Anu

Logline

After the passing of her husband, 57-year old Anu moves from India to Aotearoa to start anew - but first, she must confront her grief alone in managed isolation.

About Our Project

Anu is an upcoming drama short from writer/director Pulkit Arora that centers the experience of grief and letting go, in isolation.

During his own MIQ stint in 2020, Pulkit was taken by the idea of someone “escaping” the pandemic in their home country, and yet finding themselves weighed down by loss borne prior.

Our intention with Anu is to truthfully capture the process of grieving, while remaining inside one MIQ room over 14 days. We hope that this very personal, yet universal story is cathartic for all of us who have grieved - whether it is a person, a place, or even a time.

Our Kaupapa 

As a diverse team, we are committed to bringing POC into HOD roles, and upskilling fellow Pan Asian practitioners wherever we can. Your support will help us provide further opportunity to collaborate within our community and uplift the many incredible Asian talent and crew in Aotearoa.

How You Can Help

Thanks to the Ethnic Communities Fund, we have secured some support for our short. However, we desperately need to raise more to cover production costs like location and gear hire, plus post-production fees like music licensing and grading.

As our Boosted family knows, every little bit counts in helping us achieve our vision and tell this beautiful story. Whether you can give a few dollars or a quick shoutout on your social media accounts - every show of support is truly and gratefully appreciated.

MEET THE TEAM

Pulkit Arora

Writer/Director

Pulkit Arora is a New Zealand-Indian writer and director. In his screenwriting career of 5 years, he has created and led writing rooms for three episodic series and anthologies with Disney+ and Netflix.

Having begun his transition to directing in 2020, his debut short Milk Toffee premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2021, and subsequently travelled to 8 other major international festivals. He has been selected for mentorship with the NZFC’s Hunga Taunaki ā Rorohiko programme, and his short Anu has been supported by both PASC Shortcuts and Show Me Shorts Screenplay Labs.

Rachel Fawcett

Producer

Rachel Fawcett is a Kiwi producer of Chinese descent. She began her career as co-producer of Friday Night Bites (season 2), working with Roseanne Liang and the Flat3 team. She has since produced Steven Chow’s award-winning short thriller, Munkie, starring Xana Tang and Matariki Bennett's Wind, Song and Rain, as part of Notable Pictures’ Loading Docs initiative. Her focus is on telling diverse, female-centric stories.

Hannah Pawley

Associate Producer/Coordinator

Hannah Pawley is a Filipino Pākehā based practitioner from Tāmaki Makaurau. With a background in the Fine Arts Industry, she took a leap into coordination roles in the screen industry in 2020 and has since worked on numerous local and international productions. She loves the collaborative nature of filmmaking and assisting like-minded individuals to produce stories rooted in creative exploration, inclusivity, and mental health. 

Image credit: The Namesake, directed by Mira Nair and shot by Frederick Elmes