Ciggie

Story Synopsis:

"Ciggie" is a short film that tells the story of 11 year old Joseph and his 12 year old best friend Joyce. We follow them as they sneak off into the bush behind their house to smoke a cigarette for the first time. As the story unfolds we realise that Joseph's rich and powerful friendship with Joyce serves as a beacon of hope and positivity in contrast to the not so ideal life he must endure at home.

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Why we need your help:

By donating to this campaign, you will be helping us cover the following costs:

• paying our actors
• paying for catering to feed our hardworking crew
• paying for location fees and insurances
• paying for camera and lighting equipment hire
• and supporting us to make the most excellent film we can

Boosted is an all or nothing campaign, so we are grateful for any amount donated!

What we intend to do with this film:

When the film is finished we will be submitting it to as many festivals within Aotearoa and around the world that we can. Most of the cast and crew on this film are young and looking to get their start in the film industry. Your donation and support will contribute to and invest in the many young aspiring filmmakers involved in this project at a critical and important early stage of their careers.

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Message from the Writer/Director:

Talofa lava and kia ora, my name is Isaac Ieremia. I am eighteen years old and this will be the first proper film that I have set out to create. I am afakasi Samoan, and have grown up on the streets of central Tamaki. Up until now, the movies I have made were either school projects or little stories that I have recorded with my family and friends. The idea for this short film didn't come to me like my other ideas normally do. I've been writing screenplays since I was 16 and all the other stories that I've written were either kung fu action films or complex mystery dramas. This story is a lot simpler. I was wandering around my neighbourhood, taking photos with my camera for my photography class when I came across this beautiful area of bush, hidden away behind some houses. This area told me a story. 

Fast forward a year and I'm sitting on my bed with my computer staring at a blank page, cursor flashing. I thought back to that area of bush and remembered how I imagined the history and memories that lived within it. This film tells the story of one of those imagined memories.

This film is a learning step for me. By donating to this campaign you will be contributing to furthering my learning, my craft, knowledge of the film industry and what it means to be a director. I intend to create a beautiful and well made short film, that I hope will go on to be successful. Telling stories is my passion, and I am so excited to make this short film. Pre-production has given me a glimpse into the industry and I will work hard to continue telling stories through screen. We have had so many awesome kids audition for this film and watching their tapes, reading the words that I have written, playing the characters that I have created, has brought me an unimaginable amount of joy - and I haven’t even started to shoot the damn thing! 

Please donate to my campaign, your support means more than you know! 

Fa’afetai tele lava.

Meet one of our producers:

Lucie Lesnard:

Lucie's talent as a filmmaker lies in her ability to seamlessly weave together multiple components, breathing life into each project she works on. She is passionate about helping bring to life stories that she feels need to be told.