACT.
Friday Morning Films is partnering with Of Substance — an innovative non-profit that creates premium, entertaining short films to overcome the shame, blame, and stigma of addiction, mental health, and trauma.
As the next Of Substance film, Little Mother Lies will be distributed as part of their programming and curriculums in education, treatment, training, and more.
Of Substance’s films are currently used by 1000+ mental health professionals across 10+ countries!
So make your tax-deductable donation to expand their impact today!
THE TEAM.
Kitty Edwinson - Writer
With a father who escaped a Glaswegian slum to become a legendary New York ad man and a mother descended from a Russian princess and a Nobel-prize-nominated scientist, of course Kitty became a writer of dramatic screenplays. She likes to capture small moments and big emotions with sensitivity while creating characters that charm and aggravate in equal measure. This story unfolds in San Francisco, her favorite city.
Friday Morning Films is Amanda Deering Jones, Gwendolyn Whittle, and Stephanie Jayich (see below). Together they have over 50 years of film experience, lending their skills to blockbusters, documentaries, episodic television, and independent features. As a company they are keen to bring new voices and stories to prominence, stories that elevate us, surprise and electrify us.
Amanda Deering Jones - Director + Producer
Amanda is the Producer of the Academy Award nominated, animated short film Borrowed Time. Her more than 20 years of experience includes working at Dreamworks Animation, Blue Sky Studios, and Pixar on such recent projects as Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4, Dug Days and the first full-length series from Pixar, Win or Lose. Raised in Ohio and Florida, her career began in Cooperstown, NY as House Manager at Glimmerglass Opera before transitioning to film. Amanda loves to sing and has performed in choirs at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. She’s a zero-waste advocate and a published writer for the Producer’s Guild Magazine, “Going Green -- Animated about the Environment: Pixar’s Sustained Effort to Go Green.” She is an active member of the Producer’s Guild of America, Women in Film and Women in Animation. Amanda is ready to put her formidable skills, energy, and talent into her directorial debut with Little Mother Lies.
Gwendolyn Whittle - Producer
Gwen is a Producer and Supervising Sound Editor with over 30 years of experience working on over 120 films, from blockbusters to small independents. Based primarily at Skywalker Sound in Northern California, Gwen has been nominated for three Academy Awards (Avatar: Way of Water, Tron: Legacy and Avatar), a BAFTA (Avatar: Way of Water) and in 2023 was honored with an MPSE career achievement award. She has won 6 MPSE Golden Reel awards: Titanic, Saving Private Ryan, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Super 8, Epic, and Carne e Arena. Her more than 20 MPSE nominations include Top Gun: Maverick, Ferdinand, Munich, and Minority Report. She received an Emmy nomination for WandaVision in 2021. Gwen was awarded an honorary PhD from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and has a BA in film from New York University. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures (AMPAS), British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA), SAG, and MPSE.
Stephanie Jayich - Producer
Stephanie is a Writer, Director, Producer, and Script Consultant. She established herself as a talented script developer at The Kennedy/Marshall Company and currently reads freelance for major studios, independent filmmakers, and writers. She’s currently writing a female-driven dark comedy feature, and recently directed and produced a short, which she also wrote. Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Stephanie often returns to the Last Frontier, where she works on her debut novel and other projects. She has a BA in Film and Media Studies from the University of California Santa Barbara.
Alex Kaplan - Exec. Producer + Co-founder
Alex has committed the past 25 years to studying the art, science, and impact of storytelling. His extensive professional experience as an actor, writer, director, and producer combined with the life lessons he learned on his own journey through substance misuse led him to found Of Substance – an innovative nonprofit that’s reimagining education, prevention, treatment, and support for addiction and mental health through movies! View Expanded Bio