Table of Contents
The Ticket begins with a simple, combustible premise: a small-time neighborhood dealer learns his lottery ticket is a winner, and he and his best friend must battle friends, enemies, and pure chaos to claim the prize. What makes the film worth watching twice is what it leaves unspoken. Directed and written by Jerah Milligan alongside co-directors Jayla and Jaylin Hodge, the short assembles a cast and crew of people with visible and invisible disabilities and lets the story stay exactly what it is β a fast, funny, gang-lineup romp β without ever turning ability into the subject.
That choice is the film's quiet argument. As the team puts it, the goal was to prove how easy it is to make a film that highlights people from all backgrounds without making it "the thing." The Ticket keeps its eyes on the money and the mayhem, and trusts the audience to see its characters as people first.
Key Takeaways
- A rat-race action comedy built around a winning lottery ticket, made by three co-directors sharing one vision.
- Leads with disabilities perform stunts and carry featured roles without their disabilities becoming a plot point.
- Built on a "village" model β donated gear, volunteer crew, and a trusted tribe β with a feature version already on the way.
Milligan spoke with us about co-directing with two other creatives, borrowing from Kung Fu Hustle and Anchorman, and what it means to finish something as a team.
Interview
What drew you to make this film, and why this story, why now?
Our co-director Jayla Hodge had participated in the Easterseals Disability Challenge before as a 1AD and wanted to create a project to submit to the festival. Our other co-director, Jaylin Hodge, had an idea for a proof of concept about "what would a real-life rat race look like." We took that idea and morphed it into The Ticket. The goal was to create a film with actors and crew with visible and invisible disabilities and not have that define or drive the plot of the movie in any way. We wanted to show that it's not hard to cast or hire people with visible and invisible disabilities.
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process, creatively or logistically?
I was pleasantly surprised by everyone who volunteered their time and helped with resources to bring our vision to life. From the stunt performers rehearsing to the crew who lent us their talents, and the majority of our gear being donated β it was a true labor of love. Everyone showed up willing to work with open hearts.
What moment in the film feels most like you, or like something only you could have made?
There's a series of shots that best represents all three of our directors. Jayla had an idea to recreate a shot from Kung Fu Hustle that plays so well, while Jaylin had an idea to name each crew and have their names appear with a lower third on screen. I loved taking inspiration from the alley fight from Anchorman and turning it into something new. So that sequence where there's a lineup of all the gangs is so cool, because it was seeing three people's creative ideas coming together for the bigger picture.
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making the film?
There wasn't an intensely hard decision per se β it was mainly learning how to work with each other, since there were three creatives in charge of the short. Once we figured out the right language and process, it became a delight to see the project through.
What do you hope audiences take away from this film?
The goal is to see our characters as people and not focus on any physical disability that the actor may have. It's to show how easy it is to make a film that highlights people from all backgrounds without making it "the thing."
What tool, technique, resource, collaborator, or mindset shift helped most during production?
During this process, it was the idea of working with a "village" to get work done. Nothing gets done alone, and this project shows that we have talented people to call on when creating. Finding people that you trust and like working with is hard in this business, so finding our tribe might have been one of the best highlights.
What does it mean to have your film selected for HollyShorts, one of the world's premier short film festivals?
Being selected for HollyShorts means a lot. It shows that we created something special, and it's a chance for our cast and crew to feel pride in that achievement together. Independent filmmaking is getting it done yourself β trusting and believing that you can do it. This film became a must-finish for us, and it was great seeing everyone lock in to achieve that goal. At the core of all our work is a desire to tell stories from voices and perspectives not normally featured. We've always wanted to focus on showing characters with various abilities, and this just further straightens that goal. It shows us that it's very possible β and we're making a feature.
Main Cast & Crew
- Directors: Jayla Hodge, Jaylin Hodge, Jerah Milligan
- Writers: Jayla Hodge, Jaylin Hodge, Jerah Milligan
- Cast: Tatyana Guchi, Jerah Milligan, Samantha Tokita, Harold Fox, Gabrielle Fisher, Jaylin Hodge, Jayla Hodge, Carli Meacham, Nichole Meacham, Toni James Dickens
- Producer / Stunt Coordinator: Toni James Dickens
- Director of Photography: Isaiah Salery
- Edited by: Tony Pape
- Featuring Music by: Ebonie Smith
- Production Designer: Sophia Guarnaschelli
- Costume Designer: Dain August
Filmmaker Opportunities
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