Unko Films

01/11/2023

03/02/2023

It's been about a year since I last posted - this is the reason why.

Watch the trailer for S*k Fan Lah! - episodes drop weekly on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+ starting 10am Sunday February 12th!

When it’s time to eat, we say S*K FAN LAH! Come with us on a culinary adventure across Aotearoa New Zealand, uncovering hilarious and hearty stories of modern Kiwi-Chinese life through our universal love for food. Made with the support of NZ On Air.

It's been about a year since I last posted - this is the reason why. Watch the trailer for S*k Fan Lah! - episodes drop weekly on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+ starting Sunday February 12th! [VIDEO::https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH2YpjG24zw] When it’s time to eat, we say S*K FAN LAH! Come with us on a culinar...

02/02/2023

10/01/2022

S*k Fan Lah! Let's eat!

The S*k Fan Lah! team are looking for unique food stories across Aotearoa and want to hear from anyone of Chinese descent who are involved in food (Chinese food or otherwise!) 🥟🍜

Get in touch via our social media pages or email Jess - [email protected]
Facebook: S*k Fan Lah
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sikfanlah.tv/

18/08/2021

After an arduous shoot across four Chinese provinces in December, I flew back to New Zealand for a few days; a much-needed Christmas break. On my flight back to China, I felt refreshed and hopeful that we would overcome our challenges in the second half of production.

Arriving in grey-skied Guizhou, I realised that things were not going to get any easier.

This is part three of four from a series of film photos I took while working on Granny Knows Best in January 2019.

If my adventure on the Granny Knows Best shoot was a trilogy, this part would be Empire Strikes Back. Not much sunshine in this one...

14/06/2021

If I could meet my 20-something younger self, I'd show him these grandmothers and say, "These are way better role models for you than Peter Jackson."

Sometimes you have to look backwards to see where you are and know where you're going. This is part two of four from a series of film photos I took while working on Granny Knows Best.

31/05/2021

In December 2018, I joined Ryan Pyle Productions on my final epic filming adventure in China. The premise was simple on paper: light-hearted half-hour episodes featuring home recipes of grandmothers from eight different Chinese provinces. But in practice, it was a chaotic pendulum of emotions swinging from scenes of heavenly beauty to tearful stories of poverty and loss. It felt as if years of life's ups and downs were distilled into two months of shooting. Maybe that's why it's taken me so long to process these photos.

It's not every day I get paid to scoot around taking snapshots of China's prettiest villages. And it's once in a lifetime that I get to hug and hold the hands of grandmas as if they were my own (my grandmothers died before I was born). These are precious moments to me.

12/05/2021

Tune in to Prime tomorrow night and catch this brand new, chilling, Pacific TV series!

This brand new Pacific TV series premieres on Prime TV 9:30pm tomorrow night (Thursday May 13th) and on The Coconet (Friday May 14th)!

14/02/2021

Textures from the end of a vagabond era.

📷 Pentax LX
🎞️ Fujifilm Superia 400

04/01/2021

How's everyone's new year going?

I'm back at work again but I thought I'd procrastinate by reminiscing on the two months I lived in Mumbai just before the as***le known as Covid stole everyone's thunder.

🎞️ Fuji Superia 400/Kodak Portra 400
📷 Pentax LX

01/01/2021

Congratulations on the launch of and to everyone who was a part of making it!

I have a massive backlog of photos to process from the giant middle finger that was 2020 and I guess the New Year is as good a time as any to get cracking.

The year actually started off swimmingly for me. These moments from the set of Coolie no.1 were definitely the high points. Infinite thanks to for the honour of joining the Team RKC and to the beautiful souls, among many others for teaching me to face extreme challenges with a big dose of laughter.

📷 Pentax LX
🎞️ Kodak Portra 400

10/12/2020

Another super sweet review - thanks Liam!!!
https://www.flicks.co.nz/.../mamas-music-box-and-the.../

And here's where you can watch it RIGHT NOW: https://www.flicks.co.nz/movie/mamas-music-box/

Find where to watch Mama's Music Box in New Zealand. Pacific Island Christmas comedy from the makers of Take Home Payfollowing two grandchildren (Unaloto Funaki & Sieni Leo’o Olo) on a search for their grandmother’s (Yvonne Maea-Brown) music box