Last Laughs

The proof of concept for BURYING DORIS

In May 2026, Last Laughs screened in Palais F as an Official Selection of the Cannes Short Film Corner. It's a four-minute proof of concept — built to prove out the tone, the cast chemistry, and the single-location logistics of a feature I'm now directing: BURYING DORIS.

The Feature: BURYING DORIS

A grandmother's last wish was for her three adult grandkids to reconnect at her funeral. Theirs was to never see each other again.

When Doris Whitman passes away, her fractured family reluctantly gathers at her 72-acre New England farm to clear it out and sell it — pack up, cash out, sever ties with a messy past. It doesn't go that simply. Two eldest siblings, a controlling older brother and his insecure, progressive sister, reignite a lifelong rivalry the moment they're forced into the same rooms. Their youngest brother — the family's peacemaker — is the only thing standing between them and mutual destruction, and he's hiding a terminal diagnosis of his own. What was supposed to be a weekend of packing boxes turns into a reckoning neither sibling is prepared for.

Why This Is Ready to Shoot

• Secured location. The entire film takes place on one real New England farm — my own family's property in Connecticut — with exclusive access already locked in. No location scouting, no company moves.
• Grounded in real events. The family dynamics are drawn from true events, giving the comedy a lived-in, specific edge rather than a generic "quirky family" premise.
• Contained scope. A single-location, character-driven ensemble piece — built to attract strong acting talent on a genuinely manageable budget, not an inflated one.

The Filmmakers

• Michael Rekola Director

  Producer, entertainment attorney, and founder of The NonDē Filmmaking Legal Lab. His producing and investment credits include The Beta Test (Hulu, Berlinale, Tribeca), the Goya-nominated The Quiet Maid (Max), and This Land (Tubi). He also serves as Head of Business Development for 555Films. Burying Doris will be his directorial feature debut.

• Nick Gambino Writer

  A Hell's Kitchen–raised screenwriter currently developing several film and TV projects with A-list producers. His script The Fuck-It List won the Drama Feature award at the 2022 Austin Film Festival.

• Chris Heck Producer

  An Emmy-winning filmmaker with fifteen years of experience spanning studio work (including Knives Out) to independent film. Currently in production on the dark-fantasy feature The Savage State.

• Paul Coyne Executive Producer

  A former Goldman Sachs trader and hospital C-suite executive turned executive producer.

• Oliver Irving Executive Producer

  A director since the age of ten, whose credits include the worldwide-distributed comedy How to Be (starring Robert Pattinson) and the theatrically released Ghost Team. His third feature, Seed, is currently in post-production.