Homecoming - Short Film

Kia ora e te whānau! Nau mai, haere mai ki tēnei kiriata.

Hello friends, and welcome to our short film, HOMECOMING.

Did you know 71% of the transgender population in New Zealand has experienced psychological distress compared to 8% of the general population?*

THE FILM:

HOMECOMING is a short film that tells the story of a transgender woman, Charlotte, returning home to come out to her parents Carol and Paul. But the dinner quickly goes south, as her parents struggle to come to terms with her transition, and Charlotte’s anxieties begin to manifest themselves in dark, sinister ways.

The film is a psychological drama, written and directed by emerging transgender filmmaker Grae Meek, and is an authentic portrayal of the anxieties of coming out to those you love - and perhaps fear - the most.

The film stars up-and-coming transgender actress Awa Puna (SHORTLAND STREET, AHIKĀROA) in the lead role of Charlotte, with Lara MacGregor (THE COURT THEATRE) and Whare Mihinui (A PEEK INSIDE THE CHRISTCHURCH TROLL AGENCY) playing her parents. HOMECOMING is part of the Fresh Shorts cohort from NZFC / Script To Screen and is produced by Anna Canton for Annakey Productions. It will be shot in Christchurch in May 2024 with almost entirely local creatives and film practitioners - something close to our hearts to make a film in our own hometown.

The film will be completed in 2024 and go on to reach global and local communities through international festival circuit release, as well as domestic festivals and local community screenings. It is also vital this story is seen, heard and experienced by those within and around the transgender community.

At a time of such divisive commentary and misinformation, it is more important than ever that a film like HOMECOMING is made as a beacon of conversation, empathy and even hope for the transgender community, and society at large.

"I love telling trans stories, and this story is a chance to speak my visceral transgender truth. It’s real, it’s authentic, it’s heartfelt and it’s so exciting to see something that I’ve experienced up on the big screen. This is so much more than a drama, and I’m so excited to bring to life a transgender story within the compelling, intense moodiness of genre."

-Grae Meek, Writer / Director

THE PITCH:

We would humbly appreciate your generous donations, big or small to contribute towards the production of this special little film. We have had some financial support from the NZFC and Ara Foundation to make this film, but we just need that extra bit more to get us over the line. Short films are small, but expensive to make - and at a time of economic uncertainty and challenges in the creative arts space, we are seeking additional funds to be able to complete the film with high production values - we want to see all of our budget go on screen.

As this is a genre film, Grae's vision is rich, dark and layered with elements of both psychological thriller and supernatural drama in it. With visuals inspired by HEREDITARY and BLACK SWAN, we need this final funding boost to ensure we have high production values. This includes production design (set-dressing a well-established family home and photographic history; significant bespoke props, consumable props, and physical special effects) and digital visual effects for the film. Some of this funding will also go towards special camera, grip and lighting equipment hire to capture the film as Grae envisions it.

“I’m fired up about this film, and so passionate about supporting a filmmaker such as Grae. We have had an intense and exciting collaboration so far, we know we’ve got something special on our hands. It is so important to me to see stories of authentic and sometimes marginalised voices on screen; but also for those films to be done in a bold, badass and sassy way that takes no prisoners. We have something to say and we will not shut up.”

-Anna Canton, Producer

THE TEAM:

Writer/Director: Grae Meek

Grae is a proud Transgender woman and an emerging voice in the NZ film landscape, nominated in 2022 for WIFT’s SAE Outstanding Newcomer award. She interned on ‘RŪRANGI’ Season 2 as a Director. Grae is a regular contributor to the 48HRS film competition, is a videographer in a creative studio, and a prominent activist and advocate for the transgender and LGBTQIA community in Canterbury.

Producer: Anna Canton

Anna has over 18 years working across drama, doco and commercial as a Producer, Director and Editor; plus a decade working in brand, marketing and organisational management. Her short films 'GRAVEL 3000' and award-winning 'MODEL 15' have played at local and international festivals. She was Producer Intern on the short film ‘THE MEEK’ alongside Nadia Maxwell and Catherine Fitzgerald, Line Producer on 'SISTER JOSEPHINE' with Amanda Jenkins (in post-production), both funded by the NZFC, and currently has a feature film in advance development.

Line Producer: Amanda Jenkins

Amanda has been producing scripted screen and advertising content for 23 years as a producer and line producer. She has a passion for original emotionally charged human stories to the screen with female-centric characters and has produced four award-winning short films.

DOP: John Chrisstoffels

Award-winning cinematographer John Chrisstoffels has been capturing Christchurch and its inhabitants on-screen for over two decades: in music videos for record label Flying Nun, short films, and the occasional movie and documentary The sometime director has taught film at Canterbury University's School of Fine Arts since 2002. In 2023 he directed feature-length documentary Building Bridges.

Editor: Emma Smart

Since 2015, Emma has been doing freelance editing and photography. In 2019 she edited “TE WHAKAIRO”, a short documentary that was officially selected for the Show Me Shorts Festival 2019. In 2023, she completed editing on the feature documentary, “THE FIFTY ONE PROJECT” produced by Paua Productions and funded by the NZ Film Commission. Currently she is working as editor on Elanti Media’s feature documentary “THE CLIMATE CANARY”.

*Counting Ourselves survey 2018

https://countingourselves.nz/2018-survey-report/