'Halim' is a short film in the making, currently being brought to life by a group of passionate students from the WA Screen Academy (WASA). In partnership with the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), our film will feature the incredible talent of the third year acting students and is set to air on Channel 9 at the end of this year. 

Halim, a young man from a Muslim family, is about to marry his fiance Holly. In the lead up to their wedding, Halim is introduced to Holly's brother Mike for the first time. Casual drinks soon turn into a night on the town and Halim, stuck in a battle between expectation and conflicted desire, is confronted with the question “what do I really want?” 

Set over the course of one night in Perth city, this is an Australian tale of culture, family, love and sexuality.

Halim is an important film about someone struggling to come to terms with his sexual identity in the face of social and cultural expectations. This story will resonate with anyone who has felt the pressure to conform to a notion of love or happiness, that feels that they cannot be themselves.

Searching for who he is and how he fits into this world is his biggest challenge yet. 

This is the story of Halim...

About the team

DIRECTOR Sam Baker

Sam Baker is a vibrant and creative young up and coming director. In 2016 Sam completed her Advanced Diploma of Screen and Media at The International Film School Sydney specialising in directing and  screenwriting. In that time Sam wrote and directed five short films, directed one music video and worked as a head creative across numerous other multi media projects. Currently pursuing her Bachelor degree at the WA screen academy Sam wishes to upon graduating strengthen her place within the Australian film industry and work towards making her first feature.

CINEMATOGRAPHER Jake Blackburn

Jake is an Australian cinematographer who is passionate about creating imagery and sharing it with others. Jake has had an adventurous life since he was very young, spending his childhood growing up on a bus travelling around Australia. His wild upbringing has seen him develop a contagious zest for capturing the world around him. Most recently Jake has been working on a documentary where he was shooting footage whilst sky-diving.  Jake loves coffee and is an all-round nice guy.

https://www.jblackburnfilm.com/

EDITOR Brenton Cooney

Brenton completed a Bachelor of Creative Industries at ECU in 2015, majoring in film and video, with a minor in scriptwriting. Throughout his bachelors degree he took a multi-disciplinary approach to film-making with particular interests being editing, writing and directing. Currently studying a Masters of Screen Studies at the WA Screen Academy, Brenton aspires to be a ‘writer-director.’ His favourite directors include Werner Herzog, Harmony Korine and Charlie Kaufman.

WRITER Marnie Allan

Marnie Allen graduated from the University of Western Australia in 2014, completing a major in Communications and English. She is currently completing her Masters in Editing and Screenwriting at the WA Screen Academy. She has a particular interest in comedy, having co-written and performed in a comedy play at Fringeworld and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, as well as performing stand up. She has thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to get out of her comfort zone with Halim, which is her first venture into writing drama. Marnie has already smashed it this year at the Screen Academy, editing the infamous Carnal Privilege, and is out to show the world Halim is here. 

PRODUCER Gabby Ho

Gabby graduated from UWA in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts (Communications) majoring in Art History. She has spent the last few years travelling the world and working in Fremantle’s best wholefoods store. Her experiences have cultivated her love of nature, culture and community which are ever celebrated through film. This year she hopes to make a compelling documentary and learn the art of cinematography. Halim is her first experience as a producer. 

All funds raised will go towards getting the goods, technical prowess, taming the talent and making it real! 

- We need to hire a state-of-the-art camera lense that will allow Jake to perfectly capture subtle emotion in dark and ambient lighting. 

- Secure an incredible nightclub location in the heart of Northbridge

- Add an extra punch to our production design budget will ensure Halim is aesthetically FLAWLESS

 & 

- Make sure we have enough budget to feed all of our selfless extras who are volunteering their time to our project

Every single person should be able to point at the TV or at the cinema screen at some point and say "that person looks like me" or "I have those problems too". Halim is a story about the everyday struggles of people whose stories are too often left untold. 

In order for us to do justice to these issues and make them relatable to our audience, we need to be able to make Halim as authentic and true to real life as is possible. 

Please help us make Halim a reality.