Dogma

1880. A young woman named Rose is held captive in her own home because of her ties to a group of rebel women who operate against the founding fathers in this oppressive, fundamentalist society.

A former romance turned guard enters as another leaves. Rose pleads with him to help her, but he insists that she must obey her father and stay away from the women she’s been associating with. Feeling betrayed, Rose devises a new plan and convinces him to release her hands by pretending to repent for her actions. As she lures him in for a kiss, Rose snatches his blade and stabs him, leaving him for dead. With the bloodied weapon in hand, Rose escapes.

  • Jayde Fairley
    Director
  • Jayde Fairley
    Writer
  • Jayde Fairley
    Producer
  • Beth Wilson
    Producer
  • Elia Correa
    Key Cast
    "Rose"
  • Max Forbes
    Key Cast
    "Amos"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Period, Drama
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 30, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    New Zealand
  • Country of Filming:
    New Zealand
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - South Seas Film and Television School
Director Biography - Jayde Fairley

Jayde Fairley is a filmmaker from Aotearoa-New Zealand with a soft spot for comedy and thriller genres. She hails from Auckland and is of Pākehā (NZ European), Māori and Irish descent. Her years travelling and living abroad have encouraged her to reflect on different ways of life and appreciate her connection to her homeland.

Her background in acting led Jayde to discover her appetite for script writing. Film studies and all manner of fiction writing were central to her Bachelor of Communications majoring in expressive arts and media studies at Massey University. She furthered her screen arts education with hands on training at South Seas Film and Television School, specialising in drama directing and script writing.

Through her films, Jayde aims to create compelling characters that subvert expectations of societal norms, explore themes which drive her audience to consider perspectives different to their own and spur deeper understanding and connection by exploring how we relate to one another and the world we share.

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Director Statement

As a writer-director, 'Dogma' is my first drama which I viewed as an opportunity to delve into the topic of women’s voice. Though the setting of this story is completely fictional, it is a reflection on the travesties of the past which continue to plague many societies to this day. Women have been, and continue to be, persecuted and unheard. The idea that such groups have historically used their belief systems to oppress women and even vilify them is something that should not be forgotten. The strong fundamentalist setting is a world that I am curious to explore more in my work.

I chose to portray this story through the historic lens of a period drama to create an additional veil of authenticity.

As a student film assignment, 'Dogma' was created as an exercise in directing a bite sized short at a single location with a maximum of 5 camera set ups within a period of 2 hours including blocking.