The Film
Back in Yorkshire, the people who love Paul and Jake are preparing to say goodbye. But between an older generation who understand more than they let on, two friends who refuse to accept their fate, and a pair of guardian angels with some explaining to do, this ending may not be as final as everyone thinks.
Dead Funny is a warm supernatural comedy-drama about friendship, family and finding reasons to laugh when life becomes frighteningly uncertain.
Through Paul and Jake’s panic, their families’ grief and Ivy’s wry, older perspective, the film brings different generations into the same conversation about friendship, mortality and the people who remain part of us throughout our lives.
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Story
Paul and Jake have been best friends for as long as either can remember—growing up together in Nidderdale, sharing secrets, daft adventures and the small keepsakes of childhood.
Then, on one ordinary autumn day, an awkward angelic mishap changes everything.
The boys wake in limbo with no map, no answers and no intention of accepting that their lives might be over. Frightened and confused, they do what they have always done: face the impossible together while taking the mickey out of each other.
Back in Yorkshire, their families and friends begin preparing to say goodbye. But as two guardian angels attempt to untangle their mistake—and Ivy brings an older, rather different understanding of life and death—the boundary between an ending and a second chance begins to shift.
Why This Story Matters
What happens when the people we love are taken before their time—and what helps those left behind carry on?
Dead Funny approaches that question through several generations. Paul and Jake face death with the fear, disbelief and defiance of young men who expected to have decades ahead of them. Their families and friends confront an absence they believe is permanent, while Ivy, the local funeral director, brings the perspective of an older generation accustomed to helping others face love, loss and mortality.
By placing humour alongside grief, the film creates space for audiences to approach a frightening subject without being overwhelmed by it. It recognises that laughter does not diminish loss; sometimes it is one of the ways people survive it.
At its heart, Dead Funny is about the relationships that hold us together across age, distance and even the boundary between life and death.
Help Bring Dead Funny to Life
Independent films begin with people who believe in them before the rest of the world has seen them.
Your support will help take Dead Funny from script to screen—paying cast and crew fairly, securing Yorkshire locations, hiring equipment and completing the final film.
You can help as an individual supporter, business sponsor, creative partner or by offering practical services. Whether you help with catering, transport, equipment, accommodation or part of the production costs, every contribution makes a genuine difference.
By supporting Dead Funny, you become part of the film’s journey and help independent Yorkshire storytelling continue to grow.
To get involved, request a supporter pack or discuss sponsorship and practical support with Nidd Films.
Funding
Why £22,750?
Dead Funny is being developed as a professional short film for festival submission, audience screenings and future development through Nidd Films.
The £22,750 production budget reflects the current cost of making the film safely and professionally. It includes fair payment for cast and crew, Yorkshire locations, equipment, insurance, transport, accommodation, catering, post-production, sound, music, festival submissions and audience outreach.
Nidd Films has already committed £2,000 to the production. Further support will be raised through individual contributions, business sponsorship, creative partnerships and practical in-kind support.
By supporting Dead Funny, you can help take the film from script to screen and become part of its journey from the very beginning.
Themes
Friendship
At its core, Dead Funny is about the bond between two lads who have carried each other through life, even when neither fully realised how much that friendship meant.
Memory
Dead Funny explores the strange power of childhood objects, half-forgotten moments and the small things that quietly hold a life together.
Loss & Light
Though the story begins with shock and apparent loss, Dead Funny finds warmth, humour and hope in the people who stay with us when life becomes uncertain.
Development Status
Dead Funny is currently in development as part of the Nidd Films slate.
The short is being shaped as a contained, character-led proof of concept with clear potential to expand into a feature film. Rooted in Yorkshire humour, friendship and emotional honesty, the project is designed to balance supernatural comedy-drama, grief and limbo fantasy within an achievable production model.
Setting
Nestled within the valleys and churchyards of Nidderdale, Yorkshire, Dead Funny draws on a landscape shaped by memory, humour, loss and belonging.
The setting is not simply a backdrop. It becomes part of the emotional world of the film — a place where childhood, friendship and grief sit side by side, and where the ordinary can quietly tip into the extraordinary.
Support Dead Funny
Dead Funny is being built from the ground up through care, craft and the support of people who believe independent film still matters.
Your contribution helps move the project closer to production and strengthens the growing community around Nidd Films.
By supporting Dead Funny, you are helping bring a warm, funny and deeply human Yorkshire story from limbo to screen.