Anywhere but Nowhere

Directed by Shea Kokaua, an all Pasifika cast make their screen debuts with this powerful short film about our influence on the youth of our society.

In the summer of 2017, a post circulated Facebook showing a man confronting a group of youths who’d taken shoes and phones from innocent members of the public. The comments ranged from casting blame to explicitly offensive, but none asked the question; ‘How did they get to this point?’ or more importantly ‘How did we get this point?’

Logline

The short film 'Anywhere but Nowhere' is about some of the opportunities and choices that face young people in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We follow a young boxer as he is caught between the advice of his coach or following his friends in the opposite direction.

Why does this project matter?

This film carries a message that has never been more relevant than now. With the future uncertain, employers are hesitant to take chances on someone unproven. Many of todays youth are dying for a chance, just waiting for that first opportunity. What may seem a simple task for many of us, could be the life-changing open door to someone who needs it. 

Background

The film serves as a vehicle for this message and puts an all Pasifika cast into the spotlight. All of the performers are making screen debuts and bring a raw ‘realness’ to the characters they play. It was shot across two years on the smell of an oily rag and subject to crew availability. Filming has now wrapped up, but we are at the final hurdle of post-production.

Where to now?

We have secured an amazing team to help give this film the polish it deserves. The time has come to hand it over to professionals to get it up to film festival quality. Understandably this comes at a cost, and this is where we need your help! Any donations will go toward the following;

• Music Composition - An impacting and emotional narrative piece needs high quality custom composition that supports the story. We are lucky to have internationally renowned musician and producer Tiki Taane on board to compose the music.
• Sound Mix - Fresh from the Netflix project "The Luminaries", Chris Sinclair has come on board to add sound effects and work his magic with the audio.
• Editing - Having a number of Netflix projects under his belt, Richard Lord is taking charge of editing duties as we speak.
• Colour - The film will lastly be coloured by Alex Gregory at The Mill post production house in London. The Mill has an international reputation for the highest quality and they are happy to jump on board to help give the film its final look.

The Team:

Shea Kokaua (Director) - No stranger to directing, this is Shea’s debut film, already having many theatre credits to his name. After studying at the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art (NASDA - Bachelor of Performing Arts) and WINTEC (Bachelor of Media Arts - Honours) he then completed his Masters of Arts studies at Ara while writing, performing and directing numerous theatre productions.

John Ross (Writer/Cinematographer) - After coming National Runner-up in the 2018 48Hour Film Festival with the powerful short Hero, John went on to win a Silver Award for commercial cinematography from the New Zealand Cinematographers Society, had content accepted into BAFTA accredited festivals, and most recently won Best Cinematography at the London Fashion Film Festival. This marks the first real short film of his quickly flourishing career.

Joshua Jones (Producer) - Starting out as a Producer's Assistant on the feature film The Stolen, Josh then went on to executive produce the feature Spring Interlude. His valuable input and experience helped to navigate the many challenges of this film's production.

Cast:

Gideon Tanielu-Smith, Sala Tiatia, Sela Faletolu-Fasi, Jordan Ross, Nekholas Thompson, Marcellus Vanilau, Dylan Gee, Junior Ma’u Gamble, Tiraiti Skudder-Dawson, Rod Williams-Pardington 

Crew:

Joshua Jones (Producer), Shea Kokaua (Director), John Ross (Director of Photography), Andrei Talili (1st Assistant Director), Scott Jackson (Cam Assistant), Oliver Watson (Cam Assistant), Jannis Bierschenk (Cam Assistant), Chris Cubitt (Sound Recordist), Nick McLean (Boom Operator), Massey Williams (Wardrobe), Chloe Nicolette (Make-up Artist), Daisy Lavea-Timo (Cultural Advisor), Breana Rath (PA), Josh Jamieson (PA)