Rice Run
Directed by Pon Torthienchai- SHORTS - NARRATIVE
- New Zealand
- Coming-of-Age, Drama
- English, Thai
- Subtitled
- 2025
- 14 mins
- East Coast premiere
When 9-year-old Tent is tasked to retrieve a hefty sack of rice for his family’s restaurant, his journey is upended when he encounters three foolhardy teens who draw him into their unruly world.
Caught between duty and the freedom he idolises in the older boys, Tent must decide where his responsibilities lie.
Pon Torthienchai is a Thai-Kiwi writer and director drawn to character-driven stories rooted in the Thai-Kiwi experience. His directing credits include BROTHER (2020), MAJESTY (2021), and PINCHER (2013), a web pilot he co-created and directed. He is currently in post production for the documentary BAMBOO ON THE BORDERLINES (2026) and is set to direct SHIN & BONE, supported by New Zealand’s He Kauahi Catalyst programme. Pon also works as a director’s assistant on GOOD BONES (2026).
Main Cast: Martin Liew-Young (Tent), Zain Hassan (Henry)
Producer: Sara Chen, Harry Wynn
Writer: Pon Torthienchai
Morris: Kael Munro-Nonoa
Keagan: Daniel Martin
Cinematographer: Hendrikus De Vaan
Composer: Lachlan Anderson
Editor: Jolin Lee
Content Warning: Strong language
Plays in
Shorts: To Take Then Give: Caring for One Another
These shorts show the myriad of ways to give care and also the ways to receive it with grace.
