With over 70% of our budget secured, we are seeking the remaining funds to complete our short film and bring it to audiences.
by Lolita Gendler in London, Greater London, United Kingdom
We've been blown away by the support and generosity of the donations so far and are thrilled to be so close to our initial target in such a short space of time. Stretching beyond our original goal will open up further creative opportunities, such as enhanced options for camera and lighting equipment and postproduction, and give us the ability to offer more entry level production roles to those starting their careers in the industry.
AUNTY-JI
A short film about love, loss, and hope
AUNTY-JI is a collaboration between two critically acclaimed British South Asian creatives – writer Mohamed-Zain Dada, winner of the Outspoken Prize for Film 2019, and twice Olivier Award-nominated theatre director Milli Bhatia.
Already in preproduction with 70% of our funding secured, we are seeking the remaining production funds to help bring this 10-minute short film to life.
Our vision is for the film to have a positive impact on the conversation around representation with a 60+ South Asian Muslim female lead who combines deep emotional resonance with a warm, transformative journey. At a time of such social division and unrest, particularly in the UK, connecting audiences through uplifting stories and celebrating authentic representation has never felt more important. We hope the finished film will do just that.
STORY
Kulsoom is grieving when a fabric shop transforms her yearning into a surreal, wondrous moment of self-realisation.
In bustling West London, Kulsoom (60s, South Asian) is preparing for the birthday of her daughter (20/30s), and she's struggling to get what she wants, from finding the right cake to getting the butcher's attention for her order. She's made to feel small and insignificant as she tries to achieve these simple tasks, haunted by a song that echoes with her on her highstreet journey. When she steps into a fabric shop, the song takes on a new meaning. All is not as it seems, when she discovers a beautiful green scarf and a renewed sense of self.
CREATIVE TEAM
Zain was chosen out of 4,000+ scripts to be part of BBC Drama Room 2022. He later received funding for his short film, Scraps, which shot in November 2022, and his acclaimed debut play Blue Mist was commissioned by The Royal Court in 2023. Nominated for an Olivier Award, the play was directed by critically acclaimed theatre director Milli Bhatia, whose celebrated work on seven methods of killing kylie jenner was also nominated for an Olivier. AUNTY-JI sees Zain and Milli's creative partnership continue to deepen, and marks a key career moment for them both as they transition to screen work. Milli and Zain intend to use the production of AUNTY-JI to collaborate on more film projects in future, including a feature film exploring the Southall riots which is in discussion with a large broadcaster.
Music sits at the heart of AUNTY-JI, and we are collaborating with award-winning musician and composer Sarathy Korwar, who previously won Best Independent Album at The AIM Awards. For the lead role, we are attaching celebrated British stage and screen actor Shaheen Khan (Three Body Problem, Mogul Mowgli, Bend it Like Beckham).
The film is produced by Lolita Gendler and Ceci Mazzarella for Pinctada Pictures. Their combined experience in development and production has involved working with multiple award-winning creatives across short film, feature and TV. It is Executive Produced by BAFTA-winning short film producer Tobi Kyeremateng.
YOUR HELP
By supporting AUNTY-JI you will be helping to celebrate and centre an uplifting, hopeful representation of an older South Asian woman's journey, an identity rarely seen or explored in film and TV. To do justice to the creative team's vision for the project, we are seeking an additional £6,000 on top of the 70% funding already secured. This crucial funding will go towards crew, camera and lightning equipment, cast, locations and postproduction.
AUDIENCES AND DISTRIBUTION AMBITION
We are building a robust festival strategy, with key festivals to target including the BFI London Film festival, Aesthetica, and Raindance. We will also target festivals with Muslim and South Asian audiences including MFest, Chicago South Asian Film festival, Washington DC South Asian film festival and MISAFF (Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival). Our creative team will draw on the support of their own respective agents and agencies, as well as their connections in the industry. This would be part of a coordinated campaign to advocate for AUNTY-JI both for its premiere and future distribution. We are currently in discussions with distribution partners, including several high profile streaming platforms.
WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
We are a stone's throw away from achieving our goal, and we appreciate any help you can offer in bringing this story to screen. Choose from our selection of bespoke rewards or donate any amount, large or small, that feels comfortable to you. We are incredibly grateful for your support and involvement and cannot wait to share the finished film with you once it is compete.
Thank you.
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