Active Imagination

Active Imagination is a surreal drama short film. Marla’s night begins to unravel when she’s pressured into taking a neuro-enhancing pill, Fabrillax, to meet the deadline for a crucial gallery showcase. Spinning out at a birthday party, Marla is forced to question where her true values lie - with her ambition, or her integrity? 

We are Olive Cato (Writer/Director), Unique Viernes (Producer), and Ella Mihaljevich (DOP), final year Screen Production students at Auckland University of Technology. We’re dedicated to creating a short film that resonates with the creative community and the human truths and temptations that drive us. 

The additional crew will be comprised of our fellow AUT Screen Production students and emerging professionals, all equally passionate and excited about transferring skills into cinema. Marla’s art will be provided by the wonderful Te Kohu Wallace, a fine arts student at Elam, and we’re so honoured to have her bring our concept to life.

We want to make something exciting with our peers and bring this weird, messy, story to you all. There’s no way we could do this alone.

All donations will be put towards our production costs, which include:

• Feeding Cast & Crew
• Koha for Cast
• Transport Costs
• Props & Set Dressing
• Film Festival Submission Fees

At its core, Active Imagination is about authenticity - or, more fittingly, lack thereof. Not just in art, but in our relationships; our interactions; our daily habits. In a world that commodifies creativity, we’ve been seduced by the idea that productivity - and by extension, success - can be engineered. Marla doesn’t want to be fooled by this illusion. She wants to create. 

This film is a love letter to imperfection.
 

Active Imagination was born out of concern surrounding the rise of artificial intelligence in creative industries. We believe in protecting and uplifting the human voice that drives art, with the goal of creating a resonant film that speaks to those who resist the creative process; those who embrace it; struggle with it; cheat it; can’t make sense of it. It’s time to reflect on our relationship with the tools that are coming to shape our everyday lives.

We also want to boost (pun intended) talented young artists by showcasing their work in our film, platforming individuals who embody the ‘Active Imagination’ ethos. As we all know, it’s not an easy time to be in this industry. We’d love to give exposure and experience to our super awesome peers, cultivating a project that celebrates the vision, voice, and dedication of the next generation of creatives. 

We welcome and appreciate any contribution to this project - a film is truly the result of a team, not a singular person (and definitely not a machine). Everybody who donates to this project will be credited in the film’s end credits. We do not take your generosity for granted.

Check us out on Instagram @activeimaginationfilm, where we hope to post regular updates and behind the scenes content!