Son
A woman goes looking for her estranged son on the day the world stops turning.
Synopsis:
Forty year old TERRI is a cynical, selfish, cigarette-sucking mother, and she has no reservations in making this clear to anyone who bothers her…. except for the “Mother” part, that is. She’ll take that secret to her grave. Having abandoned her son 15 years ago, it would take something biblical for Terri to face him and the life that led to her decision to leave. Then smack bang in the middle of the hottest day all summer, it does.
With no explanation the sun stops moving. Or, more accurately, the earth does. With temperatures rising, cars dying and anxious locals overheating, Terri finds herself stranded in the middle of nowhere. As she looks up at the stagnant sun, contemplating the end of days, she thinks maybe, just maybe, it’s time she sorted her shit out.
Max, a young, irritatingly optimistic traveller, proves his worth by helping Terri hijack a couple of bikes and the duo face the long road towards redemption together. Cycling, running and crawling, our mother-on-a-mission must overcome each twist as it uncovers past and present demons, all over the course of one seemingly endless day.
A bizarre, chaotic, frightening and funny journey about confronting change, Son navigates the mess of human existence, shining a light on those pedestrian moments of heroism that always go unnoticed. The little step forward after many steps backward, the long overdue apology, the people who simply try, even though they know they’re probably going to fail.
Pitchees: Olivia Shanks, producer, Great Southern Television and Andrew Marshall, producer, Great Southern Television
Olivia Shanks and Andrew Marshall are two of New Zealand’s most exciting Producers. With the short-term goal of developing their dark comedy Son, and the long-term goal of shepherding more projects just like it, Shanks and Marshall champion inventive, funny, and unmistakably human stories for screens big and small.
With impressive credits to date on a wide range of acclaimed projects across NZ, the US, and the UK, both Producers have worked with some of the New Zealand's most experienced and influential filmmakers, and have numerous award-winning short films under their belts, including Judah Finnigan’s Workshop and Chelsie Preston Crayford’s Falling Up.
Beyond Son, they have numerous feature and series projects in advanced development.
Project Information:
Producer: Olivia Shanks and Andrew Marshall
Partners: Great Southern Television, Neon / Sky New Zealand
Development stage: Financing: April - July / Advanced Development: August - September / Prep: November - January
Planned shooting start: February - April
Shooting location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Languages: English
Total budget: $7 500 000 NZD (£3,906,000)
Budget per episode: Shot concurrently, not episodic
Financing already in place: $120 000 NZD (2%)
Looking for: International distribution and finance partner
Company profile: Great Southern Television (GSTV) is a passionate and creative production house, with a commitment to making elevated drama that reaches audiences around the world. In 2020, the company’s drama/thriller One Lane Bridge (AMC, TVNZ, 7 Network) aired, becoming the most watched New Zealand Drama in over 15 years. That year, One Lane Bridge won the New Zealand Drama of the Year.
The company has offices in Auckland and Sydney, and currently has series on or in development with Netflix, Amazon, AMC and Discovery. GSTV has produced award-winning series for BBC2, Fox, Sky, and locally for both TVNZ and THREE.
Contact: Andrew Marshall (Producer, Great Southern Television)
Email:
[email protected]
