The Story
Irish singer-songwriter Brendan Kelly is on the last leg of an Australian tour, arriving in the picturesque Western Australian town of Albany with an uncharacteristic 5 days off. Melancholy and still coming to terms with his recent tragic loss of his brother, he is unwilling to perform the song that defined him, but Brendan’s surprising encounter with the vibrant local community, and especially Sarah, the woman who has been assigned to look after him, turns his life wonderfully upside down.
ALMOST WITH YOU is a lyrical portrait of loss, community, and the power and purpose of music.
KINJARLING FILMS SCREENWEST & LOTTERYWEST in association with THE ACME FILM COMPANY ROARING TRIBE POST IMPACT & FINAL SOUND
present ALMOST WITH YOU DECLAN O’ROURKE CHLOE HURST DARREN ‘GALLIE’ GALLAGHER STEPHEN PIGRAM MICHAEL SHEEHY JAE LAFFER
Sound Supervisor PAUL SHANAHAN Music DECLAN O’ROURKE LUKA BLOOM Cinematographer JIM FRATER ACS
Editor TALARAH PEDROCCHI ROELOFS Executive Producers ROSS MORGAN WILLIAM MORGAN RICHARD LEWIS MICHELLE JOHNSTON BEN McNEILL ROSIE SINGER DENISE SKIPPER PAUL O’MEEHAN JASON BYRNE DEBORAH BIRCH Co-Producers CHANEL BOWEN & CHLOE HURST
Producers TAIT BRADY DANIEL MULVIHILL ADAM MORRIS TALARAH PEDROCCHI ROELOFS
Written & Directed by ADAM MORRIS
The Bios
Adam Morris - WRITER / DIRECTOR/ PRODUCER
Adam Morris is a filmmaker/author/musician based in Albany, West Australia. Originally hailing from Dublin, Ireland, he received his education and upbringing in Perth, before making the move to the historic coastal town of Albany over a decade ago.
For nearly ten years, Adam toured as a semi-professional musician playing guitar and singing with the Irish-folk-influenced trio Murder Mouse Blues across Australia, Asia and Canada ; experiences which clearly inform his writing on ALMOST WITH YOU. His novel BIRD ( Puncher & Wattmann – 2019) was widely acclaimed locally on release, and was recently translated into German for publisher Nautilus Hamburg.
A dedicated cinephile, Adam’s baptism-of-fire introduction to filmmaking was amidst the Covid 2020 pandemic period, when Adam threw himself into the filmmaking process, independently making his first feature EDWARD AND ISABELLA on a micro-budget and a crew of 5; learning the filmmaking process on the job. The film, a searing exploration of a relationship fracturing, went on to find recognition at a string of minor local and international Festivals (Cinefest Oz, Perth, Prague, Tokyo, Naples, Montreal, Rome and Singapore)
Bitten by the film bug and buoyed by the unexpected positive response to his first film, Adam – again working closely with Talarah Pedrocchi Roelofs – soon moved onto his 2nd feature – again microbudget but very different in tone – the droll satirical drama FRANK AND FRANK (or The Valley and The Walrus: Ruminations on the Mystery from Soup to Nuts) made in 2023, with a cast lead by Trevor Jamieson and Myles Pollard.
A prolific writer, Morris had the script for ALMOST WITH YOU ready to go in mid 2024, and after attracting attention from producers, investors and cast, was able to go into production in March 2025, with Irish singer/songwriter Declan O’Rourke in the lead role. The script, a deeply romantic drama about surviving grief and rediscovering love, is informed by Adam’s knowledge of Irish folk music; and the production, while still independent and low-budget, represents a significant leap forward in production value, scale and ambition for Adam’s filmmaking.
Declan O'Rourke - BRENDAN
Declan O’Rourke is an acclaimed Irish-born singer-songwriter. Declan has a close relationship with Australia, having emigrated with his family and spending a significant part of his youth living in Victorian regional towns.
He has been a working musician for more than 25 years, touring internationally releasing 7 solo albums over the last 21 years. His work has been described by the New York Times as ‘a writer of songs full of compassion, romance, a sense of mortality and a sense of history’.
