He Takatāpui Ahau

He Takatāpui Ahau is a short film written and directed by Alesha Ahdar (she/they) and produced by Ashley Williams (she/her) & Komako Silver (she/they/he).

When invited to a family event at their Marae, a gentle non-binary person decides to return to their tūrangawaewae despite homophobia and transphobia they've witnessed in the past.

BACKGROUND

The seed of this idea came from an Ideas in Residence (Basement Theatre 2019) residency that Alesha took part in, with Ahi Karunaharan as their dramaturg. The story then evolved (and evolved some more) into a short film script. Over the last few years, Alesha has been working with Rainbow organisations and on Marae for various projects.

WHY THIS FILM MATTERS

This film is one of - if not the first ever - short dramas written & directed by a takatāpui (queer & non-binary) person, that also that centers the takatāpui (queer & non-binary) experience on our Marae. This story touches on themes of identity, returning, intergenerational discourse, acceptance, and whanau.

Alesha studied Film and Television at Yoobee South Seas Film and Television School to help change the negative narratives that have been seeping through our screens and onto our streets - manifesting as racism, toxic masculinity, homophobia and transphobia. We believe that this film is contributing to the suicide prevention kaupapa, and will help spark a glimmer of hope for anyone who has ever been “othered”.

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT

We are fortunate that we have been selected by Someday Stories Series 5 (2021), a series of sustainability-focused short films made by emerging filmmakers whose funding partners are currently; NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho. This funding gives us mentoring and foundational support, a platform to launch from and the majority of our pūtea to help see this project through.

We’re grateful that Someday Stories have acknowledged how a Boosted campaign will help us do this film justice. We are raising $2,500 with your help, which will primarily go towards the incredibly talented crew, support people, locations and koha. We’ll also add each donor to our credits at the end of our film.

We would love it if you can donate to this Boosted, however if you’re unable to, we would love it if you shared this campaign with your friends and whānau.

If you have any questions, please contact Komako: Komakosilver@gmail.com

We are grateful for any support along the way. Mauri ora!