• After being brutally dumped, 17-year-old Sydnie discovers she is pregnant. Seeing this as an opportunity to get her ex back and give her life direction, she decides to keep the baby. She soon realizes that this won’t be the quick fix she had hoped for and finds herself caught in a complicated love triangle and totally lost.

SYNOPSIS

After a passionate prom night, Sydnie's boyfriend Lucas drops a bomb: he wants to date other girls in college. Devastated, Sydnie gives up on her travel dreams, and to make things worse, she discovers she's pregnant. Hoping to win back Lucas, she keeps the baby despite her family's objections. Lucas, compelled by his religious mother, returns from college.

Initially upset, he eventually embraces the pregnancy as an opportunity to transform and support his family. Reuniting tentatively, Sydnie and Lucas clash over values and future plans. Enter Daniel, the charismatic lead singer of 'Delusions of Grandeur.' Sydnie then faces a decision: stay with Lucas and keep the baby, or pursue her dreams with Daniel.

Director’s Statement

It’s hard enough being a teenage girl without pregnancy hormones. Love is fickle and all consuming, reinvention is daily and exhausting, childhood is over, but the world doesn’t see you as an adult. It’s easy to attach yourself to something or someone and let it consume you. It’s comfortable not having to make choices or think for yourself. To let that become your identity so you don’t have to ever feel lost or alone.

While I was writing this script, Roe v. Wade was overturned. We’re living in a time where women’s basic rights are being debated. Where our bodies are not treated as our own and we have to fight to have our lives viewed as more important than a clump of cells. We have come so far in so many ways, but somehow the idea that women are meant to be wives and mothers can feel unshakeable. Living in such a time takes a toll on your self image.

The world is in need of more stories about women not only struggling with what the world wants from them, but knowing what they want from themselves. Sometimes it feels like anything you do as a woman is wrong, The fight for self acceptance and giving yourself time and space to grow is neverending.

My purpose for this film is to make other young women feel seen and empower them to fight for their personhood in a world that doesn’t always treat them like one.

SYDNIE - A recent high school graduate with dreams of traveling the world. She is an introvert and a bit socially awkward, but has an impulsive and very dramatic streak. In an attempt to belong, she latches onto other people.

LUCAS - Former college freshman and likely frat pledge, Loyal Joe Rogan fan and self proclaimed “alpha male.” Extroverted and loves to party. Has a secret soft side.

DANIEL - Charismatic and thoughtful. The lead singer and songwriter for local band “Delusions of Grandeur.” He makes Sydnie feel seen and special. Guarded and doesn’t reveal much about his personal life.

CAST

NADIA DAJANI as Liz

DAVID KRUMHOLTZ as Alfonso

AITANA DOYLE as Sydnie

AVA BODNAR as Iris

BRAXTON FANNIN as Lucas

ANDREW MICHAEL FAMA as Daniel

GALADRIEL STINEMAN as Nevon

CATHERINE CURTIN as Carrie

NATALIE CARTER as Dr. Jones

SUZANNE DIDONNA as Zoe

KEVIN CORRIGAN as Bob

STUART RUDIN as Father Hank

MICHAEL BUSCEMI as Immanuel Jacobs

Meet the Team

About Sadie Bones

Sadie Bones, a 19-year-old triple threat in the world of filmmaking as a screenwriter, director, and actor, brings a fresh and youthful perspective to the industry. Born in Los Angeles and raised in New York City, Sadie’s exposure to literature, theater, art, and music from an early age shaped her creative sensibilities. As the only child of actor Kevin Corrigan, renowned for his roles in films like “True Romance,” “The Departed,” and “Pineapple Express;” Sadie’s childhood was infused with the magic of cinema.

From the tender age of five, Sadie’s fascination with filmmaking blossomed when her cousin introduced her to the wonders of iMovie. Holiday gatherings became opportunities to collaborate on short films with her family, igniting her passion for storytelling. At just eight years old, she wrote and directed her first short Film, “Ellipses”, showcasing her innate talent for filmmaking.

Sadie pursued her passion through formal education, attending the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts and majoring in Film during her freshman and sophomore years of high school. Eager to enhance her skills, she graduated early and enrolled in the two-year conservatory program at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, where she took acting classes to complement her directing abilities.

At the age of seventeen, Sadie penned her first feature film, “If That Mockingbird Don’t Sing”, initially conceived as a no-budget passion project. However, private financing, fueled by confidence in Sadie’s talent and dedication, transformed it into a reality. Sadie also created the short film “The Vanishing Point”; a project that garnered acclaim, earning her accolades such as “Most Promising Filmmaker” and “Best Young Filmmaker.”

Sadie’s commitment to diverse storytelling is evident in another earlier short documentary, “Existential Hokey Pokey” which explores her best friend’s experience being adopted from China and living with cerebral palsy. Her cinematic influences include powerhouse women like Greta Gerwig, Diablo Cody, Sofia Coppola, and Adrienne Shelly, who inspired her to carve her path in the industry.

A chance encounter with Greta Gerwig, where she shared her dream of creating a feature film, became a pivotal moment for Sadie. Gerwig’s encouraging words, immortalized in a tattoo on Sadie’s arm that reads “Go make your movies!” – is a daily motivator to fearlessly pursue her passion. Sadie’s filmmaking style is characterized by its cynicism, wit, and youthful exuberance, exploring themes of independence, personal growth, and girlhood with a touch of spirituality. Through her work, Sadie advocates for the importance of amplifying young voices, particularly those of young women, challenging stereotypes, and reminding the world that everyone, regardless of age, has a story worth telling.

As Sadie continues to make her mark in the film industry, she envisions a future where filmmaking becomes more accessible to aspiring young creators. Her journey is not just a personal triumph but a beacon of inspiration for others, encouraging marginalized voices to step forward and share their unique perspectives with the world.

NEWS

NEWS

Best Narrative Feature (Comedy)

As a close runner-up in the Comedy category, the jury of the Woods Hole Film Festival 2024 recognizes IF THAT MOCKINGBIRD DON’T SING, a wonderfully touching portrayal of 17-year-old Sydnie as she deals with an unexpected pregnancy and the life-changing decisions she is thrust into making at such a young age. Whilst we have seen similar subject matter tackled in films before in recent years, the jury was excited to see it portrayed in a way that felt both innovative and original. Such a topic can often threaten to slip into melodrama, but director Sadie Bones skillfully balances moments of laugh-out-loud humor with scenes of devastating empathy as Sydnie grapples with the most consequential of decisions. Both Bones and lead actor Aitana Doyle announce themselves as significant talents to watch for as we join Sydnie on her impossible journey to make the “right” choice when such a choice seems impossible, despite everyone around her being certain they have the correct answer. At a time when reproductive rights continue to be booted around like a political football, this sensitive exploration of this topic offers a refreshingly accessible approach to a struggle that is still all too common in today’s society.

-Woods Hole Film Festival Jury Statement 2024

“The best film at the festival was quite the surprise as it was directed by 18-year-old Sadie Bones. The film is called "If That Mockingbird Don't Sing" and is a comedy that follows a fairly timely subject, teenage pregnancy…. In fact, the film is a fresh Gen Z take on the subject… The film as a whole is quite mature considering it was written and directed by a teenager.”