A Distant Voice - Short Film

“A Distant Voice” is a short film about love, memory, and the lengths we go to hold onto those we’ve lost. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, the story follows Cora, who builds a robot to hear the final goodbye of her lost companion. We’re crowdfunding to bring this intimate, sci-fi drama to life here in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Your support will help us fund our crew, gear, and locations to tell this important story.

Kia ora, I’m Hayden Smithie, the director of A Distant Voice. Filmmaking has always been my passion, and with this project I’m excited to push the boundaries of independent cinema here in Aotearoa New Zealand. From concept through to directing, I’m driven by stories that combine scope and spectacle with something deeply personal and human.

Joining me on this journey is Tom Sweeney, our writer and 1st AD. Tom took my original concept for A Distant Voice and helped shape it into the heartfelt script we’re now bringing to life. 

Alongside Tom and myself, we’ve built a team of passionate filmmakers with each person contributing their craft to help tell this story on a scale rarely seen in independent short films.

To bring ‘A Distant Voice’ to life, we need your help funding it! Your contributions will help go towards:

Transport: With the nature of the script, our filming will take us to several locations around the Wellington region. Funding will help get our cast, crew, and gear to these locations.

Payment: We would love to pay our crew for the incredible work and dedication they’ll be putting into the film when we enter production. We believe it’s important to compensate each of them for their time. 

Gear: To help get the best possible results, we will be hiring top-of-the-line gear from Portsmouth Rentals, such as lighting gear and lenses for the camera. 

Food: Nobody wants a hungry set! We look forward to providing top-notch meals and catering for the cast and crew. The funding will help go towards purchasing food and ingredients. 

VFX: To help realise the futuristic, sci-fi world, we will need to utilise VFX. Funding will help cover VFX assets, softwares, and man-hours. 

The aim of ‘A Distant Voice’ is to tell a story steeped in the genres of science fiction and intimate character drama. Although it’s set in a post-apocalyptic future, the story doesn’t follow the typical archetypes of action and survival. Instead, we aim to embrace a quieter, more introspective tone that tells a profoundly human story about loss, grief, and closure.

‘A Distant Voice’ is a story about grief, memory, and the lengths we go to feel connection in the face of loss. At its heart, the story explores how technology—often seen as cold and impersonal—can become a vessel for something deeply human: memories. A key theme is the preservation of love and identity: who wouldn’t want to be able to listen to their loved one’s voice once they’re gone? Even if it’s only a mere echo, it’s still something. It’s tangible. 

The film is aimed at a varied target audience. Those who love sci-fi and worlds far more advanced than our own. Those who love personal and relatable stories of love and friendship. Those who admire scope and spectacle. Viewers who are fans of these aspects will find plenty to appreciate in ‘A Distant Voice’, as it’s a personal story set in a futuristic world where society fled to the skies above, and those who were left behind are forced to adapt. 

Directed by Hayden Smithie, ‘A Distant Voice’ aims to push the scope and scale of independent short films made in New Zealand. 

This film needs to be seen because it speaks to universal truths, the longing for connection, the pain of loss, and the hope that memories can endure. By supporting A Distant Voice, you’re helping bring a story to life that resonates emotionally, inspires imagination, and demonstrates the ambitious potential of independent filmmaking in New Zealand.

Thank you for checking out ‘A Distant Voice’ and helping us bring our vision to life! Please help spread the word, and if you’re able to donate, every dollar counts!