Life improvised

Volume One

We have put together the first ten episodes of Life Improvised in one volume. Filmed in five countries around the world over a period of three years, the shorts are grouped by theme: loneliness, first date, betrayal, and change. Check out the trailer below and watch the whole series on:

Tubi

VIMEO ON DEMAND

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

The links to the anthology above is our preferred way to view the series. It is the director’s cut, some episodes extended, the grouping by theme enhancing the experience. But you can also watch each individual short in chronologically order by scrolling down this page.

We did an insightful interview about Life Improvised: Volume One with Search My Trash.
Read Here.

Roniti

“During a summer holiday, a mother and her teenage daughter must learn to navigate their strained relationship after a family scandal.”

Roniti, which means "diving" or "swimming underwater" in Croatian was filmed during the summer of 2023 in Zadar. It was a film I wanted to make for a long time, in fact the initial idea sparked when I first visited Zadar in 2021 and the lively ocean pool and its three-level diving board caught my eye. As I watched people leaping high into the air and splashing into the stunning blue sea, framed by the golden sun and laughter, I knew I wanted to make a film set right here.

But the story took over a year to come together. The first attempts, involving a teen girl navigating first love while trying to play mother to her widowed father and angry older brother, simply didn't work no matter how many drafts I did. But only a few months ago, after taking a long break from Roniti, I came back to the project with fresh eyes and rewrote the outline to focus on a mother and daughter relationship instead. This change in character perspective suddenly made the story flow and in no time I had an outline I was happy with.

I reached out to Mia Zara – a local of Zadar with both a Croatian and Australian background – to play the role of the mother. Mia had auditioned for another project of ours two years ago and though she didn't get that part, I knew I wanted to work with her in the future on something. This was that something. Once Mia said yes, the ball was rolling, and Mia was instrumental in organising logistics and people in Zadar. She brought her partner  Dejan Marcikić, a former Croatian soap star, to play a small role in the cast and a bigger role on the small crew, doing everything from production assistant to boom operator, catering, driver, location manager and more.

But the heart of the story was 16-year-old Leona, an impulsive girl with a volatile relationship with her mother caused by shame in the family. She meets an American teenager Andre, who is also vacationing in Zadar, and the pair quickly bond. We held a Croatia wide casting call for these roles, and after auditioning several actors over Zoom, we cast talented teenagers  Lucija Milojčić and  Ivano Črep, both from Zagreb, as Leona and Andre respectively.

So it was off on a road trip to Zadar for an amazing weekend of filming. The energy on set was wonderful, everyone on the small team bonded and happily juggled multiple roles, the camaraderie wonderful to see. When dedicated people come together for the common goal of creating art we can all be proud of, it always serves as a beautiful reminder of why we make films.

Roniti was the first time I made a film spoken mostly in Croatian and it was a thrill and a challenge to direct in my childhood language. It was also the first time I got to use my vintage Canon FD lenses on a film and I am thrilled with the results. Roniti is now complete and currently doing the festival circuit, before we can share it publicly here. But in the meantime, enjoy a small trailer below as well as a fun behind the scenes video from the set.

~ Ivan Malekin, Director

Applause

“The lines between professionalism and friendship become blurred when two friends catch up in Central Park.”

While visiting New York during late October, 2022, we got together with NPG team member and favourite hard-working collaborator Clara Francesca, as well as our DOP from In Corpore, George M. Ivanoff, to shoot our eleventh Life Improvised short film called Applause.

The film is an exploration of what it looks like when people look to use you for their own selfish career gains. The story was inspired by a mash up of real encounters and conversations we had with an "actor" we knew many moons ago. 

The shoot took place in the picturesque Central Park. What was great about shooting Applause (besides the therapy factor!), was that it served as a reunion with Clara and George, plus the chance to work with new talent, Sharni Bekt – an established NY based dancer and actor. 

Check out Applause below.

The dance

“A father, who has come out later in life, tries to learn to dance to impress his date, when his practice is interrupted by a visit from his estranged daughter.”

This is our tenth Life Improvised film with this one shot in Melbourne in February 2022. It was a reunion with actors John McCullough (El Western) and Lara Deam (Friends, Foes & Fireworks, Half) as well as sound recordist Gerard Mack (too many Nexus films to list), a great day on set, full of wonderful energy.

And we feel we have produced a powerful film with The Dance, driven by performances full of authentic and raw emotions from both John and Lara. This a personal story for John in particular; The Dance is based on his real life coming out story.

“I hope the film assists others with families who have come out late in life, to realise we are not alone as we work through the issues. I hope the broader community gains some insights into some of the challenges we, along with our families, face too.” – John McCullough

Enjoy The Dance below.

Goose & Gander

“A young couple, Sam and Mia, deal with the fallout from infidelity. Is what's good for the goose, also good for the gander?”

