Forever Maybe

Kia and Billy have been best friends for five years. For as long as they can remember, they have discussed getting matching tattoos to cement their friendship. With Kia’s impending move across Australia to join her partner, she questions the idea of permanency. Should they commit to a matching tattoo if their friendship may not survive? Forever Maybe is a heartfelt and personal look into the exuberant mind of Kia Renee.

  • Kia Pugh
    Director
    '85'
  • Kia Pugh
    Writer
    '85'
  • Nate Markquart
    Writer
    'All About the Rebound', 'A Profile: Jim Martinson', 'Cristian's Pins'
  • James Wetherall
    Producer
  • Kia Pugh
    Key Cast
  • William Ridley
    Key Cast
  • Desiree Hernandez
    Key Cast
  • Jesse Drage
    Key Cast
  • Erin Kidd
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Observational Documentary
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 4, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - The University of Newcastle
Director Biography - Kia Pugh

Currently majoring in Media Arts Production, Kia has spent the past three years of her studies dedicated to the art of both screenwriting and video editing. Having always enjoyed the power of authentic storytelling, her love for film and shared experience has skyrocketed after directing her first documentary, “Forever Maybe”. In only two years of film experience, Kia has won multiple awards for both her and her teams’ efforts, including the title of “Best Short Film” and “Best Music Video” at the 2022 Newbie Awards.

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Director Statement

As a human being who is equally terrified of both commitment and change, I really wanted to explore the internal push and pull that comes with the territory of relationships. Whether it was platonic or romantic, I knew the fear of the “unknown” or the dreaded “what if” had always been universal. I also knew firsthand that you could experience both desire and fear of permanency at the same time. Emotions so complex and questions so big, however, felt a little too broad to tackle. So instead of trying to answer the larger questions at hand, I looked at the relationships I currently had in my life.

I concluded that Billy, my best friend of five years, was the biggest constant I had for relationships. We’d always discussed getting matching tattoos and both agreed that the documentary was the perfect excuse to take the plunge. After all, what represents commitment and permanency more than deciding to mark your body for the rest of your life with another person? It didn’t help that when it came to maintaining relationships, Billy really was the “exception to the rule” for me. I had always found it difficult to maintain close, platonic bonds and yet somehow Billy and I had survived my tragic communication skills and absolute introversion.

I loved Billy dearly, but my own insecurities led me to believe that our relationship was always on borrowed time. One day, something or someone would change and our relationship would just dwindle away into non-existence. This brought me to the other important relationship in my life. Jesse is my partner of a year and a half. They live across the country in Western Australia and I feel that for our relationship to continue, I’ll probably have to make a monumental move. I was incredibly interested (and terrified) of that dynamic. That a life with Jesse meant a life without Billy, or vice versa. Either way, it didn’t seem like I could have a world with both.

I have filled the making of this documentary with so many laughs, tears, a few existential crises, and an exorbitant amount of love. This documentary is a unique experience for everyone who watches, and hopefully, by watching it yourself, you can enjoy your own personal relationship with the idea of relationships.