The Last Thing I Have to Write
A short film about ambition, love, and what success can cost us.
The Last Thing I Have to Write is a character-driven psychological drama with dark-fantasy elements, written and directed by Samuel Haun.
John is a struggling writer nearing sixty who discovers an antique typewriter capable of granting whatever wish he types. When he finally uses it to achieve the literary success he has pursued his entire life, his dream begins to distort the people and relationships that gave his life meaning. Ultimately, John must decide whether recognition is worth losing the woman who believed in him before the world knew his name.
What is success worth if reaching it costs the people and parts of ourselves that matter most?
The Story
For most of his life, John has measured his worth by the success he has never quite reached. The typewriter appears to offer him a final opportunity—to become the writer he always believed he could be. But success changes more than his circumstances. It changes the way he sees himself, the way others see him, and the way he treats Jane, the woman who has stood beside him through years of disappointment. As John’s dream becomes reality, the life he wanted begins to reveal its true cost. At its heart, the film is about the tension between ambition and connection—and the realization that the people we love are not distractions from the life we are building.
They are the reason for building it.
A North Texas Production
Principal photography is planned for January 2027 in Terrell, Texas. The production is being built through a growing partnership between local artists, businesses, community leaders, and supporters who believe in the value of bringing original film production to Kaufman County.
Key Terrell locations already connected to the project include:
- Warren Manor
- Turtle Dove Antique Mall
- Lyric Performance Center
Together, these locations will help create the film’s modest home interior, antique shop, Hollywood gala, and theatrical performance spaces.
The project will also create opportunities for local performers, background actors, crew members, vendors, volunteers, and businesses to participate in the production.
The Production
- Approximately 25-minute short film
- Psychological drama with dark-fantasy elements
- Written and directed by Samuel Haun
- Planned for five days of principal photography
- Filming in Terrell, Texas
- Target completion following production and post-production in 2027
DreamSketch Films is contributing significant production resources in kind, including directing, producing, camera equipment, picture editing, and sound design.
Support the Film
Fundraising is currently underway through grants, business sponsorships, individual supporters, and in-kind partnerships.
The public crowdfunding campaign will launch on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, through From the Heart Productions, the film’s nonprofit fiscal sponsor.
Support will help provide:
- Cast and crew compensation
- Production design and set dressing
- Food and meals for the production
- Sound, music, and post-production
- Equipment and location needs
- Festival submissions and audience outreach
Businesses and community partners may also support the production through qualifying in-kind contributions, including locations, lodging, meals, services, materials, and other production needs.
Questions or interested in supporting the film before launch? Contact us about sponsorships or in-kind contributions.
Campaign Launches October 6
The Larger Vision
The Last Thing I Have to Write is intended to be more than a single short film. It is the next step in a larger slate of original projects being developed through DreamSketch Films, including the feature films Dead Man’s Game and Where the Monster Lives.
By supporting this production, partners are helping establish a sustainable creative presence in North Texas—one capable of producing ambitious independent films while creating meaningful opportunities for local artists, businesses, and communities.