New Zealand emerging filmmakers’ project The Outlook for Someday will now be known as Day One Hāpai te Haeata after undergoing a brand refresh.
Aimed at uplifting and amplifying youth voices in the film industry, the initiative has supported many young and emerging filmmakers over the past 17 years, providing tools, guidance, and opportunities to share their stories on screen. Those to benefit from its resources include producers Angela Cudd and Micah Winiata, and writer Mia Maramara.
Day One Hāpai te Haeata partnered with Tāmaki Makaurau-based creative agency Curative to lead the rebrand, with director Anna Duckworth choosing the company for its desire to inspire social change and address inequity and injustice.
Curative then worked with academic Hēmi Kelly (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tahu-Ngāti Whāoa), who gifted Day One its Māori name Hāpai te Haeata, which refers to when dawn breaks.
Duckworth said feedback from the project’s participants had helped guide the update, which was supported through the Ministry of Culture of Heritage, Vista Foundation, and Auckland Council.
“We received incredible input from young people about what The Outlook for Someday needed,” she said.
“In those sessions, the new name Day One was a clear stand-out. It’s not something in the future, it’s not tomorrow. It’s Day One. It’s now. You can also have many Day Ones on a project – Day One dreaming-up an idea, Day One on-set and Day One of festival distribution. We believe the name is inclusive to individuals at many different stages of their filmmaking journeys.”
It comes as Day One Hāpai te Haeata prepares to premiere eight short films from young filmmakers at the Hollywood Avondale on September 3, before publishing them online to RNZ, Whakaata Māori, and the Day One website on September 4.
Applications for the Day One Shorts 2025 program, supported by NZ on Air, are now open. Find out more information here.