Disrupt

Disrupt, a short film, is the screen directing debut of New Zealander of the Year 2020, Jennifer-Te Atamira Ward-Lealand, written by Aroha Awarau and produced by Peata Melbourne for Te Koru Media.

Disrupt is a deeply personal story about P addiction in Aotearoa.

LOGLINE

When a burglary goes wrong, a meth addict must choose between his family or his next fix.

WHY IS THIS PROJECT IMPORTANT?

Statistics show that 138,000 New Zealanders are using P - that's the population of Tauranga, or the cities of Napier and Hastings combined. Those hooked on P are spending more than $1.4 million in cash every day on their addiction.

This project explores the devastation this drug has on a family and follows an elderly Māori woman's desperation to help an addict overcome his problem.

Each and everyone of the Te Koru Media team have known someone who has been affected by this lethal drug. While some have overcome their addiction, many continue to struggle.

Award winning journalist Aroha Awarau and producer Peata Melbourne have worked in print and television media for a combined total of 30 years. Throughout their careers, they have been in homes of many whānau across Aotearoa who have entrusted them to tell their deeply personal stories of how the P epidemic has destroyed their lives.

Aroha was inspired to write Disrupt to raise awareness and offer a message of hope.

BACKGROUND

The Te Koru Media team of Jennifer Te Atamira Ward-Lealand (director), Aroha Awarau (writer) and Peata Melbourne (producer) successfully produced the play Provocation, which debuted during the Auckland Pride Festival in February 2020 and was about the controversial gay panic defence. Disrupt will be their second creative project together and their first foray into film production.

Disrupt has been in development for the past three years and was twice shortlisted for New Zealand Film Commission Fresh Shorts funding - in 2018 and 2019. Despite not receiving funding, the team were so passionate about this film and its message that they committed to making the film no matter what.

Supporting this Boosted campaign will ensure that this film will get made and that we can pay our talented cast and crew. We also hope to submit Disrupt to international film festivals and are confident that it will resonate with film audiences all around the world.

TEAM

Jennifer Te Atamira Ward-Lealand (Director)

Jennifer Te Atamira Ward-Lealand is one of New Zealand’s most accomplished actors and theatre directors, spanning a career of more than 35 years. 

From television classic Close to Home to film classic Desperate Remedies to her many starring roles on the stage, Jennifer Te Atamira has featured in many beloved Kiwi films, television shows and plays. 

Jennifer-Te Atamira was a founding board member of The Actors Program and is currently president of the actor’s union Equity New Zealand and patron of Q Theatre, Te Manu Tīoriori Trust and Theatre New Zealand. 

She was named New Zealander of the Year in February 2020, and a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit "for services to film, theatre and television" in the 2019 New Year's Honours list. 

Jennifer-Te Atamira has been a keen student of te reo Maori since 2008, and was gifted the name Te Atamira (The Stage) by Sir Timoti Karetu and Te Wharehuia Milroy. 

Disrupt will be Jennifer-Te Atamira’s first time directing a film.

Aroha Awarau (Writer)

Aroha Awarau is an acclaimed storyteller who has enjoyed success in three different writing disciplines – film scriptwriting, playwriting, and journalism. 

His first short film, Home, which received funding from NZ Film Commission in 2013, was nominated for Best Short Film at the 2014 NZ Scriptwriting Awards and made its international debut at the Imaginative Film Festival in Toronto. It has since screen at festivals in Berlin, Moscow and New Zealand. 

His play, Luncheon won Best Play at the 2015 NZ Scriptwriting Awards and had the NZ Herald describing Aroha’s work as “the emergence of a distinctive talent“. His second play, Officer 27, was a finalist at the 2015 Adam’s Playwriting Awards and the NZ Scriptwriting Awards. His third play, Provocation, was also nominated for the NZ Adams Playwriting Awards in 2019. 

Aroha worked for the NZ Woman’s Weekly and is a former News Editor at the Woman’s Day magazine. He’s a former producer/reporter for the current affairs show Native Affairs on Māori Television and a senior entertainment reporter for Stuff.

 Peata Melbourne (Producer)

As a producer, Peata Melbourne comes with a background in television and film spanning 16 years directing, reporting, presenting, and acting on an array of formats including documentary, news, current affairs, music shows, kids’ shows, and drama series.

Peata spent many years as a producer/reporter for Te Karere, the Māori news at TVNZ and moved into current affairs when she became a producer/reporter at Native Affairs on Māori Television. In 2018, she produced a daily current affair show at Māori Television called Kawekōrero and is currently the news anchor for the indigenous channel.

Outside of media, Peata co-produced an album called He Rangipaihuarere featuring both well- known and emerging Māori artists doing their renditions of the songs composed by her uncle, the late Dr Hirini Melbourne. 

Co-producer of the album was Ngātapa Black, daughter of songstress Whirimako Black. The producing won a Waiata Music Award for the He Rangipaihuarere album for Best Māori Album of the Year.

Peata and Ngātapa went on to co-produce Pao Pao Pao – a musical mentoring program for Māori rangatahi established by Hirini Melbourne. Pao Pao Pao was established in 2002 by Hirini Melbourne as a platform for emerging Māori artists.