Day One Shorts 2024 Commissioned Teams Announced!

We are thrilled to announce the eight commissioned teams for Day One Shorts 2024 (formerly Someday Stories)! This is the first time we have had the opportunity to fund eight teams, thanks to the generous support of NZ On Air.

In collaboration with our two screen partners; RNZ & Whakaata Māori, we had the hard task of curating this series, selecting eight teams out of a very strong seventeen shortlisted groups.

Each funded documentary team will receive $15k, and each funded scripted team will receive $20k to produce their film, along with wrap-around talent development support including workshops, professional script consultancy, and directing/producing mentors.

👏 Once again, Thank you to our funders and screen partners for making this initiative possible; NZ On Air, Whakaata Māori, and RNZ.

The commissioned teams for 2024 are…

🎬 Lemons (scripted - indie dramedy)
A young Māori woman is given her estranged birth mother’s ashes and has to figure out what to do with them.
Director - India Fremaux [Te Arawa, Te Rarawa] (she/her)
Writer/Producer - Caitlin Fremaux [Te Arawa, Te Rarawa] (she/her)
Consulting Producer - Angela Cudd [Ngāti Porou, Te-Whānau-Ā-Apanui, Ngātiwai] (she/her)
Production Mentor - Georgina Conder

🎬 Wilbert Wire (scripted - sci fi / family)
A robot art student who is othered by his human teacher and classmates is tasked with creating a painting about love.
Writer/Director - Ricky Townsend [Pākehā/NZ European] (he/him)
Producer - Ella Waswo [Pākehā/NZ European] (she/her)
Co-Producer - Joseph Chamsay [Filipino/Chinese/Spanish] (he/him)
Production Mentor - Martin Sagadin

🎬 Pasi (documentary)
A day in the life of a Samoan immigrant bus driver as he traverses the streets of Auckland, his home life, his role in his community and to his family, and his general outlook and persona.
Director - Robert Norman [Samoan European] (he/him)
Producer - Elizabeth Laupepa [Samoan] (she/her)
Co-Producer - Pilisita Mateni [Tongan / Samoan] (she/her)
Production Mentor - Alex Reed

🎬 Taurewarewa (documentary)
A short documentary on bipolar disorder, Taurewarewa explores the highs and lows of tides and emotions in a sequence of insightful kōrero framed against a backdrop of Aotearoa’s turbulent oceans.
Director - Libby Witheford-Smith [Kāi Tahu] (she/he)
Producer - Lily Groenhart [Pākehā/NZ European] (she/her)
Production Mentor - Nicola Smith

🎬 Yeah Pare (scripted - comedy, adventure)
Lost at the night markets, Johnjohn tries to find his parents, while searching he befriends Junior, a child of a family working the stalls who takes him on a fantastical journey to find his loved ones.
Writer/Director - Sean Dioneda Rivera [Filipino, Pakeha] (he/they) and Albert Latailakepa [Samoan, Tongan] (he/him)
Producer - Danny Aumua [Samoan] (he/him)
Production Mentor - Jaimee Poipoi

🎬 Detangling The Stigma (documentary)
Through her work in film, 28-year-old driven creative, Jzayla Hughey, is detangling the stigma of afro-textured hair, demonstrating that being natural plays a significant role in Aotearoa's film industry.
Director - Jzayla Marcya [African-American / Australian] (she/her)
Producer - Jennifer Onyeiwu [Nigerian / Brazilian] (she/her)
Production Mentor - Alex Reed

🎬 Holy Ghost (scripted - drama, surrealist, body horror)
A queer relationship falls out of sync as one woman loses touch with what is real and what may or may not be coming to her from the divine.
Writer/Director - Hannah Lynch [Samoan, Fijian, NZ European, Ngāti Porou] (she/her)
Producer - Esaú Allemora [Mexican-American] (he/him)
Production Mentor - Michelle Ang

🎬 Behind The White Wall (scripted - drama)
A Korean immigrant dad, working as a construction painter, mentors a new young worker while simultaneously battling melancholia and guilt as he awaits the arrival of his family.
Writer/Director - Seunghoon Sung [Korean] (he/him)
Producer - Joshua Nicholas Siu [Chinese] (he/him)
Production Mentor - Stephen Kang

A big 👏 to our commissioned teams!

🔥 Watch this space and follow our Instagram for further updates www.instagram.com/dayone_nz/