[A Clint Eastwood type.]

A co-lead is in his 90s faces the most difficult transformations of his life during its final complex chapter. If he has time to face the truth about his life he may find the resolution he seeks. A secret trauma from Merwyn’s past strikes at the heart of what we must tell the truth about in order to heal as a nation. What happens when we face it all and deal with the consequences?

[A John Krasinski type.]

The father/nephew in his late 30s represents what’s possible when men step up. Women often default into caregiving roles in families, but when men in the audience see a man on screen taking on the complexities of caregiving in an admirable way, it helps shift cultural expectations. Ellis is a single dad facing pressure from all sides when a shocking loss makes it worse.

[A Sadie Sink type.]

Amanda is Ellis’s daughter and as she prepares to launch, his choices will set the course of her life. She courageously leans into the challenges that create resilience, grit, and wisdom as she learns how to heal by dealing with reality head-on, breaking intergenerational patterns that have caused a great deal of pain and preparing her for what’s next.

[A Shohreh Aghdashloo type.]

Has turned a recent loss she thought she could not endure into a universal love that has expanded her capacity to give. She knows more about what matters most now—and sees a potential future for the remaining years of her life. Something that was unimaginable may be the path she was meant to follow from the beginning.

[A Marisa Quinn type.]

Left a successful career on Wall Street when her family needed her. Inspired by her traditional Apache culture, she found her calling as director of a care facility where she shows what’s possible when deeper values are respected. She may also discover in an usual situation a new kind of family.

[An Alex R. Hibbert type.]

A budding connection to Amanda provides insight into a world he didn’t know before. Stepping up will change his life. And a chance meeting with Merwyn is inspiring for Jamal, but triggers memories that force Merwyn to reconsider his past at the last possible moment.

[A Dave Bautista type.]

Steps in boldly to offer a stranger a lifeline after having faced the worst of it alone. Friendships like theirs are hard to create in a world that doesn’t value what they do. When Ellis finally realizes he can no longer make it on his own, their alliance changes everything.

[A Cush Jumbo type.]

Runs the company where Ellis is skating on thin ice. Her best friend Claire works with them and Zuri feels the urgency of protecting her. She forces Ellis to take responsibility for Claire’s safety on top of the crushing demands he faces at work and at home.

[A Carey Mulligan type.]

Jeopardizes her life and those of her children without realizing the potential consequences of her inaction. Hiding the truth because of shame doesn’t make it go away. It just escalates the crisis.

[A Steven Yeun type.]

A care provider like Jon faces the breakdowns and breakthroughs on the front line of elder care in ways that are hilarious and touching. It’s the unsung heroics of the ones who show up every day to do the real work around living and dying that hold it all together.

[A Ruth Buzzi type.]

She’s a volunteer entertainer who enthusiastically shares her homemade songs with all who will listen (and some who prefer not to). Making music for the “old folks” is her passion.

[Terrence is a Derek Webster type] Enduring what many find tragic is their poignant dance. They got through everything else in life and know what it takes to go the distance with each other. It isn’t what has happened to them, it’s what they make of it that keeps their love alive.

Lydia Nibley Award-winning Producer/Screenwriter

ON THE ROOF is based on my experience as the primary caregiver of an uncle with dementia while being a single parent of a teenage daughter.

At first each of us spun in our own orbits, but in the end, we were unified in a three-generational love story. We could have broken and closed our hearts, but instead we broke open to love harder and deeper, something I’d learned when my father died of ALS when I was 17, the same year my daughter was born and I made my way in the world on my own.

Our experience wasn’t reflected in media culture. We did very hard things and became people equal to the challenges of living and dying. There was humor and joy. We were empowered and exhilarated (and exhausted), but importantly the rest of our lives have been fueled by that formative time.

My daughter practices palliative care and listens to patients and families with compassion. And my life is committed to telling stories that entertain while exploring the complex, confusing, and richly humane experiences we share.

Producer, Ardees Rabang

Ihad the unique experience of being a key member of the production team with George Lucas and Rick McCallum at Lucasfilm Ltd from its heyday as an independent film company to the sale of the company to Disney. My expertise spans all areas of production from pre-production through post-production, marketing and publicity, and release and distribution.

But beyond my professional interests, what draws me to ON THE ROOF are my personal experiences at home.

Our family is currently dealing with the impacts of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. I bring my “producing” skills home to pull our extended family together to care for our immigrant grandparents and parents.

I’ve worked on some of the best-known and most successful movies of our time—the Star Wars prequels and other films.

Now I’m committed to bringing new voices to the media landscape and making a measurable difference in the world with powerful stories such as ON THE ROOF, a film I know will stick with people, as the best prestige dramas do.

Director

We’re seeking a great director who has a personal connection to the material of the story. Someone for whom the sensibility of the film is a fit. A director who leads with heart and is unstoppable, respected, and a force of nature. We’re reaching high for casting and the choice of a powerful director who loves films like this will generate the passion needed to attract star power and create a film everyone on the team will be proud to share with the world.

Producer(s)

We’re currently looking for a producer(s) who will be an ambassador for the film in the industry, putting the script into the hands of those who can open more doors. This producer is someone who brings dealmaking experience and a history of collaboration with major co-producing partners, talent, sales agents, distributors, and streamers. Someone who has produced films of similar scale and scope and who loves to make films they know will leave a lasting legacy.