Fred Is Cold

What is Fred is Cold?

Fred is Cold is an animated short film about a fridge named Fred living with depression and suicidal thoughts. We see Fred slowly age and deteriorate as he passes through different owners who he’s unable to communicate with until one day, a fridge repair person comes to fix his light. To the shock of both the repair person and Fred, the two are able to talk with each other and form a quick and unlikely friendship.

Why are we making Fred is Cold?

This is a film about hope, aimed at addressing the stigma around having suicidal thoughts. We feel that media often sensationalises suicide and the thoughts that lead up to it. We want to challenge this narrative as we believe that stories about suicide have a responsibility to bring messages of hope.

People with suicidal thoughts deserve to see characters on screen like them, who have happy endings. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world and yet it is rarely talked about.

We want to contribute to a culture where suicide prevention is a conversation treated with care before fear, and to bust the myth that talking about suicide means either encouraging the act itself or that you must save the person ‘suffering’ - we want to replace it with the narrative that listening and talking are the strongest steps to feeling less alone.

Why do we need your help?

We’ve already received some funding and amazing support from the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand. But to fully bring this film to life we need your help.

With this extra funding we will cover extra costs of travel, food, studio hire and paying our hard working cast and crew what they deserve.

We also will be able to put more money towards marketing and getting the film out in the world, to let it be seen by anyone who might need to meet Fred.

Who are we?

Ben Wilson, Mark Chayanat Whittet and Jade Jackson are all Aotearoa-based emerging artists and filmmakers ready to make a big splash. Jade and Mark are both graduates of the New Zealand Film School and Ben a graduate of the Modern Institute of Letters. 

We are so appreciative of your support and are thankful for any financial contribution you can offer to help us create an animation near and dear to our hearts.

Follow our Instagram to keep up with our production’s progress, behind the scenes and some sneak peaks!