Kina

Five years after the end of the world, humanity has managed to pull through to the other side. New communities grow, and on the edge one of those communities is Kina, a fiercely independent 13 year old who insists on looking after herself. Although life is safely rebuilding, Kina lives a life of fear, haunted by existential dread and the darkness that follows.

Solar powered lights are her solace, but old-world tech can only go so far. When her lights begin to fail, Kina must confront her fear and loneliness with the help of sisterly Emma, a newcomer to the community. Together, Kina learns to open up to others, and realise she doesn’t have to face the world alone.

Kina is a movie about existential dread, for those who suffer from it. Aimed at pre-teens and older to let them know that existential dread is a totally normal thing to suffer from, and that they aren’t alone in feeling that way. In writing this, we really wanted to let young people know that it’s okay to fear things they don’t know, but also that it will be okay, and they don’t have to suffer alone. Kina spends the whole film struggling with her feelings alone, before opening up to Emma and realising that she isn’t alone, she isn’t the only one to feel that way, and that it’s okay to ask for help.

Kid's mental health issues are so rarely talked about in wider media. So often, anyone under 16 who suffers from anxiety, depression, or existential dread are simply told 'you're too young to worry about that' and 'you can't control it, so why worry anyway?'. These sentiments are unhelpful towards anyone with mental health issues and can be damaging to the person being told them, to feel like no one else has the same problems, and that they can't rely on the adults in their life to help them. Kina aims to open a door to kids and pre-teens suffering through mental health issues to know that they aren't alone, they can reach out for help, and even if it doesn't always feel like it, it does get better.

The film is being directed by Tahlia Barr, an up and coming Director & Writer who is honing in on her skills to strive for that big break into the industry. She has previously directed the short film 'Red Scare', which is currently in the festival circuit. The crew will be made up of fellow students earning their Bachelor of Screen Arts at Massey University, and graduated students from the Whitireia Screen Production Course and Massey University Bachelor of Creative Media Production.

Why we need you help:

Our script is finished and ready for shooting; we already have a location and are planning to shoot mid August. Everything is lining up and settling into place, but we really need your help to push us over the line. 

Your donation will support our group of passionate filmmakers, help cover the cast fees, our location cost, the catering for our crew, and our costumes and props, so that we can craft an incredible set and environment for our film to flourish in.

Boosted is an all-or-nothing platform, so we have to meet our funding target. If we do not manage to raise these funds, we will not be able to finish our graduation work. So, please help our team of young filmmakers with dreams and passion to take that important first step into our careers!

Thank you!

All donors will be named in the credits and we appreciate any donation that you can offer.

All donations go via The Arts Foundation and are tax deductible.

To help us even further - please share this page with your networks. People can only give their support if they know about our film. Please help us spread the word!