Jack Piatt of The Singers and Kevin McCormick join him as executive producers. Harrelson told Deadline on Friday the film "doesn't waste a second in taking hold of your heart" and called Noufer "a filmmaker to watch."
Julie Ariola stars as Mary, a widow who has barely left the house since her husband died, until her daughter Penny (Jean Villepique) signs her up for a speed-dating night for widows and widowers. Across the table come a man who only talks about himself, a man who never stops talking, and a would-be sugar daddy. Then Ed, played by Stephen Tobolowsky, sits down. He's gentle and funny, and he listens.
Noufer wrote the film for his late grandmother Mary, whose dementia shaped the story. "Due to Alzheimer's, she never quite understood I was her grandson," he said. "As a child, that confused me. As an adult, it haunts me. But not all ghosts have to be bad." Switchboard will distribute the short and campaign it for the 99th Academy Awards as part of its 2026-27 shorts slate. Arianna Ortiz and Robert Lee Barry round out the cast.
A grandmother who never quite knew her grandson now has her name on a film headed for an Oscar campaign.