News

Indie movie filming in Missoula soon! Want to be involved?

September 3, 2025/

We are an independent film production team preparing to shoot a short film in the Missoula area later in September. Called Nearly Departed, the film is a comedic drama about two sisters at odds (armed with a cookie jar of their father’s ashes) who take one last road trip with Dad to find the perfect place to say goodbye.
We’re honored to be recipients of the distinguished Montana Big Sky Film Grant – confirming the quality of work that we do, but independent film projects like ours are low-budget and rely on community support to help us make our films, and the value we can offer in return.
We ask that you please join us as we make Nearly Departed and take it to the big screen! How can you get involved?
  1. Be an in-kind supporter! We need small donations of gift cards, meals (breakfast and/or lunch for 1-4 days), and nutritious (& indulgent) snacks for our 20-person local crew.
  3. Be an official sponsor! If your business is looking to play a more meaningful role in the community while also taking advantage of marketing opportunities & the global exposure our film will have, check out our Movie Sponsor Package here: https://tinyurl.com/MovieSponsorshipOpportunities.
You can read more about the film here: https://ashley-maria.com/current-projects/.
We’ll follow up with you in a few days, or if you’d like to let us know you’re interested, please reply to this email. Thank you so much for your consideration to support our Indie film, Nearly Departed!
Lea-Ann (Producer) & Ashley (Director)
LEA-ANN W. BERST & ASHLEY MARIA (she/her)
Filmmakers at Ashley Maria Productions
Ashley Maria Productions <[email protected]>
Now Playing! Super Human Anxiety | Pioneers in Skirts
In Production: Nearly Departed: Moving on Doesn’t Mean Letting Go
In Post-production: Body Positive, a satirical take on the classic YouTube fitness video.

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