He is a household name in Ireland and in 2021released his debut novel The Pawnbroker’s Reward (8 weeks in the Irish Top 5 charts); which was followed by A Whisper From Oblivion in 2023 – the subject of both books is the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s & 50s. Declan’s last album “Arrivals“ (2021) was produced by english superstar Paul Weller; the next has just been recorded with Australian Jim Moginie (Midnight Oil) for a July 2026 release.
ALMOST WITH YOU is his first dramatic acting role, and features 9 of Declan’s compositions.
Chloe Hurst - SARAH
West-Australian born actress CHLOE HURST has a 13 year career across film & TV, both locally and in the USA; intertwined with an ongoing modelling career, while developing her own film projects as writer, director and/or producer.
In Hollywood Chloe’s many credits include the Amy Schumer/Michelle Williams led comedy I FEEL PRETTY (2018); Russell Crowe/Ryan Gosling vehicle THE NICE GUYS (2016), the Disney TV series ANDI MACK (2018-19), and the lead in Kymberly Harris’ 2022 indie feature I HEARD SARAH.
In Australia, Chloe played the lead in Adam Morris’ first film EDWARD AND ISABELLA (2022) and most recently has been seen in SCRUBLANDS (2025) and Zak Hilditch’s WE BURY THE DEAD (2025).
Darren 'Gallie' Gallagher -LORCAN
In his first film role, Australian-based/Dublin-born singer-songwriter “Gallie” plays the role of Brendan’s recently passed older brother and fellow musician, Lorcan.
For over 15 years, Gallie lived the troubadour lifestyle, travelling the world playing every type of show imaginable – from busking on the streets of Paris to a 1000-seat show with a 46-piece orchestra in Southern Brazil. More recently, he has supported an impressive line-up of international acts and played at music festivals all over the world.
Having now lived in Australia for 13 years, he has finally put enough roots down to record his songs. His highly lauded debut album, The Occoquan River, told stories of war, showcasing Gallie’s soulful performances. Gallie is currently putting the finishing touches to his new album, recorded in Nashville, and to be released in late-2026
Stephen Pigram - GORDON
Stephen Pigram is an Indigenous Australian musician, songwriter and member of the Yawuru people. Born in Broome, West Australia, Stephen has performed together with his brothers, Alan and Philip, since 1977. Pigram was a member of the pioneering Indigenous reggae band Kuckles, formed in Adelaide in 1981 with Jimmy Chi, and co-created Chi’s landmark Australian musicals, Bran Nue Dae and Corrugation Road.
Along with Alan and Philip, Stephen was also a founding member of Scrap Metal, a rock, country and reggae band in 1983. Together they released four albums before joining forces with their other brothers (David, Colin, Gavin and Peter) to form The Pigram Brothers. In 2006, along with Alan, Stephen was inducted into the Western Australian Music Hall of Fame. Stephen has received multiple award nominations, including an APRA Music Award nomination for Feature Film Score of the Year, and an ARIA Music Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album.
Films as Editor :
EDWARD AND ISABELLA (2022)
FRANK AND FRANK (2023)
ALMOST WITH YOU (2026)
Talarah Pedrocchi Roelofs - EDITOR/CO-WRITER /PRODUCER
Born on Malgana country in north-western West Australia, and based in the south coast WA town of Albany, Talarah is an emerging young film editor and writer with three feature films under her belt already, working closely with writer/director Adam Morris.
On ALMOST WITH YOU she was not only Editor, but co-wrote the story, was Script Supervisor and Directing Attachment on set, and Casting and Wardrobe consultant.
When not working on films, Talarah trains as an Indigenous Park Ranger back on country – around Shark Bay on the northern WA coast.
Luka Bloom - COMPOSER
Internationally renowned Irish singer/ songwriter/guitarist Luka Bloom contributed the original instrumental score, after responding favourably to the script when approached by writer/director Adam Morris.
A recording and touring artist since 1977, Luka has a wide international following and has released more than 30 albums over the course of his career.
ALMOST WITH YOU features 5 of Luka’s compositions as instrumental score.
