'Winter Uniform' Short Film

Hi everyone!

We're super excited to invite you to be part of our journey in creating Winter Uniform, a 10-minute dramedy that will make you laugh, cry and block your favourite teacher's number.

The logline:

'A young teacher with a relentless saviour complex takes over detention, engaging in a stand-off with a teenage delinquent who refuses to open up.'

The 'need to know':

'Winter Uniform' is not a story about an affair.

'Winter Uniform' is not a story about a liar, or a crazy woman.

'Winter Uniform' is a story of intergenerational trauma, and its effects outside of the home.

The main character:

In her third year of teaching, Ms Taylor is everybody’s favourite. Behind her charming compassion is a relentless desperation to make school the safe space she never had growing up. She gets closure from the catharsis of guarded students when they finally open up to her.

At what point is she feeding off of students’ trauma and at what point is she causing it?

The experience:

This film oscillates between comedy, suspense, and unsettling tension, offering a gripping and emotionally charged viewing experience. It's funny too.

The goal:

We aim to use this short film as a proof of concept to pitch a feature-length adaptation. A few festival nominations wouldn't hurt too ;)

The director:

Hi, I'm Jess! I'm currently in my 3rd year of a Bachelor of Communication (Media Arts and Production) Bachelor of Laws. I've been working on 'Winter Uniform' for over a year now, so it feels surreal to finally bring it to life!

I wrote Winter Uniform at a time when a lot of my friends were coming forward with personal stories of abuse or trauma. Often, even though I genuinely wanted to help, I wasn't always equipped to do so, which made it risky for both me and those I tried to support. In the film, I wanted to explore the dangers of taking on too much responsibility for the wellbeing of those around you, and of trying to 'save' people who don't want (or need) saving. Winter Uniform became a way for me to confront these tendencies and, hopefully, help others reflect on how they care for those they love.

The $$$:

We are raising funds to cover the costs of production, including equipment, post-production, and festival submissions. Your support will directly contribute to making Winter Uniform a reality, and every donation, no matter the size, brings us one step closer to achieving our goal.

Your donation would mean so much to us - every named contribution before 1 Jan 2025 will be featured in our credits as a thank you for supporting the project :)

Thank you!

Jess

Writer/Director, Winter Uniform

Image reference: Hereditary, 2018