FELT

FELT is a character-driven short film about love, silence, and the spaces in between. When Lucy brings her mute mascot partner, Sam, to a family dinner, the night spirals into emotional revelations that test boundaries and challenge old expectations. Set almost entirely within a suburban home, FELT balances grounded family drama with moments of surreal absurdity, using the image of a full-body mascot costume to explore how we struggle to connect. Visually inspired by the heightened romanticism of Punch Drunk Love, the grounded tension of Challengers, and the poetic realism of The Last Black Man in San Francisco, FELT blends a surrealist warmth with an emotional bite.
 

We are a passionate group of storytellers in our final year of Screen Production at Auckland University of Technology, ready to bring FELT to life with skill, dedication, and heart.

Jack Macpherson – Writer/Director
Writer and director of Powering Down, Vault, and Purgatory, Jack crafts intimate character studies grounded in emotional truth. His personal experiences with social challenges and communication barriers inform the symbolic and visual language of FELT.

Eve McEwan – Producer
Driven and resourceful, Eve brings a sharp production eye and an instinct for elevating ambitious creative visions.

Ben Pett – Cinematographer
A visual storyteller with a flair for bold compositions and emotive camera work, Ben’s approach balances cinematic style with an intuitive sense of intimacy.

Our wider crew is a blend of talented AUT peers and emerging industry professionals, united by the goal of telling inventive stories that linger long after the credits roll.

Our estimated budget of $2,500 will be invested directly into:
Props & Costuming (including our custom mascot costume, a central and expensive storytelling element)
Equipment Hire
Kai for cast & crew
Marketing & Festival Distribution
Every dollar will go toward making FELT as visually distinctive, emotionally engaging, and professionally polished as possible.

We will film FELT over three focused days in late September, almost entirely within a single suburban home. This contained setting isn’t just practical but integral to the story’s emotional intimacy, allowing us to capture the subtle tensions and awkward pauses that unfold between Lucy, Sam, and her parents.

By working in a concentrated environment, our cast and crew can immerse themselves fully in the world of the film, creating space for authentic performances and spontaneous moments that elevate the storytelling. Our lean, collaborative team is made up of final-year AUT Screen Production students and emerging professionals. We share a unified vision for blending the grounded warmth of family drama with the surreal visual punch of a full-body mascot costume.

At its core, FELT is about the power of connection beyond words. Through Lucy and Sam’s night at the dinner table, we invite audiences to reflect on their own relationships; how family shapes us, how independence challenges that, and how love can bridge even the deepest silences.
Our goal is to share FELT with audiences across New Zealand and beyond, beginning with festivals such as Day One, Show Me Shorts, and NZYFF. With your support, we can make a film that is as heartfelt as it is visually memorable, a story that makes people laugh, pause, and maybe call their parents afterward.

In a short film landscape often dominated by either hyperrealism or pure surrealism, FELT occupies a rare middle ground. Its humanist tone paired with its strange, playful setting ensures that when the emotional moments hit, they land unexpectedly and with force.