Tait Brady - PRODUCER
Melbourne-based Producer Tait Brady has worked across numerous areas within the Australian and international film industry for more than 35 years, including creative development, production, marketing, distribution, exhibition, financing and curation. Director of The Melbourne Intl Film Festival for 9 years, he is a former General Manager of Palace Films and a senior executive at FFC Australia and Screen Australia.
As a Producer, Tait has produced or exec-produced 14 projects in the last 13 years. These include feature documentaries, SUZI Q (2019), I’M WANITA (2020) and LOVE IN BRIGHT LANDSCAPES (2021) and features, HEALING (2014), BROTHER’S NEST, (2018), THE BBQ (2017) and A GUIDE TO DATING AT THE END OF THE WORLD(2023) and SHED (2026). Also currently in Production is the feature documentary TIMOR : REZISTENSIA with Director Ian White, for late-2026 completion.
Collectively, his films have played at Festivals as varied as Cannes, Montreal, SxSW, Hot Docs, Hof, In-Edit, Doc NYC, Melbourne, Sydney, Seattle, FrightFest, Brisbane and Cinefest OZ.
Daniel Mulvihill - PRODUCER
Queensland-based Producer Dan Mulvihill has been writing and producing film, TV and web content for the last fifteen years. His short films include ‘Cabbie Confessions’ in 2011, with comedian Matt Okine and ‘Casa Del Crip,‘(2015) a short film in collaboration with the late comedian and disability activist, Stella Young, a finalist in the AACTA Social Shorts competition, That same year, his short film ‘Love Sick’ was a finalist in the Tropfest/NPS competition; and in 2017, Dan completed co-writing and producing the outrageous 6x10min online comedy series ‘Sexy Herpes”, which was seen on Channel 9 and Virgin In-flight; won ‘Best Ensemble’ at Dublin Web and was adapted into a successful long-form TV comedy in Canada, named ‘Sans Rendez-Vous’.
Dan co-wrote and produced his debut feature film, ‘A Savage Christmas’, released in cinemas and on Binge in late 2023, and went on to be nominated for the AACTA award for Best Indie Feature. Dan has a range of TV and Film projects in development in including live action TV Series, ‘Boy, I Am’, animated feature ‘Crocodile Creek’ ; and feature project Tender.
Dan remains a staunch advocate for disability visibility within the Film and TV sector and is actively seeking ways to incorporate his tribe into all ATL and BTL roles on all his projects.
Almost all of the ALMOST WITH YOU Cast and Crew (Photo: Ian “Freddie” Duncan)
Cast
Declan O’ROURKE – Brendan Kelly
Chloe HURST – Sarah
Darren GALLAGHER – Lorcan Kelly
Stephen PIGRAM – Gordon
Michael SHEEHY – Paul
Ava LYAS – Deidre
Jae LAFFER – Karl the Janitor
Tamsin PEMBERTON-KUSUMA – Receptionist
Erminia GIORDANO – Josephine
Jane MORRIS – Gina
Crew
Director: Adam MORRIS
Writer: Adam MORRIS
Producers: Tait BRADY, Daniel MULVIHILL, Adam MORRIS, Talarah PEDROCCHI ROELEFS
Co-Producers: Chanel BOWEN, Chloe HURST
Line Producer: Chanel BOWEN
Director of Photography: Jim FRATER ACS
Sound Recordist: Zac HOLMES
Wardrobe: Alexandra WIEHL
Hair & Makeup: Emma RIDGWELL, Bonnie HENDERSON
Camera Assistant: Darcy WILSON
Camera Assistant: Ben SCOTFORD
Production Secretary / Props: Janet McARTNEY
Production Assistant: Cassandra SWARBRICK
Unit Stills: Freddie DUNCAN
EPK / Videographer: Merlyn MOON
Editor / Script Supervisor: Talarah PEDROCCHI ROELEFS
Consulting Editor: Peter PRITCHARD
Songs: Written and performed by Declan O’ROURKE
Additional Music: Luka BLOOM
Sound Design: Zoe BAIRD
Production Accountant: Debbie DAWE
Sound Post: Final Sound
Picture Post: Post Impact