By Your Side - short film

When Sarah's dad dies and she is unexpectedly connected with Leonie, a much older half-sister she never knew existed, she doesn’t expect to find any common ground- Sarah's in her 20s, raised in the city, and of mixed Asian-Australian heritage, and Leonie's twenty years her senior, Caucasian, and living in a small country town. But when they discover their shared experience of their father’s terrible country music collection, they learn that family connection is more than just skin-deep.

'By Your Side' is a short film by Marisa Brown, based on a feature film concept that she is currently developing, dealing with the themes of family, racial identity, the secrets we keep, and the power of music to connect us.

In 2017 it was selected for New Zealand's prestigious Aotearoa Film Lab for emerging screenwriters (one of only two international projects).  Starring Roz Hammond and Tiana Hogben, and co-directed by Marisa Brown and Chris Tomkins, the film was shot in December 2017 and we're excited about bringing this project to life.