


MY FRIEND MICHAEL JONES
A high school misfit with severe OCD forms an unlikely bond with a popular classmate through a shared passion for music and dance. An inspiring story of friendship that connects Pasifika culture, LGBTQIA+ awareness, overcoming bullying and anxiety disorder.
MJ is the ridicule of his high school peers. His obsessive-compulsive need to avoid cracks in the pavement and finger-tap doorframes before entering make him a target for relentless bullying.
Chief among his tormentors is Selena. When MJ discovers a secret that threatens Selena’s standing within her devout Samoan family and popular school clique, the two teenagers form an unlikely bond through a shared passion for music and dance.
When a series of events reveals Selena’s true persona to the entire school, MJ must try and overcome his own affliction to stand up for his new friend.
Directors: Ian Leaupepe & Samson Rambo
Producers: Alex Lovell & Eldon Booth
Writers: Eldon Booth, Ian Leaupepe & Samson Rambo
Cinematography: Ian McCarroll
Art Directors: Vea Mafile’o & Emily Mafile’o
Editors: Luke Haigh & Eldon Booth
Composer: Soraya LaPread
Post-Production Sound: Nigel Foster
Choreography: Tony Pati
Starring: Villa Junior Lemanu, Luciane Buchanan, Haanz Fa’avae-Jackson, Theo David, Lusia Neemia, Jeremiah Tauamiti, Marlon Tu’ipulotu, Ray Ray Nu’uola, Ella Hope-Higginson, Katerina Fatupaito
Genre: Drama (Short)
Released: June 2018
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 (Colour)
Language: English, Samoan (with English subtitles)
Duration: 15:00