NEST - A Short Film by Willem Koller

A reluctant mother-to-be, struggling to accept the pregnancy she has to endure, has a deeply shocking labour experience. But when faced with her husband’s disgust at what she has birthed, she is forced to take drastic measures to reconcile with who she has become.

The glorious camp tradition of John Waters ("Pink Flamingos") meets the colourful stylised gore of Dario Argento ("Suspiria") in this bold and visceral body-horror short film.

Young trans writer/director Willem Koller wrote this 10 minute film about his experience coming to terms with his transness, using pregnancy horror as a metaphor for the feeling of being forced to come to terms with something that is growing inside of you, something inexorable. The film explores the themes of alienation from one’s own body and is about overcoming shame and denial.

NEST stars Elz Carrad and Blink Bogan as the couple forced to deal with these surprising, dark and abrupt changes. Elz is the star of the TV series "Rūrangi", for which he was nominated for Best Actor in the 2021 NZTV Awards. Blink is the reigning Wellington Drag Performer of the Year, and the Queerable Arts champion.

The film is being produced by filmmaker Dean Hewison ("Judgment Tavern", "Good Girl"), who is also acting as a directing mentor to Willem. The crew will be made up of staff members from the Victoria University of Wellington Film Programme volunteering their time, a crew of trans filmmakers, and students from the FILM310 short film production course.

Our cast and crew are generously volunteering their time and skill for free, and the film equipment will be borrowed from Victoria University of Wellington. Dean's 48HOURS team Traces of Nut won the 2021 National Final and is using the sound prize from POW Studios on this project, which means the film will have professional-level sound design at no cost.

Your donation will help us feed the team, pay for the extensive art department props and practical effects work, cover the cost of our filming location, and bring our Father Elz Carrad down from Auckland for the shoot. If we're lucky, we'll also get a running start on festival entry fees, which add up really quickly!

Thank you so much for supporting this project, it's truly appreciated.

THE TEAM

Writer / Director: Willem Koller (he/they)

"Father": Elz Carrad (he/him)

"Mother": Blink Bogan (they/she)

DOP: Adam Browne (he/him)

Production Manager: Pelle Kulsvehagen (he/him)

Sound: Wilma Pride (she/they)

Production Assistant: Amelia Honey (she/they)

Effects Advisor: Ryder (they/them)

1st AC: Seren Ashmore (he/him)

Stills: Willow Heron (she/her)

Producer / Directing Mentor: Dean Hewison (he/him)