This is our first Life Improvised filmed in our new home in Zagreb. Produced with minimal resources and mostly natural light, Goose & Gander stars Bosnian actor Harun Ćehović and Slovenian actress Barbara Horvat, who both travelled to Zagreb for the day. Both deliver poised and beautiful performances as a young couple at a crossroads in their relationship. Goose & Gander is actually an idea we are developing for a feature so this micro-short not only served as another episode in our Life Improvised series, but also as a test run for the concept behind the potential feature. Enjoy Goose & Gander below.

encontro

“With the lockdown lifted, life goes somewhat back to normal. Inés seizes the chance and invites her friend Joanna to catch up, but as they walk through Lisbon, there’s something troubling Inés.”

We found ourselves stuck in Portugal during the first half of 2021 as our flights home to Malta kept being cancelled during the pandemic. Though we weren’t complaining; Portugal is beautiful and the vibrant city of Lisbon fascinated us in particular. We needed to take the opportunity to film here. So we came up with the concept for Encontro (meaning meeting in Portuguese), put out a call for actors, and quickly cast two talented Lisbon locals in Rachel-Hannah Strong and Denise Santos. Just over a week later we were on set using the new Ronin RS2 gimbal we had purchased, and with only a two-person crew we walked through Lisbon capturing various stunning sites on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Rachel and Denise did a terrific job of adding extra layers to their characters with minimal preparation and it felt great to highlight the beauty of Lisbon and add another country to our small but growing list of global filming locations. It was our last weekend in Lisbon and this was a wonderful way to end our five-month adventure in Portugal. Enjoy Encontro below.

crossing paths

“Two joggers, Stephen and Gracie, cross path daily. But the routine is broken when one of them takes a chance.”

This was our first Life Improvised shoot post-pandemic lockdown (filmed in June 2020) and it was great to work with a bigger crew and cast once again. It really renewed our appreciation for the community aspect of filmmaking and the collaborative process with cast. David Muscat, who we worked with while directing the play Hush Little Baby in 2019, made his film debut for Nexus. He was joined by one of our frequent collaborators, Ylenia Kay, usually working behind the camera, but this time taking centre stage. Both did a fantastic job bringing this simple story about taking action to life. Watch below.

Hoping

“A woman in isolation reflects on her past and future.”

Filmed during the COVID-19 lockdown, back to back with Life Improvised: Hiding, this micro-short is once again a two person operation, Sarah Jayne acting and writing, Ivan Malekin filming and directing. However, though the film does examine fear and anxiety in a new and unstable world post pandemic, we also want to present a message of hope and resilience. Life goes on and we can make the best of a bad situation if we embrace the lessons that can be learnt. Watch below.

Hiding 

“A woman in isolation struggles to cope with her mounting fear.”

Filmed during the COVID-19 lockdown in April 2020, our smallest micro-short by far due to restrictions, one actor, one man crew. Regular Nexus director Sarah Jayne takes on the starring role in this film inspired by a feature we are developing called Machination about a woman slowly breaking down during the pandemic, which in turn is inspired by media fear mongering and conspiracy theories about COVID-19. Watch below.

Cry mE a river 

“Even when we are surrounded by people, sometimes we suffer alone. But the world still goes on.”

Filmed in Berlin in mid-2019 and released at the end of the same year, this shoot was organised in a couple of days, with additional extras approached to feature in the film on the spot, making Cry Me a River our most spontaneous story yet. Starring Kelsey Gillis from In Corpore in a terrific performance, this is a is raw and vulnerable micro-short, highlighting how alone in our pain we can truly be. Watch below.

XCHange 

“Yvette knows that money can buy most things, but after an exchange with a charming escort, she will discover that what she really needs cannot be bought.”

Our third micro short in the Life Improvised series, released in August 2019, filmed in our home town of Melbourne. We were thrilled to work with actor, writer, and sex columnist Vanessa de Largie for the first time, who put on a terrific lead performance as Yvette, backed by Frank Fazio from In Corpore as the charming Escort. It was a reunion with some of our key crew from Melbourne too, including Stephen Ramplin from Friends, Foes & Fireworks as the DOP, and yet another collaboration with Gerard Mack, our go-to sound guru. Enjoy XChange below.

WARNING - NSFW. Contains Nudity & Language.

First impressions 

“A man tries to move on with life and love after a messy divorce.”

Our second micro short in the Life Improvised series, released in February 2019, filmed in the beautiful Lower Barrakka Gardens in Valletta in what had in be the windiest day of the year. But the show must go on and we are thrilled with the result and grateful to everyone who helped bring this film to life. Anchored by captivated performances by Mike West and Natalia Krekhtiak and lensed by our DOP from In Corpore Ylenia Kay, we hope you enjoy First Impressions. Watch below.

Our lady 

“A woman waits for her date at a festa.”

Our first Life Improvised micro short, released in November 2018, filmed in the village of Naxxar, Malta, in the middle of The Nativity of Our Lady Feast, or festa as it is known locally. Hundreds of people packed the town square to celebrate, a brass band marching, and fireworks igniting the sky. We were thrilled to finally work with Marysia S. Peres (Assassin's Creed, Love to Paradise) and with Miles Jackson as DP, our camera operator from In Corpore, the results were magical. Watch the film here: 

Life Improvised gallery