Bright Summer Night (2016)

Millennials arrived at the party too late - our world is on the brink of environmental catastrophe, and we continue to deny it. Bright Summer Night brings together a motley group of teenagers at a house party in the bewildering heat of New Zealand summer. Break-ups, new love, drugs, and amateur theatre all make this one chaotic event as the characters attempt to forget their issues, whether personal or global. The storyline is inspired by William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, but the modern setting re-contextualises the play's themes of escapism, environmentalism, sexuality, and consent. Just like the world they live in, we see some of the characters are determined to keep dreaming; putting off tomorrow to indulge in the night.