The Mourning Sun

After his mother’s death, a reserved young student must confront his mother’s deadbeat ex-boyfriend in order to begin his journey of self-discovery and return home not as a child but as a man.

Kia Ora! We’re the team behind the 15-minute Coming of Age Short film, The Mourning Sun. This is a 3rd year Massey Film project that we are all deeply passionate about.

Why This Story?  - Our Team

We are a group of Massey University students who have made the move away from home, adjusted to Wellington life, and learned to be more independent. We see ourselves in Austin, reflecting on joyous memories as kids, while doing our best to get by as students. During our time at Uni, we’ve spent the last few years strongly developing our skills, ready to tell this story.

My Personal Connection - D’Artagnan

"The core of the narrative is based on a true story, one that I came across in high school. In my final year of school, along with my group of friends, we decided to shoot the story as a short film. But for years afterwards, the story has remained embedded in my mind. I knew I could give the story the justice it deserved, with more drama, a much better script, and stunning cinematography. The film itself also covers themes of growth, and telling this story is a way to see just how far I have grown through my years of university. I finally feel confident that we can deliver a powerful film that gives justice to the source material that it deserves."  -  D’Artagnan, Director

YOUR SUPPORT

Boosted works as an all-or-nothing campaign. Simply put, if we don’t reach the goal, we don’t get the money. This means that any support, no matter how much you can donate, is greatly appreciated, and will genuinely go such a long way to achieving our goal. 

Your donations will cover:

• Paying quality actors
• Our selection of shooting locations
• Food for cast and crew
• A beautiful selection of props and costume

Supporting us through Boosted counts as a charitable donation through the Arts Foundation, you’ll be able to claim a third of your donation back!

Meet the team!

Jake Stapleton | Writer / Producer

D’Artagnan Gould | Director 

Tasmin du Mez | Co-Producer 

Nop Warakulnukroh | Cinematographer 

Annika Peterson | First Assistant Director 

James Hollamby | Gaffer / Editor

Daniel Chater | Sound Recordist 

Grace O’Brien | Art Director

Alex Shirtcliffe | First Assistant Camera 

Jesse Marshall | First Assistant Lighting

Gerhardus Louw | Production Designer 

Dan Goodwin | Post-Production Sound / Composer 

Carter Green | Storyboard Artist 

Aidan Farmilo | Marketing Lead 

Max Woolf | Production Assistant 

Nicholas Etchells | Production Assistant 

Jackson Borella | Production Assistant

We appreciate your support. If you’ve donated to the campaign, shared our social media posts, or talked about our film amongst friends and family, we would like to thank you. 

Follow our journey through our Instagram page! @themourningsunfilm

Thank you for your contributions!