Daisy May Hate You

*Boosted is an all-or-nothing-based platform, so if we don’t make our goal, you’ll get refunded right back!* 
 

On a film set overrun by Gen Z lesbians, an ultra-conservative young actress must confront her ignorance or face cancellation from her peers and the world… 

This is Daisy May Hate You - a six-part behind-the-scenes mockumentary in the vein of ‘Theatre Camp’ and ‘Waiting for Guffman’. Daisy May Hate You is a fast-paced series that is charming, witty and chaotic.

Hi, I’m Zoe Crane, the director, lead actor, and creator of Daisy May Hate You! I was born and raised on the hills of Vogeltown, Pōneke (a far cry from an alt-right, churchy rural town). Since Year 9, I’ve made over a dozen short films with Bus Stop Productions, many of which have won awards at the Roxy 5 and 48 Hours Film Competitions. 

In my final year at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, I created, directed, edited and starred in queer coming-of-age vlog series Jessie & Mia, which captures the sweetness, goofiness and turbulence of a friendship across five years and forty-five vlogs. 

“This work holds all sorts of politics and tensions, but inside young characters - so it's light and carefree in a way that almost tricks the audience.” - Anya Taylor-Manning, Acting Tutor at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School
 

Since graduating in 2023, I have found my community of epic actors/creatives in Tāmaki Makaurau and am now desperate to make work with them! There’s so much talent in the city, and so few opportunities; why not write your own dream role, with your dream cast? 

Daisy May Hate You is a natural follow-up to Jessie & Mia, with a similar YouTube format and themes. Only this time... the ambition, and my team, has grown:  

Our Lead Cast: 

Zoe Crane (The Dry House) (that’s me!) 

Lauren O’Hara (Heart Eyes) 

Rachel Brebner (Camp Be Better) 

Molly Curnow (Testify) 

Vena-Rose Lennane (Bad Bagels) 

Ruby Pledge (The Sender) 

James Sexton (n00b) 

Peter Feeney (Black Sheep) 

Janine Burchett (Shortland Street) 

Beth Alexander (Oddly Even) 

And some celebrity cameos… 

Crew: 

Writer/Director - Zoe Crane

Producer - Jessica Bennett 

1st AD - Ella Blake Brislen

Production Assistant - Jeri Langton

DOP & A Cam - Harry Matheson

B Cam - Anna Brajkovich

Gaffer - Henry Jiao

Production Designer - Meggy Laguda

Art Assist - Melissa Shao

Costume - Helena Murphy Reid

Script Supervisor - Kotoe Tozaki

Social Media Manager - Max Crean

Social Media Assist - Megg Alexander

We’ll be raising $6.6k through Boosted to make Daisy May Hate You a reality - this is the core crowdfunding target that makes our entire shoot possible. 

Here’s how we’re planning to allocate the money:

• Camera needs $1k
• Lighting needs $1k
• Sound needs $400
• Food/Unit needs $2k
• Location needs $500
• Costume needs $300
• Hair & Makeup needs $200
• Art needs $500
• Anything we have left over will go towards covering parking and providing koha for our dedicated team. 

We know it seems like a lot when we put it like that, but if 330 people donated $20 each, we’d be there! 

Now, we really want to make this beautiful project, so if our goal isn’t met, we’ll find a way to adapt. Even if that means going back to the drawing board, we really believe in this series, so we’ll do what we need to in order to make it with the resources we have. 

This six-part mockumentary sitcom follows pampered farm girl Daisy May (Zoe Crane), daughter of Instagram televangelists. Her dreams of fame are granted when she’s cast as the lead fairy princess in a feature film alongside Hollywood starlet Lydia Moon (Lauren O’Hara). However, Daisy is appalled to discover that Lydia is dating their nepo baby director, Stella Gruff (Rachel Brebner). In fact, Daisy is surrounded by a crew of lesbians. And bisexual women. And a token straight man. In the chaos of scrappy filmmaking and the uncomfortable world of political correctness, Daisy must learn to put her ego aside and embrace who she is.

It satirises the film industry and woke culture while ultimately digging at alt-right conservatives. It's a celebration of queer joy. The improvisational nature of the series provides a playground for an ensemble of young actors to practice their craft... and have fun while doing so!

Daisy May Hate You uses comedy to speak truth to power. Sure, it’s a sitcom, but it’s also a piece of political satire. We aim to shine a light on the ridiculousness of ultra-conservative homophobes by blowing their views up to such an extent that you can’t help but laugh. These people do exist, and they are harming our young queer community. Conversion therapy was only banned in Aotearoa in 2022; queer folk are still feeling the repercussions of those practices, and those views are still prevalent in this relatively liberal bubble of a country. Daisy May is kind-hearted but ignorant. She’s a testament to the fact that anyone can grow and change if they open up their mind.

Audiences are hungry for authentic queer stories, but are not being fed! Daisy May Hate You features an ensemble of queer women both in front of and behind the camera. Daisy May Hate You is providing young actors and filmmakers with an opportunity to practice their craft and make professional connections.