New Zealand director Robyn Grace has boarded the Anna Nuria Francino penned feature film BARA, on the Tauihu Media slate.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama, Film and English Literature, Grace began working in theatre. In 2000, she got her first screen gig. Grace went on to become a first assistant director on a long line of films and TV shows — as well as a director (te reo soap Kōrero Mai, comedy Mean Mums, sci-fi show The Cul de Sac). In 2017 she wrote and directed a short film adapted from Marian Keyes story A Woman’s Right to Shoes. It was invited to almost 40 festivals. In 2020, Grace followed it with award-winning short Oranges and Lemons. Most recently, Grace has directed episodes on two series of the hit Netflix series Sweet Tooth, based on a post-apocalyptic comic.

Grace is repped by Sydney-base Creative Representation.

BARA tells the story of a mute recluse who, when her mother and sole witness to her existence ends up comatose, must brave the outside world to unlock her voice and save them both from a life unlived.

BARA was one of six scripts selected from 180 for the Black List New Zealand Project in 2021, which saw Francino mentored on the project by writers Kiwi Smith (Legally Blonde), Dan Abramovitz (BlacKkKlansman) and Phil Hay (Destroyer) in a Black List series of sessions led by screenwriter Scott Myers (K-9).

ENDS