Puli & The Tiger

“I hope when people watch this film they think of the elderly in their life and contemplate how they might start to build better relationships with them.”

- Director Jessica George

LOGLINE

Just like the folktales her grandmother used to tell, a Tiger pays a little girl a visit when she offers it a meal.

ABOUT THE FILM

Puli & the Tiger is a Indian-Tamil drama short film appreciating how immigrant children connect with the elder generation and the motherland through tradition and storytelling. Puli is a little girl who lives with her mum and grandma in suburban New Zealand. One night she makes an offering to the guardian Tiger deity and something magical happens.

Ultimately, Puli & the Tiger is a film about the relationship we have as children with our immigrant grandparents. It’s about how we learn to overcome cultural barriers and the fear of old age to connect with them. Amidst the alienation of one's culture in the Western world, our grandparents are cultural intermediaries between here and the motherland.

Our goal is for audiences to see Puli & The Tiger at local and international film festivals in 2025.

OUR KAUPAPA

This film takes inspiration from Indian folklore and director Jessica George's childhood growing up with her grandparents who moved from India to New Zealand in 2005. The universality of the cultural divide as third culture kids is widely felt across different migrant communities. Our team is passionate about amplifying these kinds of stories. And we're dedicated to uplifting underrepresented voices and talent on and off-screen. 

WHY THIS FILM?

Our core creative team participated in the Pan-Asian Screen Collective's Short Cuts Development Lab in 2023; a 2.5-day intensive workshop to develop the script and proposal. Puli & the Tiger was the sole recipient of the grant.

In these sessions, we were fortunate enough to receive mentorship from Shuchi Kothari, Briar Grace-Smith and Karin Williams, who helped push this story to where it is today. 

While we have this grant, we cannot make this short film without your generous donations. Boosted is an all-or-nothing campaign, so your contribution counts no matter how big or small.

Thank you for being a part of our journey to bring Puli & the Tiger to the screen.

STARRING

Hayaa Sinh (Puli), Prabha Ravi (Ammachi), Archana Gideon (Amma) & Nanthika Sabesan (The Tiger)

MEET OUR TEAM

Jessica George - Director

Jessica George is a Kiwi-Indian emerging producer from Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai (Lower Hutt). Notably, she produced the Tokelauan documentary VAKA (2019) which premiered at the United Nations’ annual climate change conference (COP25), and The Lascar (2023) which screened at Whānau Mārama (NZIFF) 2024. Now in pursuit of her own storytelling, 'Puli and the Tiger' is her first foray into directing drama. Jessica works in production at Wētā Workshop’s Design Studio.

Esteban Jaramillo-Ulloa - Writer

Esteban (he/him) is a New Zealand-based writer living in Wellington. He has an MFA in film production, and is contributing to the film and theatre community in Wellington by working and developing projects with Squash Co Arts Collective and Floating Rock animation studio. He wrote the screenplay for Raids (directed by Jade Jackson) which featured in the Māori Pasifika Shorts Competition at Whānau Mārama 2022 (NZIFF). And has written the feature-length version which recently received EDF funding from the New Zealand Film Commission.

Rajeev Mishra - Producer

Rajeev Mishra (he/him) was born in Suva, Fiji and migrated to New Zealand after the 1987 military coup. He has worked in film and TV since 2006, starting as a production assistant on Gaylene Preston's Earthquake and then building a career in post-production. His latest film work has been at Park Road Post where he gained credits on Peter Jackson's The Beatles: Get Back and James Cameron's Avatar: The Way Of Water. He has been the recipient of the NZ Writers Guild Asian Ink development initiative, with his film scripts, Ovisa and Two Brown Dudes. Recently, NZ on Air funded his film In Search of Tūrangawaewae, which chronicles the life of his father, Prabodh Mishra.

Brandon Te Moananui - Director of Photography

Brandon Te Moananui, a Māori, Chinese filmmaker from Wellington, has over a decade of experience in film (Shades of Blue and Green, Avatar sequels), television (Heavyweight with Dave Latele, Not Even S1 & 2), documentary (She Is Not Your Rehab, Puhikura, Te Reo Rangatira) and commercial content. He is a professional DOP, Director, Producer and Editor, and as a founding member of The Māori Sidesteps Collective and a creator of Aotearoa's first anime project in Japan. Brandon's creative endeavors focus on uplifting Māori, Asian and Pacifica communities around the world

Sadie Wilson - Art Director

A British Immigrant who has made New Zealand her home since 2010. Sadie has over 15 years experience in the film industry, both in Aotearoa and overseas, predominantly as a Set Decorator & Art Director, from big Hollywood productions to micro budgets. She loves exploring colour & creating characters personal spaces to build worlds within a story & is super excited about bringing Puli’s world to life for Jessica & Rajeev. Outside of work she’s an avid activity enthusiast & you’ll probably find her on a wave in Lyall or hanging off a rock somewhere.

Alex Boyd - Editor

Alex Boyd (they/them) is an editor of the acclaimed feature film Cousins, all four seasons of Wellington Paranormal, the AppleTV+ series Time Bandits, and the upcoming Amazon Prime series The Office Australia. They enjoy working across genres, and is most interested in projects that promote diversity.

Sanit Klamchanuan - Tiger mask design and fabrication

Aditi Tiwari - Costume/Wardrobe

Josh Espino - Hair & Make-up Artist

Yong-Le Chong - Sound Editor & Mixer

Francesca Mackenzie - 1st AD

Other Collaborations:

• POW Studios - Sound and picture post-production facility.
• The New Zealand Film Commission - Primary funding body
• The Pan Asian Screen Collective - Primary Funding Body and administrator.