Beast Mode

Beast Mode is the latest brainchild from writer, director Chye-Ling Huang. A complex, edge-of-your-seat short film, Beast Mode is inspired by her personal lens as a Pan-Asian sexual assault survivor. 

Filmed in December 2024 with over 40 cast & crew, we are now seeking YOUR help to finish the film and get it over the line.

CHYE-LING HUANG | WRITER, DIRECTOR

Chye-Ling is a Chinese-Pakeha writer and director, known for NZTV nominated queer body swap comedy Life is Easy and multi award winning podcast The Elephant in the Bedroom with James Roque. Her most recent collaboration with Joyce on TVNZ comedy series Camp Be Better was featured at MIPCOM Cannes 2024.

Beast Mode is her first psychological drama and is a companion piece to her feature film. Like her other work, Beast Mode is queer, female focussed and explores the binaries within experiences and cultures.

NATASHA DANIEL | WRITER

Natasha graduated from Unitec’s Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts - Acting in 2014. Since then she has worked predominantly as an actor and voice actor, playing a wide variety of characters for both stage and screen, as well as Producing with Proudly Asian Theatre. 

Beast Mode is her second collaboration as a co-writer with Chye-Ling Huang, and she’s super excited to be able to show it to you all soon.

JOYCE WONG | PRODUCER

Joyce is an award winning Chinese producer based in Tamaki Makaurau. A proud first generation immigrant from Hong Kong, she is best known for her work focussed on asian led stories such as TVNZ comedy series, Camp Be Better. Her work has been featured at MIPCOM Cannes and Beast Mode marks her third collaboration with Chye-Ling. 

Joyces fingerprints are evident in the foundations of Beast Mode with the POC centric lense, action packed story and thumping techno beats. Her love for all forms of creative craft from film to music is fully showcased in the film. 

Our campaign is designed to raise the additional finance required to finish post production of the film. The funds we raise will go directly to these finishing costs, you can learn more about the amazing creatives you’re supporting below. 

KERRI ROGGIO | Editor

Kerri spent much of her childhood writing and filming movies using the family camcorder. As an adult, she has channeled that creative energy into a successful career as an editor. Kerri loves working on anything a bit weird, surreal, and with a deeper meaning, Beast Mode is a perfect fit.

TIM HAMILTON | VFX Artist 

Tim is an award winning filmmaker whose income is largely supplemented from winning short film competitions. He has gained recognition among established directors and major brands worldwide. A friend of the team, he’s been involved since the conception of the film in 2022.

BAYKER | Composer

For over a decade, Cam has been a force in the international music scene from New York to Berlin. His musical pursuit led him to sign a publishing contract with BMG in Berlin, a testament to his undeniable talent and dedication to the art of sound.

DAVID LIVERSIDGE, RADIATE STUDIOS | Sound Design

David is a master of sound design with over 20 years of experience. A friendly face in the Auckland filmmaking community, he has supported many emerging filmmakers in their quest to tell fresh and innovative stories. Beast Mode marks his second project with us.

JEMMA LEE & IMAGES & SOUND | Grading & Onlining

Images & Sound is kindly supporting Beast Mode by grading and onlining the film. Grading the film is Jemma Lee who is one of the most exciting colourists to emerge from New Zealand.

We understand that $ is hard to come by and prior to this campaign we have done our utmost due diligence to reduce the scope of what we’re asking for to the bare minimum. Please know every dollar counts and is covering the basic necessities to finish the film. We appreciate your support! 

A psychological drama, Beast Mode follows a repressed sexual assault survivor Sing (Nikita Tu-Bryant) who on a drunken night out savagely attacks an innocent man (James Sexton), pushing her to face the energy of trauma that lives within her body.

Sexual assault is not openly discussed in many Asian communities due to stigma surrounding sexuality and shame as a victim, leading to under reporting and a lack of support to help victims through their trauma. Our one hope for this film is to encourage more healing community conversations surrounding assault and for those who have experienced assault to feel seen and heard from this film in a non-traumatic way. 

MESSAGE FROM THE CREATOR

It’s a little surreal putting Beast Mode into the world. My background is biracial Chinese-Pakeha - two rather repressed cultures in a lot of ways.

But sexual assault affects far more of us than will ever talk about it. That’s how it keeps happening, and survivors are left struggling in silence. 
 

In the aftermath, I was looking for a reflection of how I felt. But most media was lacking for me - where was that raw and messy mind frame I was swimming in for so many months?  What happened to me wasn’t a catalyst for a revenge slasher. It wasn’t graphic trauma-porn, ending with the victim crying in the shower.
 

With Beast Mode I can say what I like and how, and I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity that the New Zealand Film Commission and Script to Screen have provided with the Kōpere Hou - Fresh Shorts program, as well as my incredible team who have been running alongside me. 
 

This is a story for those who know that the shades beyond that moment are deeper, weirder and much more confusing.

This film is also for those who want to understand more and I think we’ve done a pretty damn good job at capturing how it feels; a strange, satisfying, badass film with an imperfect heroine at the centre.

I wrote this down after watching one of the early cuts:
‘I screamed into the void
and the void is screaming back.’

Thank you for helping us tell it how it is. I can’t wait to release the Beast.

CL