Sima Urale set for Feature film debut

Sima Urale

Apron Strings, the long awaited feature film debut from award-winning director Sima Urale is set for production this month.

The film stars British-Indian actress Laila Rouass whose work includes Footballers Wives and Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee.

Urale is best known for her celebrated short films O’Tamaiti and Still Life. Her latest short film Coffee & Allah premiered internationally at the Venice Film Festival in August this year.

The film is being produced by Rachel Gardner of Maxim Films and was written by Dianne Taylor and Shuchi Kothari. The cinematographer is Rewa Harre.

Apron Strings is a parallel story of two families and two cultures: Pakeha (New Zealand-European) and Indian, set in suburban New Zealand.

Through the metaphor of food, Apron Strings explores the fine line between nurture and control that marks mother-son relationships across cultures and tests the strength and elasticity of family ties. It tests the boundaries of mothering and smothering, and how we sometimes have to let go of our individual sense of what is ‘right’, to do what is ‘good’ for all.

The social issues raised by the material touched Urale from the first, “This is a character driven story that delves into the tender yet complicated relationship between mother and child that will touch many audiences as it has with me” says Urale, “As well as the fact that it is so rare to see other ethnic groups on our screens other than just Pakeha and Pacific peoples.”

The film also stars Scott Wills (Perfect Creature, Stickmen), Jennifer Ludlum and Nathan Whittaker.

“Apron Strings is the first Indian feature film to be funded through official channels in New Zealand,” says producer Rachel Gardner.

“It’s a great project for Sima’s first foray into feature length drama and it’s very telling that it has attracted a talent such as Laila Rouass.

“We’re also delighted to announce that Rialto will be distributing the film in New Zealand and Australia,” she says.

Apron Strings will be shot largely on location in South Auckland on super 16mm film.

Apron Strings is the first film to go into production under the Signature Scheme a low budget financing initiative between the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air and Television New Zealand. The Signature Scheme is Executive Produced by Trevor Haysom of T.H.E Film.

Maxim Films is the production company behind two of the Signature Film projects.