The story

A rebellious woman, and her people-pleasing fiancée, throw the Mehndi celebration of her mother’s dreams, things turn sour when her living room becomes the battleground for the future in-laws’ clash of cultures.

Why this story

Mehndi is a drama comedy about the desire to be accepted, whether that be by your family, your community or yourself. This isn’t a story about life or death, but a chance to celebrate strong queer women of colour who are so often overlooked. We’re trying to tell a story that pushes the boundaries of tradition and modernity, and we need your help to make the story a reality.

“I’m Malikah Blake and I’m the director of Mehndi. I’m excited to work as part of such a talented crew to tell a story that means so much to me. The story and characters have so much depth, it’s exciting to think about tackling the unique challenges of this project.”

Meet the rest of the team!

We are a team of eight third year film and television production students from the University of York.

• Dóri Bánó, Director of Photography
• Rachel Jessett, Assistant Director
• Madison Rose Robinson, Writer
• Holly Whitmarsh-Jones, Sound Supervisor
• Jude Coaker, Editor
• Stella Wang, Designer
• Tabitha Templer, Producer

We need you.

In order to do this story justice and make the best possible film we can, we need your help! We need to raise £2500 in order to make this incredible short film. Please help us to bring this amazing story to life - any size donation is helpful, and if you are unable to donate, please share this page.

Due to the pandemic, for most of our team, this will be the first and last film that we produce on this course. Therefore, we want to make it the best piece of work we can and showcase everything we have been learning in the last three years. We would be so grateful for any support from you. 

Where your money is going.

COSTUME AND MAKE-UP - £500

We want to celebrate South Asian culture with this film and costumes and make up is a big part of the cultural celebrations, like a Mehndi and a wedding. Salwar Kameez, Lehenga choli, Sarees, Bangles, nose rings… and how could we forget the henna!

SET DESIGN - £400

We want to make our film look as good as we can so we’re setting aside part of our budget for production design. Brianna and Nazia’s house is a fusion of cultures and we want to show that in how the house looks, both in a party setting and during their day to day lives. The film mostly takes place during a party and what’s a party without decorations?

LOCATION - £450

We intend to shoot in two main locations, Nazia and Brianna’s modern house (unfortunately our student digs don’t quite give off the impression of young professionals) and a courthouse for a wedding scene. Your donations will help us to get the locations we desperately need to make this film a reality.

ACCOMMODATION + TRAVEL - £500

To be able to transport all of our cast, crew and equipment around to and between locations safely, we will need money to hire taxis and necessary transport. We might also need to buy accommodation for cast members if they are travelling from far. 

CATERING - £400

Our shooting hours will be long and so it is important we are able to provide catering for everyone on set, so that we can all stay energized and enthusiastic!

CONTINGENCY - £250

It is inevitable that not everything will go as planned on the days we are filming, therefore we have decided to set aside a chunk of money for contingency so we can be prepared in any scenario. 

Follow us on our journey!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this page and watch our video. It really means the world to our whole team.

Please come with us on this journey and keep up to date with the progress of Mehndi. We really appreciate all your support!

You can find us on:

Instagram @Mehndi2022

Facebook @Mehndi

For any queries regarding Mehndi please contact this email: Mehndi2022@gmail.com