Free Short Films to Stream

August 29, 2024 0 Comments

The works of eight emerging NZ filmmakers can be streamed for free from September 4.

Day One Shorts is a series of funded 8-12 minute films that explore cultural, social and political issues.

They will premiere theatrically September 3 at the Hollywood Avondale theatre in Auckland and then go online on the Day One, Whakaata Maori and RNZ websites.

So if you want a sneak peek of perhaps the next Peter Jackson or Taika Waititi, check out these titles:

Yeah Pare (directors Sean Dioneda Rivera and Albert Latailakepa)

Drama: Lost at the night markets, Johnjohn tries to find his parents, while searching he befriends Junior, a child of a family working the stalls who takes him on a fantastical journey to find his loved ones.

Detangling the Stigma (d. Jzayla Hughey)

Documentary: Through her work in film, 28-year-old driven creative Jzayla Hughey is detangling the stigma of demonstrating that afro-textured hair, being natural, plays a significant role in NZ’s film industry.

Sua: Portrait of a Retired Bus Driver (d. Robert Norman)

Documentary: A day in the life of a Samoan immigrant bus driver as he traverses the streets of Auckland, his home life, role in the community and to his family as we explore his general outlook and persona.

Wilbert Wire (d. Ricky Townsend)

Drama: A robot art student who is othered by his human teacher and classmates is tasked with creating a painting about love.

Lemons (d. India Fremaux)

Drama: A young Māori woman is given her estranged birth mother’s ashes and has to figure out what to do with them.

Behind the White Wall (d. Seunghoon Sung)

Drama: A Korean immigrant dad, working as a construction painter, mentors a new young worker while simultaneously battling melancholia and guilt as he awaits the arrival of his family.

Taurewarewa (d. Libby Witheford-Smith)

Documentary: Explores the highs and lows of tides and emotions in a sequence of insightful kōrero framed against a backdrop of Aotearoa’s turbulent ocean.