Margie

Our short film, ‘Margie’ has been selected as part of Kōpere Hou - Fresh Shorts initiative. We were one of six short film scripts selected to develop and shoot our project, and now we need your help!

Margie focuses on an evening spent between a 60-year-old sex worker, Margie, and an outcasted 17-year-old boy, Bryn. Margie takes pity on the desperate teenager after he struggles to “perform” and allows him to spend the rest of the evening with her. This simple gesture prompts an exciting but devastating evening between two lonely hearts.

Keely Meechan is an emerging writer and director from Tāmaki Makaurau. She won the Creative New Zealand Emerging Talent Award at the New Zealand International Film Festival and the Audience Choice Award at Toronto’s ImagineNATIVE film festival for her Debut short film ‘Nancy From Now On.’ In both awards, she was commended for her use of common societal issues in Aotearoa to tell a relatable and compelling story. She plans to continue that pattern and use storytelling to expose the good, bad and ugly of life in Aotearoa.

Virginia Wickham currently lives in Auckland and has worked in the film and television industry for 10 years. She is a comedy producer and writer for television, and has worked across the film industry both locally and overseas. She has produced shows for TVNZ, 3NOW and documentaries with the Loading Docs initiative. She also created, wrote and produced the comedy web series, Capital Culture. 

As part of the Kōpere Hou - Fresh Shorts initiative, we need to raise a minimum of $7500 through Boosted. Your generous donations will help us cover the costs of making this project, this will go towards locations, crew, equipment, professional actors we can get on screen! We would also like to ensure we can make this film look beautiful in post production with editing, mix and grade being the best it can be.

Once we reach our minimum target, bloody brilliant thank you - we can shoot our film! But we would be so appreciative of anything extra as this will go straight into our post production for editing, mix and grade. This is an all or nothing campaign. If we don’t reach our target, we get nothing! So please help us by donating a dollar or a few  and sharing this with your friends.

We were one of 6 films scripts chosen out of 125, so we feel incredibly honoured to be in this position and you all will be helping see it through to its full flourishing execution!
 

Kōpere Hou - Fresh Shorts is a short film initiative to develop New Zealand filmmaking talent, in partnership with Script to Screen and facilitated by The New Zealand Film Commission.

Two unlikely companions find connection in an afternoon of sexual exploration, nostalgia and disappointment.

‘Margie’ focuses on an evening spent between a 60-year-old sex worker, Margie, and an outcasted 17-year-old boy, Bryn. Margie takes pity on the desperate teenager after he struggles to “perform” and allows him to spend the rest of the evening with her. This simple gesture prompts an exciting but devastating evening between two lonely hearts.

After a few drinks, Margie sees her deceased husband within Bryn’s mannerisms and opens up to him. Bryn confuses Margie’s misguided warmth as a sexual invitation, causing their newfound relationship to quickly fracture and return to its consumer-client status. Bryn leaves confused, and Margie is left by herself – leaving audiences with the harsh reality that we all are truly alone at the end of the day.

The intention of this film is to highlight the overwhelming desire humans have for emotional connection, regardless of how detached they may feel from society. It shows how two completely different people can cross paths and somehow find a commonality with one another - isolation. Margie acknowledges society's eagerness to look down upon her life choices and feels isolated as a result. In turn, Bryn is so desperate to find his place among his peers that he attempts to alter himself in order to avoid that same sense of isolation.

Margie is a refreshing take on how we see older women on screen. She knows her worth and is unapologetically confident in herself and her figure. The absence of rich, sexual roles for women over 50 in the film and television industry is not just a missed opportunity; it's a bit absurd. This age group is often sidelined or relegated to stereotypical, one-dimensional characters; like mothers, grandmothers even, roles which perpetuate ageism within the industry and reinforces narrow beauty standards globally. Margie steps outside of this stereotype, portraying a sexy and desirable woman in her 50’s, reinforcing that hollywood's tropes are not a reflection on reality.

Through this story, Margie challenges societal taboos and paints an authentic portrait of a woman who refuses to be defined by age or profession. She owns her sexuality, her worth, and her life choices.

This film is also a needed conversation on the often-overlooked experiences of women over 40 in film and television. Margie is also an important step forward in supporting the representation of diverse voices in film, with the nuanced take on sex work as a valid and empowering profession.

It also explores the desperate need for emotional connection in a world that isolates us, regardless of age or background.

This film is also championing us! You are supporting New Zealand's emerging talent, giving our voices a platform to create high-quality, local content full of fresh ideas. We would love to continue making stories full of heart and humour and you are all the stepping stone to make this happen. 

THANK YOU XXX