Napier Paradiso

Napier Paradiso is a short film inspired by a true story from director Jade’s childhood. Set in a rundown motel, it captures a poignant moment when a resilient single mother strives to create a “normal” Christmas for her daughters despite harsh realities. The film explores themes of family, motherhood, and the quiet strength of women through a raw and intimate lens. Directed and produced by two Samoan women, the project brings a unique and culturally grounded perspective to the screen. The director, a past recipient of the Sundance Fellowship, has a strong relationship with the festival and hopes to return with this film, showcasing the complexities of working-class motherhood and familial love through a distinctly Samoan lens. 

Funded by the New Zealand Film Commission, Napier Paradiso is a heartfelt and powerful story with international aspirations, including a premiere at Sundance, where it seeks to connect deeply with global audiences.

Spearheading this project is"

•  Director Jade Jackson - a Sundance Indigenous Film Fellow and NZ Film Commission-backed creative - crafts films that hit hard, like her festival-smashing short Raids. 
• Writer Esteban Jaramillo brings the fire with award-winning scripts that cut deep and stick, from Raids to new feature projects Man Alone and Losa. 
• Producer Torisse Laulu, fresh off a Voyager Award win and a stint, interning Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa'a Sibbett's new hit series 'Chief of War', turns big visions into unstoppable productions, from viral indie hits to festival darlings. Together, they’re here to shake screens, break ground, and make this story impossible to ignore.

We’ve poured nearly a year of sweat, passion, and soul into this film. The filming is done, but we’re at that crucial moment where just a little extra support can transform months of hard work into a finished film that truly shines. We’re so close - so ready but without this final boost, the story risks being untold. With your help, we will be able to finish a film. Together, we can make sure this story reaches the hearts it’s meant to touch.

Napier Paradiso is a film born out of a bittersweet memory that, for reasons I still can’t fully explain, remains my favourite childhood memory. It was Christmas in Napier, a time when my mum, my sister, and I spent the holiday without my dad. 

This film captures that fragile intersection between joy and uncertainty. I want to explore the tension that was simmering beneath the surface during that trip, the quiet strain of family life. The metaphoric tension is always present, like the rain on the windshield or the laughter that hides deeper pain. The motel pool becomes a central metaphor, a place where family members float close to one another yet drift apart, no one quite drowning but no one entirely whole. It’s about the quiet breaking of a family, the unspoken cracking. 

In Napier Paradiso, the emotional textures of that holiday are brought to life. I want the audience to feel the fleeting happiness that came, despite everything, as if the imperfection of the moment was what made it beautiful. Inspired by films like Aftersun, The Florida Project and Fish Tank, I aim to convey a sense of raw realism and emotional depth that captures the innocence and resilience of childhood among family breakdown. While it’s set against the uniquely Kiwi backdrop, the themes of family and identity are universal.

For me, there’s something strangely comforting about that memory, even though it’s laced with sadness. Perhaps it’s because, in those fleeting moments, despite the cracks in our family, we still had each other. Napier Paradiso is my attempt to honour that memory, to bring that complexity to the screen, and to tell a deeply personal story that I hope will resonate with audiences everywhere.

We’re gunning for the world stage  aiming to take this film to heavyweight festivals like Sundance  because Pasifika stories deserve that spotlight. The world is hungry for them; you can see it in the global buzz around projects like Tina and Chief of War. 

These aren’t just films, they’re cultural game-changers - proof that our voices, our faces, our histories belong on the biggest screens, in front of the widest audiences. Every time a Pasifika story breaks through internationally, it shatters tired stereotypes, ignites pride in our communities, and carves Pasifika culture into the heart of the global story. And when we get through those festival gates, we’re not walking in alone - we’re holding them open for the next wave of Pasifika storytellers to step through.