Filmmakers: What is your primary skill and where do you work most?
Actor Norcal, Actor Socal, Norcal Directing, Socal Directing, Writer Norcal, Writer Socal
My current Project Title:
Kid
About me - current project:
Filmmaker Jordan Hopa grew up in Invercargill, New Zealand, at the bottom of the world, before moving to Dunedin to attend Otago University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film, Media, and Communications. During his time at university, Jordan wrote screenplays and shot everything from concert videos to student films.
After graduating, he moved to Melbourne, Australia, where he signed with his first agency and appeared in a number of shorts and commercials. When COVID-19 hit, Jordan returned to New Zealand, settling in Auckland, where he continued to focus on feature writing, completing five screenplays to date. "Kid," the very first screenplay he wrote, has just completed rewrites, and he hopes it will be the project that marks his breakthrough. Furthermore, he has just completed a short film that has been festival selected.
"Kid" is a coming-of-age drama I began writing during my final year of university in 2015, at the age of twenty, and completed the following year. Although I went on to write several other screenplays, "Kid" always held a special place for me. I set it aside, knowing I would one day return to it with more life experience and a deeper understanding of the story I wanted to tell.
Nearly a decade later, after revisiting the script and undergoing several extensive rewrites, I believe it now reflects the emotional truth and thematic depth it was always meant to convey. Drawing from personal growth, real-life experiences, and my evolving perspective, I’ve infused the story with heartfelt and heartbreaking moments that speak to themes of loss of innocence, self-discovery, adversity, inner conflict, and resilience, which is a quality I feel is often overlooked in this genre.
Influenced by films such as "Ordinary People," "Stand By Me," "The Holdovers," "Manchester by the Sea," "Lady Bird," "Dead Poets Society," and "The Fabelmans," "Kid" centers on Hunter Waters, a teenager struggling with inner turmoil, injustice, and the complexities of growing up. While the story is fictional, it draws heavily from emotional truths, including the influence of people and experiences from my own life. For example, the headmaster character was inspired by one from my own school years. Though fictionalized, he embodies an era of education where physical punishment was often used as a form of discipline.
More than just a coming-of-age story, "Kid" is about hope, love and the quiet strength found in human connection. Hunter’s journey is one that relates to us in more ways than one and reflects a part of all of us: the struggle to find light in the darkness, and the people who help us carry on through difficult times.
I’m proud to finally share "Kid" and I hope it resonates with audiences as deeply as it has with those closest to me.
Laurels, awards and other accomplishments:
NZ Web Fest Official Selection for “Every 1’s a Winner!” Short Film
American Writers Conference Official Selection for “Kid” Screenplay
