Based on a true story.

ON THE ROOF is a prestige drama/comedy that:

  • shows the healing power of intergenerational relationships.

  • encourages us not to fear illness and death.

  • honors the ways families, friends, professional caretakers, and even strangers offer compassion, and

  • inspires us to make peace with life—trusting it, accepting it as it is, in all its imperfections.

[This short intro is an 8-minute read for talent and funders. Screenplay available upon request.]

ELLIS struggles to care for MERWYN, an eccentric uncle with worsening dementia, and to launch his teenage daughter AMANDA. 

AMANDA wants a normal life rather than this chaos. ELLIS wants to stop spiraling deeper into failure. And MERWYN wants to escape. 

A long-buried secret and a brutal act of violence push them beyond the breaking point. 

They will either drown or find higher ground and a sense of humor--if the end can become the beginning.

Setting The Stage

The number of people living with dementia will triple by 2050.

18+ billions hours of care are provided by family and other unpaid caregivers (at a value of $347 billion per year). Work that is unrecognized.

Myths and misperceptions cause shame and fear.

48+ million people in the U.S. care for an older loved one—often putting their own emotional, financial, and physical wellbeing at risk.

More than half of Americans in their 40s are “sandwiched” between an aging relative and their own children.

  • Young people need to know they have the resilience to succeed at “the hard stuff.”

  • Older generations have as much to give, as the care they receive.

  • The generation in the middle needs to surrender to life as it actually is, rather than measuring themselves against unrealistic perfection.

  • We need to shift from believing that aging is a “problem to be fixed”, to seeing it as a “process that can unite generations” in the best and worst of times.

This feature film includes an Impact Plan:

  • Encourages policymakers and corporations to make needed changes (73% of employees are also caregivers at home),

  • Honors the skills that positively impact culture: emotional intelligence, collaboration, and compassion,

  • Explores new ways of dealing with illness, family support, and end-of-life care.

  • Takes on other rich themes, such as healing trauma and coming to terms with the past.

    ON THE ROOF is an unflinching look at living and dying. And focuses on love—which is all that matters anyway.

Why this story now?

  • “Continue to allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart.”

    –Maya Angelou

  • “We must truthfully confront our history of racial injustice before we can repair its painful legacy.”

    –The Equal Justice Initiative

  • “In 2020, about 1 in 6 people in the United States were age 65 and over. By the 2030s, people 65 and over are projected to outnumber all children under the age of 18. Although rare, five, six – even seven generations of families are living simultaneously.”

    – Source: Census Bureau demographic analysis

  • “Including care experiences in stories normalizes care, depicts shared experiences so that caregivers and care recipients feel less alone, and helps viewers envision solutions to caregiving challenges.”

    – Caring Across Generations

Characters

  • [A Clint Eastwood type.] Merwyn

    Merwyn

    [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?

  • Ellis

    Ellis

    [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.

  • Amanda

    Amanda

    [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.

  • Shoreh

    Sanam

    [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.

  • Behitha [A Marisa Quinn type.]

    Behitha

    [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.

  • Jamal

    Jamal

    [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.

  • Bayani

    Bayani

    [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.

  • Zuri

    [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.

  • Claire [A Carey Mulligan type.]

    Claire

    [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.

  • Jon

    Jon

    [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.

  • Pearl

    Pearl

    [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.

  • Mayola and her husband Terrence

    Mayola and her husband Terrence


    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.

COMPS: Recent films with similar emotional tone.

  • Origin the film

    Origin

    2024

    Based on true stories and historical events. The production budget of $38,000,000 was reportedly funded by philanthropists who backed the social impact and artistic ambition of the film. Variety describes ORIGIN, written and directed by Academy Award-nominee Ava Duvernay, as “a swirling tornado of ideas” and “a masterpiece.”

  • Nowhere Special

    2024

    Based on a true story. “A triumph of sensitivity, humanity, and good taste.” (The Observer) James Norton’s performance was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for Best Actor. The film holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Director Uberto Pasolini allows the emotions to unfold naturally, creating a truly moving and unforgettable cinematic experience. 

