Homecoming, the Kōpere Hou Fresh Shorts short film directed by emerging transgender
writer/director Grae Meek is celebrating its acceptance into the Mato Grosso Queer Awards
(MT Queer Premia) opening in November 2026 in Cuiada in Brazil.
This is the film’s first foray into Latin America and marks the film’s 9th official festival in its successful international run of the last 12 months, including the Top of the South Film Festival (NZ), the British Urban Film Festival (UK), Capricorn Film Festival (Australia), Queer Movie Nights (Greece), Colors of Love Queer Film Festival (India), Wairoa Māori Film Festival (NZ), Muskoka Queer Film Festival (Canada), and South Asia’s largest queer festival KASHISH Pride Festival (India).
The film has won 7 international festival awards across these festivals including Best Film,
Screenplay, Director and Acting awards.
Made in Ōtautahi Christchurch, this groundbreaking psychological drama follows a trans
woman as she returns home to come out to her parents, but the dinner spirals out of control
as her anxieties manifest in dark, sinister ways. It stars beloved trans actor Awa Puna in the
lead role, alongside Lara Macgregor and Te Wharerangi Mihinui as her parents.
The short film is one of the first ever transgender writer/director projects funded by NZFC via the Fresh
Shorts grant with additional funding support from Ara Foundation, PASC and a Boosted
campaign, building a strong and engaged community across social media and around the
country. The film has a diverse and inclusive cast and crew including Pan-asian, Māori,
queer, and women film practitioners.
“I love telling trans stories, and this story is a chance to speak my visceral truth” says Meek,
a WIFT SAE Best Newcomer Nominee. “As a proud trans woman, It is an authentic portrayal
of the anxieties of coming out to those you love (and fear) the most. It’s real, it’s heartfelt and
it’s so exciting to see something that I’ve experienced up on the big screen. This is so much
more than a drama, and I’m so excited to bring to life a transgender story that challenges
tropes and stereotypes, within the compelling, intense moodiness of genre.”
“At a time of such divisive commentary and misinformation, it is more important than ever
that a film like HOMECOMING is seen as a beacon of conversation, empathy and even hope
for the transgender community” says producer Anna Canton of Annakey Productions. “It has
been important to us to get this film into both queer and mainstream festivals to ensure its
message is heard”.
The team have also partnered up with LGBTQIA+ and pride groups to arrange screenings across Aotearoa, already screening in Ōtautahi, Tauranga and Rotorua with plans for more regional screenings and eventual streaming in 2026-27.
Watch the trailer for HOMECOMING here.
Check out HOMECOMING on socials to keep up-to-date on further screenings and news on
the film - and congratulations to the entire team!