Young filmmaker raising awareness

You wouldn’t eat a bread packet, so why feed it to the world? That’s the message behind a young filmmaker’s award-winning film.

Warning is the debut short film from South Aucklander Neihana Lowe, which follows a day in the life of plastic-eating teenager.

Made in his final year of high school in 2016, the satiric five-minute film is Lowe’s way of urging people to think more about sustainable packaging and caring for environment.

‘‘For me it’s a tool to get the message out there,’’ Lowe says. ‘‘I want to create more awareness. These things need to be talked about.’’

Protecting the environment is something he’s always been passionate about, and since finishing high school he’s been working away at other short films with eco messages.

‘‘I have my mum to thank for my love of the environment, she’s a very earthly woman,’’ he says.

‘‘I grew up learning to take care of the environment and for me I’m spreading awareness through filmmaking.’’

Warning is about a high school student who, instead of eating food, consumes their wrappers to highlight the food waste people create.

The film won the storytelling category of sustainable filmmaking event The Outlook for Someday as well as the Rangatahi filmmaker of the year at 2017 Ma¯oriland Film Fes- tival.

It’s now been selected to screen at a New York high school film festival in the United States.

It’s not a bad feat for someone whose first foray into filmmaking was a high school assignment to make a music video - which he says he cringes at now.

He has his classmates and teachers at Rosehill College to thank for helping him get the film off the ground, and they’re all equally as proud of his achievements. Principal Sue Blakely says Lowe is a great example for other students to aspire to.

‘‘I think it’s fantastic his passion can be expressed through this medium which is engaging people,’’ Blakely says.

Student Erin Wheeler stars as Mindy in the film and she says it has made her think more about what she’s consuming.

‘‘It was a bit of a laugh at the time, we didn’t know what the outcome would be like. It’s so cool that it’s got a deeper meaning,’’ Erin says.

Lowe is raising money to get to the All American High School Film Festival in New York in October where his film is being screened. Go to givealittle.co.nz/cause/ warningtonyc

‘‘I grew up learning to take care of the environment.’’