The ROI (Return on Impact) of these wonderful films will grow over time. Too early to know total box office.

Comps: Similar budget to ON THE ROOF

  • The Whale movie poster

    The Whale

    2022

    A family drama with socially relevant themes. Production budget of $3,000,000 with worldwide box office $55,000,000, domestic video $2,000,000. Streaming $ deals not known. Worldwide box office is 18.0+ x production budget. The Chicago Sun Times praises it as an, "empathetic, haunting, beautiful, heartbreakingly moving story.” Received two Academy Awards.

  • The Mule movie poster

    The Mule

    2018

    Based on a true story. Production budget $50,000,000. Worldwide box office of $200,000,000, domestic video sales $36,000,000, plus the $ Netflix deal unreported. Showing returns of 3.5+ x production budget to date. Found a massive global audience on Netflix. The film is directed by and stars Academy Award-winning Clint Eastwood. It explores themes of forgiveness, regret, and mortality and is “full of human insight.”

  • Wonder movie poster

    Wonder

    2017

    Based on a true story. Family drama with socially relevant themes that continues to influence empathy and acceptance across generations. Production budget $20,000,000 with worldwide box office $310,800,000 is 15+ x production budget. Streaming $ deals not known. Variety calls it, “A drama that is a disarmingly level-headed empathy that glides along with wit, assurance, and grace.”

  • Lion movie poster

    Lion

    2017

    Based on a true story. Family drama with socially relevant themes and a long tail of positive influence around adoption. Production budget $12,000,000 with worldwide box office $149,100,000 is 12.4 x production budget. The New York Times review praises the film. “You are captivated by the story and the sophisticated simplicity of its telling.” Oscar Best Picture nominee.

There are 3 important aspects of the project.

  • 1. MAKE THE FILM

    Making the film the best it can be artistically while harnessing the power of story to make change is supported by new models of funding, including adding more philanthropic support to the mix. A 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor organization and early funding from philanthropy provides a “green light” to begin legacy building early in the development process.

  • 2. MAKE SURE IT’S SEEN

    Reaching beyond industry standard marketing of a film means connecting with core committed audiences. These advocates for the film expand world-of-mouth and social media interest and activate action around issues in the film. A film that becomes beloved through the years can create a long tail of influence for generations.

  • 3. MAKE LASTING IMPACT

    Funding a coordinated impact plan with a wide network of nonprofit partners, government agencies, policy makers, and influential thought leaders creates measurable results that track back to the film. Reverse engineering for this success means starting early and following through beyond the release of the film with a long view of what can be created.

We’re focused on: Connecting with those who care about the big themes of the film, reaching out to philanthropists to fund the development phase and the IMPACT plan, finding our financial producer/production company partners, reaching out to A-List talent, and searching for the director who can leverage a green light for ON THE ROOF in the spring of 2025.

Your support and advocacy are welcome as we take the next steps.

  • Lydia Nibley Award-winning Producer/Screenwriter

    Lydia Nibley - Screenwriter, Creative Producer, Impact Producer

    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.

  • Ellis

    Ardees Rabang - Producer

    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 & Producer(s)

    Director & Producer(s)

    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.

ON THE ROOF will help millions of people shift their perceptions about brain change from ‘this is the worst thing that could possibly happen’ to that of ‘let’s learn how to live as well as possible with this condition.’

It is often our fear, unawareness, and judgment of dementia and other neurocognitive conditions that contribute to distress, and it is our unintentional reactions that rob people of their dignity.

We all benefit when we are willing to adapt our approach and learn ways of providing more effective support.

Spotlighting this story in mainstream media will help transform the dementia experience and promote a more positive worldwide care culture.
— Teepa Snow, respected thought leader in dementia care
The story is compelling. I admire this script greatly.
— Chris Sarandon, Actor

Contact

Lydia Nibley, Screenwriter, Creative Producer, Impact Producer

Phone
+1 (818) 644-7988
texts and call preferred
lydia@lydianibley.com
https://lydianibley.com
https://ridingthetigerpro.com