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BURBS

BURBS is a webseries about Wellington, the offbeat capital of antipodean New Zealand. Each episode invites audiences to look closer into a suburb of the city and offers a secret slice of life from that pocket.

The second season covers four suburbs.
Aro Valley has a political edge. Set on the night of the 2017 General Election, it follows the lives of two middle class hippie couples, both with big secrets. Mt. Cook champions female storytelling (all female characters, female writers, and a female director). Rongotai, set over six years, is both our ‘San Junipero’ and the gay love story of our times (sorry Moonlight). Happy Valley reveals where witches in Wellington are born and bred.

  • Stella Reid
    Director
    Drop Down Globe, Eschaton, White Man Behind a Desk, 'Strathmore' (Burbs01)
  • Laura Robinson
    Director
    Burbs Season 01
  • Laura Robinson
    Writer
    Burbs Season 01
  • Stella Reid
    Writer
    Drop Down Globe, Eschaton, White Man Behind a Desk
  • Faith Wilson
    Writer
  • Laura Robinson
    Producer
    Burbs Season 01, Drop Down Globe
  • Rosie Remmerswaal
    Producer
    The Changeover, The Rehearsal, A Wrinkle in Time, Mortal Engines
  • Orion Holder-Monk
    Producer
    Drop Down Globe
  • Stella Reid
    Producer
    Drop Down Globe, Eschaton, White Man Behind a Desk
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short, Television, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Dramedy, comedy, drama, satire, family, fantasy, witchcraft, romance, rom-com
  • Completion Date:
    October 29, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    6,000 NZD
  • Country of Origin:
    New Zealand
  • Country of Filming:
    New Zealand
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Self-Distributed
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Internet
Director Biography - Stella Reid, Laura Robinson

Stella Reid is a director, writer, and actor, who you may have seen last year in the International Festival’s Arquitectura de Feria, as Laura in the webseries Pot Luck, or behind the 2016 BATS shows Wine Lips or Orphans, the latter winning two Wellington Theatre Awards.

Stella was the recipient of the Dronke Prize in her undergraduate studies at Victoria University, and completed her Masters in Directing at Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School in 2012. She is also one part of the webseries cocktail known as BURBS, which Duncan Greive of The Spinoff said “it has a creative heart beating out of it’s chest”.

In 2016 Reid was nominated for Best Director, and awarded Most Promising Director, at the Wellington Theatre Awards. Her solo Fringe show, The Basement Tapes, won her ‘Outstanding Performance’ at the New Zealand Fringe Festival 2017 and the Melbourne Fringe Tour Award. She went on to be nominated for ‘Best Performance’ at the 2017 Melbourne Fringe.

2017 saw Stella direct her first Māori Television & NZ On Air funded short film, titled Drop Down Globe, about females and Shakespeare, which she also wrote and produced.

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Director Statement

BURBS is a quirky dark comedy with a twisted mind set. Each episode is a different suburb in New Zealand's cultural capital. It is shot with place thoroughly in mind: the bright city lights of Mt. Cook contrast with the smokey green hues of Happy Valley.

This emphasise on locale doesn't just mean landscape. BURBS aims to reflect the diverse and vibrant Wellington community, and the input of several visual artists and local musicians attributes to the very 'Wellington' pulse at the heart of BURBS. Just like organic food, for BURBS the best produce is local!

I am a filmmaker with a keen interest in making sure stories reflect place. I aim to make my process addictive so that my collaborators are itching to work with me again. BURBS has been a great spring board for my career as a film director. In 2017 I have produced and directed my first NZ On Air funded short film Drop Down Globe.