Connor Cargo’s narrative feature debut starts shooting in one week. After returning to filmmaking in 2024 with a series of short projects that earned award nominations, he’s launching production on ‘Birdhouse,’ an independent drama that begins January 11 in New Orleans.
The film follows a young woman barely scraping by, living on a friend’s couch and bartering for parts to restore a birdhouse that belonged to her dying father. It’s the kind of small-scale, emotionally grounded story that doesn’t announce itself loudly. Cargo’s approach leans into quiet moments and material specificity, the texture of everyday struggle rendered without manufactured drama.
Connor Cargo points to Joanna Hogg and Chantal Akerman as touchstones. “Hogg’s treatment-based scripts are designed for her actors to improvise, allowing them freedom while still serving the story, creating a true collaboration,” he explains. “Akerman’s attention to routine and duration taught me how small, lived-in moments can carry enormous emotional weight.” That combination of improvisational freedom within structure and patient observation of daily ritual seems to inform what Birdhouse is aiming for.
The project comes together under Cargo’s newly formed banner, 1230 Films, LLC (known creatively as 1230). Producers Shamirah Jack and Hallie Legendre are steering the production, with Legendre also taking on the lead role of Josephine. Kaitlin Keith, who worked in the Art Department on NEON’s Assassination Nation, serves as Assistant Director. The supporting cast includes Sophia Petikas as Laurie and Brett Beoubay as Harry. Beoubay has credits in A24’s The Iron Claw and Showtime’s Your Honor, alongside Tricia Remson, Amy Laura Wales, Andrew Wombacher, and Nancy Thacker.
Cast
Cargo’s recent work includes A Box of Memories (2026), The Nokturnal (2025), and Knock Knock (2024). Those shorts built the runway for this feature, proof of concept that he could handle longer narrative form. The decision to work in independent film, outside traditional studio structures, gives Birdhouse room to breathe on its own terms.
Production begins January 11 in New Orleans, just one week out. After that, it’s festivals and finding the right distribution fit. The understated approach Cargo’s taking with Birdhouse doesn’t play by typical indie playbook rules, which could work in its favor. For now, the focus is getting it shot.
For more on Connor Cargo and Birdhouse, visit his website, follow him on Instagram, or check his IMDb.
