With a budget of only $10,000, Matakana filmmaker Paloma Schneideman is hoping to crowd fund a further $5000 to produce her latest short film Memory Foam.

Schneideman, 26, has co-written and will direct the short film this year, with the support of the New Zealand Film Commission.

Raised in Matakana, Schneideman studied filmmaking in Auckland. She's had a string of both local and international successes since graduating in 2014, including winning 'Best Short' at the Asian Micro Film Festival in 2015 and being shortlisted for 'Best Short' in the 2015 NZ International Film Festival.

Supplied Paloma Schneideman, 26, has co-written and will direct the short film Memory Foam this year, with the support of the New Zealand Film Commission.

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She credits Matakana and the wider Rodney region as influencing a huge part of her journey as a filmmaker. Her first job was at the Matakana Cinemas, she was there the first day it opened worked there for five years until she left for film school in 2012. Matakana Cinemas had such a diverse selection of films and such a passionate team of people behind it - it was through working there that she fell in love with the craft of filmmaking.

The New Zealand Film Commission funded Paloma's script Memory Foam through the 'Fresh Shorts' incentive in 2017, and principal photography will commence in May 2018. The film is a story about a middle-aged married couple, who set out to buy a new bed, but as they move around the furniture store, they realise their bed may not be the only thing they have outgrown.

"This film was inspired by my observations of relationships - mainly friends or family, or even just when working at the cinemas, couples would come through all the time and it was so fascinating to witness the special secret ways in which they communicate. A simple look can say everything – or on the flipside, so much can be vocalised, but nothing genuine is being said. The film is not painfully sad; it's honest, with sentimental low points and humour throughout - much like real life," Schneideman said.

She has enlisted a predominately female crew, which was a priority for her, given the poor statistics that represent women in film. Collectively, their credits include ImagineNATIVE Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, NZIFF, and many more.

Schneideman and producers Grant Production House are now looking to crowd fund a further $5,000 to cover the remaining costs and give the film the resources it needs to reach its full potential. They have just launched their crowd funding campaign through Boosted, which will last 23 days, and can be found here boosted.org.nz/projects/memory-foam-film.