They Call This Healing

‘They Call This Healing’ is a tender, bittersweet slice-of-life short film about Faith, a woman in her mid-twenties, drifting through the quiet aftermath of years undone. As life moves gently around her, she begins to rejoin it – through late-night chats with friends, poignant encounters with strangers, and the soft weight of daily rituals. In learning to release the past, she finds her way forward. Created by Lemon Time Studios, a youth-led, not-for-profit studio with crew members as young as 16, this is our most personal, ambitious work to date. We’ve already invested $4,000 into making it real; now we’re asking for support to help us recover costs and keep crafting bold, meaningful stories. After all, “when life gives us lemons, we make short films”.
 

We’re a team of over 30 passionate young creatives, driven by heart, ambition, and the joy of storytelling – including emerging talent as young as 16. United by our love for film and our desire to take creative risks, ‘They Call This Healing’ is our most personal and collaborative project to date.

Leading the project is Promise Akindeju (writer, co-director, co-producer, and art director) –  a multi-talented creative and co-founder of Lemon Time Studios. At 22, Promise blends artistic vision with analytical precision, shaped by her dual passion for the arts and engineering. In 2024, she and co-founder Zoe Roche created and premiered four original short films at Capitol Cinema, collaborating with groups across The University of Auckland, from the Film Society to business and psychology clubs.

22 year old co-director and co-producer Ajay Mistry brings a keen cinematic eye and technical excellence to the project. He’s a rising talent with a strong portfolio in photography and a deep understanding of visual storytelling and production equipment.

Our Director of Photography, Tyler Redmond, 22 years old, is a multi-award-winning filmmaker and a key creative force. He was named Student Cinematographer of the Year by the NZCS and won Best Student Film at Brisbane’s AFIN International Film Festival, competing against industry veterans.

Playing the lead role of Faith is Samantha Ruddy, a Canadian-Kiwi actress whose versatility spans acting, stunt work, rigging, and dance. She brings depth, grace, and a grounded presence to the screen. 

FULL CAST
Samantha Ruddy, Courtney Wye, Diane Davenport, Jessica Winkle, Chloee Munn, Ricky Didham, Zack Lin, Adele Pascoe, Andrew Suntanaraj, Jack Bell-Booth, Mya Zhen, Malisha Munidasa, Caelan Hopkirk-Elliot.

FULL CREW
Promise Akindeju, Ajay Mistry, Zoe Roche, Omolola Akindeju, Tyler Redmond, Declan Gale, Sophia Schulz, Andrew Yu, Angus McLeod, Robbie Goodliffe, Jamie Scherer, Finn Vanderfluit, Dahlia Al-Basheer, Mahek Nagar, Unique Viernes, Caitlin Davies, Sam Bremner, Harris Augustin, Skyler Solomon-Gavin, Natalie Lau, Rana Kırhan, Prachi Chandra, Radhika Rana, Anne Akindeju, Ash Montgomery, Antoinne Audonette, Callum Shoesmith, George Meehan, Kris Salt, Archie Crayford, Zoe Rei.
 

This is an all-or-nothing Boosted campaign, meaning that we only receive the funds if we reach our minimum goal. As a team of young creatives trying to build sustainable careers in film, your support means everything.

We’ve already poured $4,000 of our own money into this project –  funding it out of passion and belief in the story.

Now we’re asking for your support to help us break even and finish the final stages of production and post, so we can share this story with the world. None of us are getting paid; every dollar you contribute goes toward essential costs like:

• Equipment rental and purchases (camera, lighting, hard drives, etc.)
• Location costs and transportation (gas for crew, gear runs, and scouting)
• Craft services (keeping cast & crew fed!)
• Set dressing, costume, and makeup
• Post-production (editing, sound, colour)

• Festival submission fees and promotional materials
   

  Your financial support also goes towards funding future projects, for which we have two already in the pipeline for 2025!
   

‘They Call This Healing’ follows Faith – a woman in her mid-twenties who feels like her life has stalled. After a challenging couple years for her mental health, she drifts in a quiet limbo, burdened by the idea of who she should’ve become, aching for a way to feel like herself again. Particularly, Faith is heartsick that she isn’t yet the famed filmmaker she once swore she'd become, back when she was all wide eyes and boundless dreams, certain that wanting was enough.

The story gently explores the ebbs and flows of healing – the way progress is rarely linear and how “okay” doesn’t arrive all at once. With a soft touch, the film acknowledges heavy themes without depicting them graphically, focusing instead on the subtle, everyday moments that shape us.

For Script Writer Promise, this project began with a shadow – a soft, persistent fear that her creative dreams might wither in the dark if left untouched. A conversation with co-director Ajay revealed that this fear was shared – a feeling that echoes across ages and experiences.

In many ways, the film is a mirror. Faith, the main character, fears she’ll never create again; and yet here we are, making this very film. For us, it’s proof that choosing to create, even in doubt, is a form of healing in itself.
 

Your support helps bring to life a story that speaks to something tender and universal – the quiet, often invisible work of healing. ‘They Call This Healing’ explores the courage it takes to begin again, to rediscover joy after stillness, and to believe that small steps matter.

Backing this project also means uplifting a passionate group of emerging creatives carving out space for themselves in Aotearoa’s film landscape. Many of us are just starting our journeys, and your support not only fuels this film – it helps us believe there’s a place for our voices, too.

Thank you for helping us tell this story!