Films

IN DEVELOPMENT

TINĀ

Light-Hearted Feature Length Drama a New Zealand Samoan Film.

Logline: A penniless Samoan mother, retired from teaching after the death of her children, is forced to take a substitute role in a wealthy private school.

Synopsis: “Tinā” – is an inspiring drama, a light-hearted rhythmic tear-jerker, that follows the story of Samoan teacher Mareta Percival. Struggling after the death of her girls in the Christchurch earthquakes, Mareta must reluctantly take on a role as substitute teacher at an elite private school and is surprised to find children crying out for guidance, inspiration, and love.

Using the symphony of her culture to empower her students, she forms a choir to bring them together, and at the same unexpectedly rediscovers her passion for being a teacher and mother again. Her students are challenged to step out of their privileged comfort-zone, embrace their “freshness”, if they’re to make the “The Big Sing”, an all-school choir competition.

Dir - Miki Magasiva

Producers - Dan Higgins, Miki Magasiva

WAIT

A Chinese migrant family in 1980s New Zealand is at the point of breaking apart. As a daughter and mother realise the truth of their situation, the mother collapses emotionally, leaving her daughter to stop her from abandoning the family that remains.

Dir - Yumin Tun

Producers - Dan Higgins, Vicky Pope

Lind's List

The school bully is all grown up - and she's sorry. A black comedy about imperfection of body and soul.

Dir - Kate McDermott & Angela Bloomfield

Producer - Dan Higgins

The Brother

A prodigal son returns hunting atonement but he soon finds the high-country wilderness is a dangerous place.

Dir - Summer Agnew

Producers - Dan Higgins, Matt Noonan

Born to dance

Coming of age tale told through the eyes of 'Tu', an ambitious young man from Auckland who dreams of being a professional hip-hop dancer.

Dir - Tammy Davis

Producers - Jill Mcnab, Leanne Saunders, Matt Noonan

Line Producer - Dan Higgins

Night Shift

Salote, an airport cleaner starts another long night shift. She keeps her head down, does her job and gleans her survival from what others leave behind. No one would usually spare her a second glance.

Dir - Zia Mandviwalla

Producers - Chelsea Winstanley, Matt Noonan

Production Manager - Dan Higgins

Fantail

Tania thinks she's Maori. She works the graveyard shift at Horizon to save money to take her brother Pi to Surfers. But one night a cheeky little bird ruins everything and Tania pays the ultimate price for being a hero.

Dir - Curtis Vowell

Producers - Sarah Cook , Matt Noonan

Production Manager - Dan Higgins

Sonny my older brother

Po likes to daydream. He dreams about all the cool things he and Sonny do, Swimming and climbing trees. When Sonny gets a hiding Por makes the decision to help his older brother with his chores as well.

Dir - Tammy Davis

Producers - Chelsea Winstanley, Matt Noonan

Production Manager - Dan Higgins