Cambridge’s Danielle Milligan is making quite a name for herself in the film industry at just 22 years old.
The up-and-coming first assistant director has worked on the films Behind Closed Doors and Older Every Day.
On Jan. 28 she was in her hometown at Monigrams Coffee Roasters helping shoot a short film titled COFFEE about the struggles of online dating.
Milligan got into the film industry by chance. She had gone to school for special event planning at Centennial College, only to have the pandemic sour her experience thanks to events moving online.
"I always loved film and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to quit my job and give it a go," Milligan said.
"I started doing background work through agencies and going to any gig I could get. Then I would talk to any crew member that would listen to me and I asked them how to get into it.
"They said there were groups on Facebook where you could get non-union jobs. I feel fortunate I got into the industry at the right time when there was a lot of production."
COFFEE is Milligan's first chance to work in her hometown and it's an experience she's cherishing.
"It's amazing," she said of working in Cambridge.
"It was really exciting when they came to me with this project and that we'd be filming at Monigrams. I love that smaller towns are getting recognition because there's a lot of beautiful scenery here."
Kris Langford, co-owner of Canadian production company AvAMaC Productions and a Cambridge native himself, is thrilled to be working alongside Milligan.
“Our team is made up of a mix of local and out of town cast and crew,” Langford said.
“We’re most proud of our first assistant director Danielle Milligan who at only 22 has become indispensable to our productions. I wouldn't shoot without her now.”
The coffee shop based film centres around a man going on several online dates, and as can be the case in reality, they turn out be the same dialogue over and over but with a different person.
After having no luck, the main character strikes up a casual conversation with a stranger over a book he is reading, showing organic encounters are often more effective in the dating world than pre-planned interactions.
To make it even more intriguing for the Cambridge community, owners of Monigrams, Graham and Monica Braun and their two daughters will appear on screen.
Once production is complete the film will do a festival run and will then be available on YouTube.
