Theresa Godly
Open Return film poster

In pre/production

Open Return

Written, directed and produced by Theresa Godly

After twenty years estranged from his father, a guarded young bookseller travels from America to England and discovers a house filled with books chosen for every birthday he missed–forcing him to question the story that shaped his life.

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The Story

Home has become a place he creates for others, never for himself.

Ayaan Sharma, 26, has built a quiet life in America, working in an independent bookshop and keeping his past carefully closed. When a solicitor contacts him about an urgent matter involving his estranged father, Imran, Ayaan reluctantly books an open return ticket to England, intending to leave as soon as the legal business is settled.

At Heathrow, he is met by David, his father’s oldest friend, and taken to Imran’s book-filled cottage. In its annotated novels, unfinished pages and shelves of gifts inscribed for twenty years of missed birthdays and Christmases, Ayaan begins to recognise parts of himself–and evidence of a father he was taught had abandoned him. As David reveals a devastating truth, Ayaan must confront the cost of lost time and decide what to do with a past that no longer fits the story he inherited.

Open Return is an intimate drama about family estrangement, identity and the experience often described as parental alienation. It asks whether healing can begin without a perfect ending–through the courage to question, to listen and to show up before it is too late.

Featured Cast

  • Black and white portrait of Ary Satish, who plays Ayaan Sharma in Open Return

    Ary Satish

    Actor and filmmaker

    ‘Ayaan Sharma’ will be played by Ary Satish, an award-winning international actor and filmmaker based in London. A graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts, he trained at the Meisner Studio and Stonestreet Studios. His stage work spans Off-Broadway, India’s National Centre for Performing Arts and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, while his screen credits include Take Care, Model Minority and American Weasel. His performance in Take Care earned Best Actor awards at the New York Film Awards and Cult Movies International Film Festival. Ary’s international upbringing brings a natural affinity with stories of identity, vulnerability and belonging.

  • Portrait of Brian Bovell, who plays David Dixon in Open Return

    Brian Bovell

    Actor

    ‘David Dixon’ will be played by Brian Bovell, an acclaimed British actor with more than four decades of work across film, television, theatre and radio. Since making his feature-film debut in Babylon, he has appeared in The Bill, Unforgotten, Andor, Ghosts, Death in Paradise, Secrets & Lies, Love Actually, Pan, The Witches and The Book of Clarence. His stage career includes work with the Royal Court, National Theatre and Young Vic, alongside major Shakespearean roles.

  • Portrait of Hajaz Akram, who plays Imran Sharma in Open Return

    Hajaz Akram

    Actor and voice artist

    ‘Imran Sharma’ will be played by Hajaz Akram, a Pakistani-British actor and voice artist trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. His screen credits include Doctor Who, Casualty, Hotel Cocaine and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, with voice work including Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and World of Warcraft. An educator and former founder of the Academy of Asian and Ethnic Dramatic Arts, Hajaz has long championed greater representation. The film’s themes of father–child separation and dementia carry a deeply personal resonance for him.

Creative Team

  • Portrait of Theresa Godly, writer, director and producer of Open Return

    Writer, Director & Producer

    Theresa Godly

    Open Return is written, directed and produced by Theresa Godly, a professional actor, screenwriter and freelance producer. It is her third short as producer, following The Stranger I Love and Fire Lily, produced with two-time Academy Award winner Kim Magnusson and executive producer Alesha Dixon. Her films draw on lived experience and subjects that deserve greater attention. Open Return grew from experiences shared by people affected by parent–child estrangement and parental alienation.

  • Portrait of Arnaldo Stafa, producer of Open Return

    Producer

    Arnaldo Stafa

    Arnaldo Stafa is a filmmaker, actor and founder of Aki Studio London. His work spans narrative film, documentary, music video and commercial production, with a focus on resilience, identity and self-empowerment. His recent slate includes the award-recognised projects Sunburn, Poppy and My Hero. Arnaldo combines creative development with a practical understanding of audiences, festivals and market positioning.

  • Portrait of Beatriz Delgado, director of photography of Open Return, with a BAFTA award

    Director of Photography

    Beatriz Delgado

    Beatriz Delgado is an award-winning cinematographer working across film, television, music and commercial production. Her recent credits include Quiet Life, winner of Short Form at the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards. Theresa has followed Beatriz’s visual work for years and brings her to Open Return to shape the film’s intimate, book-filled world.

  • Portrait of Kirstie Howell, sound recordist, designer and mixer on Open Return

    Sound Recordist, Designer & Mixer

    Kirstie Howell

    Kirstie Howell is a BAFTA-nominated sound professional with more than a decade of experience across film and television. She previously collaborated with Theresa on The Stranger I Love, bringing technical precision and creative sensitivity to the production. She returns for Open Return to shape its intimate sound world from recording through final mix.

  • Portrait of Louise Woollam, script consultant and script supervisor on Open Return

    Script Consultant & Script Supervisor

    Louise Woollam

    Louise Woollam holds an MA in Comedy Writing from Falmouth University and trained in script supervision at the National Film and Television School. Her independent-film credits include The Witches of Pool Bottom, an official 2026 HollyShorts selection. Open Return’s treatment of parental relationships and dementia has personal resonance for Louise, informing her careful approach to story and continuity.

  • Portrait of Kate Woodland, first assistant director on Open Return

    First Assistant Director

    Kate Woodland

    Kate Woodland is an experienced first assistant director, producer and director, and founder of Pilgrimage Pictures. Her credits include The Weight of Us, The Watchman, Symbiosis, the Amazon documentary Pageant and the forthcoming The Witches’ Toll. Kate is committed to safe, inclusive sets that support women’s stories and LGBTQ+ voices.

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Portrait of Theresa Godly facing the camera, wearing a colourful printed top against a soft green background