Ready to Risk it All? How Kinolime Stepped In for Pushing Daisy [Podcast]
Winning a competition is one thing. Turning that win into a finished film almost immediately is something else entirely.
In this episode, we sit down with Eduard Mitra, the winner of the Kinolime Shorts Competition, just days after cameras stopped rolling on his short film: Pushing Daisy. What started as a long-gestating passion project suddenly became an all-systems-go production, cast locked, crew assembled, sets built, and the film shot within weeks of winning.
Eduard walks us through the reality of what happens after the announcement email: the scramble to secure dates, the pressure of limited resources, the importance of a committed team, and why passion, more than money, is what actually gets a short film made.
It’s a candid look at what it really takes to move from script to set, and a reminder that when the right people come together, even the most ambitious ideas can become reality fast.
Full Transcript: Kinolime Podcast Episode 32: Ready to Risk it All? How Kinolime Stepped In for Pushing Daisy
Participants
John Schramm - Head of Development, Kinolime
Eduard Mitra - Screenwriter, Pushing Daisy
Danny Murray - Creative Executive, Kinolime
From Winning the Competition to Going Into Production
Eduard: We were trying to raise more money to pay our producer back, but honestly, Kinolime completely saved us. We went straight into production. The gun was loaded, we were ready to shoot, and we did. We shot it, we wrapped, and we’re incredibly excited.
John: That’s incredible. Update us, what’s been happening over the last two weeks since we told you that you won?
Eduard: Honestly, the sheer epicness of this project meant we had already been prepping for quite a while. We signed up for the competition not expecting to win at all. Getting that email from Danny saying we made the Top 26 was mind-blowing.
We were planning to move forward regardless. We tried not to rely too heavily on outside funding, so we self-funded a lot of it. But we were still short, which is why we applied. We were calling in favors left and right, but everything was basically ready to go.
Then came the Top 26, the Top 10, the Top 3, and finally actually winning. It was insane. It helped us immensely, because otherwise we were about to shoot while going into debt. Our producer was going to front the money, and we were hoping to raise more to pay him back. Kinolime saved us from that entirely.
Locking Cast, Crew, and Locations
John: So once you won and the money came through - was it just all systems go?
Eduard: Absolutely. We had tentative dates with our leads, but they were running out because of other commitments. So we lit a fire under everything.
We cast the rest of the roles, essentially the whole staff room, right before we started building. Daisy and James were locked early, and we secured the studio, which was huge. The studio gave us flexibility to shoot either that week or the following one, which made all the difference.
We had most of our crew ready to go, and then it became a last-minute race: catering, transport, final crew, final cast - just locking everything down.
Production Design & Build
Eduard: The build lasted four days, and we built directly on stage. We had an incredible Construction manager. We helped where we could, but those guys were experts.
Huge props to Luke and the entire team - especially our production designer at UGR. Absolute legends. They really pulled it together for us.
What Comes Next - Post-Production
John: So now that the short is shot, what’s next for you?
Eduard: Post-production. We’re currently in talks with editors. We wanted someone with experience in high-end TV, ideally. We reached out to a number of editors, and we’re basically down to one final option, someone whose work we absolutely love and who’s incredibly excited about the project.
We’ve been developing this story for a long time. We started writing the script about two and a half to three years ago. We focused on the short version seriously about a year ago, around January or February 2025.
Since then, it’s been about planning, figuring out how to do this, pulling stakeholders in, and getting people genuinely excited about it. That’s kind of the secret: getting people who care and who are willing to give 110%.
Short films are really hard. There’s very little money, if any at all. Passion has to counterbalance that.
Teamwork, Passion, and Final Thoughts
John: That passion always comes through when we talk to you, Edward. Thank you so much for joining us. We can’t wait to see a cut. Any final words?
Danny: I’ll just say, when we first talked, it felt like such a massive build that I wasn’t sure how it would actually happen. And then to see that cameras were rolling almost immediately after the grant, it’s spectacular. I can’t applaud you enough. This is how productions should be done: scrappy, focused, and driven.
Eduard: Thank you so much. Honestly, it’s a testament to the entire team. That’s the real secret as a writer and filmmaker surrounding yourself with people who have the engine and passion to make things happen. No matter how ambitious or crazy the idea is, the right people can pull it through.
Danny: Edward, thank you again for trusting Kinolime with your story and your passion project. We can’t wait to see what you’ve made. And thanks to everyone at home for joining us.
Eduard: Fantastic. Thank you. Thank you so much.
