Watch the new fandom-friendly short film I Ship It, which stars web series actors Mary Kate Wiles, Joey Richter and Sean Persaud!

Who hasn’t at one point uttered the words “I ship it” out loud, only to be met with confused looks from their real-life friends?

This 20-minute long short film written and directed by Yulin Kuang (with songs by Kirstyn Hippe) explores what happens when a fandom couple breaks up, and Wiles’ character Zoe decides to take down her ex-boyfriend in a wizard rock battle.

This movie gives us a glimpse into a completely unique world, that of grown-up Harry Potter fans who continue to perform wizard rock for small, dedicated crowds. Yulin Kuang has managed to create a little story which is both funny and heartfelt, and doesn’t at any point feel forced.

Fans of Starkid and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries will recognise Joey Richter and Mary Kate Wiles, and smile at the knowledge that these people are, in fact, fandom famous – there are people out there who really ship these people with their fellow performers.

But I Ship It is much more than a nod to the YouTube community. It tells a sweet, engaging story about two friends who are both facing heartbreak, and learn to use their pain to create something beautiful. And honestly, you see a lot of questionable material on YouTube, but the acting, directing and cinematography is all top notch in this production.

Watch the movie below:

“One minute we were performing wizard rock duets on stage together… you were the Harry to my Ginny. The next, you found a new Ginny,” Zoe laments in a vlog.

Meanwhile, Zoe’s friend Charlie has also broken up with his girlfriend. While they wallow in their heartache, the pair decides to try taking their relationship to the next level – but after realising that “it’s not fireworks or anything,” they cement their friendship status.

Zoe convinces Charlie to use his “Ex-Box” (trademark pending) to write new songs for the battle of the bands. After a while, Charlie tells Zoe that she should just perform by herself, seeing as he can’t sing.

“I think I just felt weird singing alone,” she admits. “Well, I think you sound awesome,” Charlie replies. Totally awesome, in fact.

And isn’t that nice? With the support of her friend, Zoe learns to stand on her own two feet, and absolutely smashes her solo song.

Of course Pete still wins, being the wizard rock heartthrob that he is.

Flushed with anger, Zoe storms off (“Er, we didn’t park on this level.” “I know, I just wanted to feel tall”). Pete texts her, wanting to put their band back together. Is he really that blind, or just… looking for trouble?

To her credit, Zoe doesn’t give in. She doesn’t need him. She doesn’t need Charlie either, who finally admits that he likes her after all.

Some time passes, and Charlie and Zoe reunite. At the end, they agree that neither is ready to start something new yet… but they’re kind of shipping it. And so are we.

Here’s hoping for a sequel, with more of that fantastic music! Congratulations to all the cast and crew, who created a great movie about a movement which impacted fandom in so many ways.

What did you think about I Ship It?