The Reunion

Joel is at a particularly directionless point in his life. He doesn’t know where he’s going, he doesn’t know what he’s doing. And he’s about to walk into a small graduation party he’s having with some friends when he gets the phone call telling him that his best friend, Terry, has died.

THE FILM

Instead of going inside and telling his friends the bad news Joel tries to keep it a secret, because in his shock and in his denial, it seems like the easiest thing to do.

The Reunion is a story about sudden loss, in all of its suffocating confusion and enormity, and it’s one that we can’t tell without your help.

This fifteen-minute short film is the final project for the Masters of Fine Arts Film students at Victoria University. A year-and-a-half of script development has led to this point where the film can finally be made, and we couldn’t be happier about it. We’re taking a page from classic Hollywood and building a set; a 1:1 replica of a New York style apartment where we’ll have total control over every aspect of the stage and where our ensemble cast will have unlimited freedom to explore the nuances of the subject matter.

Our story is an extremely personal one. Everybody has their own connection to loss, rooted in its own specificity. Our goal is to make a film that honestly captures the bewildering claustrophobia of grief from the perspective of a character who in an instant feels his entire world collapsing impossibly around him.

THE FUNDRAISING

Our Boosted funds will supplement the small university budget we’re working with, allowing us to make this film every bit as good as it can be. 

We’ll be using this fundraising to give Koha payments to our actors, who are graciously all taking a major pay-hit for the project. The extra budget will also give us the opportunity to make our set even more convincing, so that we’re not having to concede quality in any aspects of the story. Finally, these funds will help us cater for our crew, so that we can feed all of the talented creatives who are giving up their time and effort for this film.

Boosted works on an ‘all-or-nothing’ basis, so if we don’t reach our target, the film doesn’t get funded. We greatly appreciate your help in sharing this page with your friends and anyone who might be interested in supporting the local arts. Remember, all donations qualify for a 33% tax credit. If that’s not enough of an incentive, think about how nice it’s going to be to see your name in the credits.

THE FACES

THOMAS STEWARDSON is the Writer and Director of the project. The Reunion is his long-time passion project.

RAQUEL RODERICK is our wonderful Producer, putting in all the time to get our movie on the screen.

RONA AITKEN is our Director of Photography, making sure every image tells our story.

JACK HARRISS is our 1st Assistant Director, keeping our show on track.

Our incredible ensemble Cast includes BRUNO HART, SUMMER MIKAELS, LIVI DALLEY, SAM HALLAHAN, RENATA MAHUIKA and NATHANIEL BOUTTELL. It’s their faces that are going to tell our story.

HUGO BUTLER is the brilliant Composer who’s creating the music for our film. It’s his piano demo that you can hear in the video at the top of this page.

MAX HELBICK is the Editor who’s job it is to make sure that our film hits every beat with razor-sharp precision.

JADE-EMILY KRUGER is our fantastic Production Designer, managing the construction of our set.s

…and MANY, MANY MORE are working with us to make The Reunion the film it deserves to be.