Tyler Redmond brings feature film home

AMY RUSS

Local filmmaker Tyler Redmond has returned to familiar ground, bringing his latest feature film project back to the region where his creative journey first began.

Tyler, who was raised in Marlborough and is now based in Auckland, is currently filming scenes for his upcoming feature Second Nature across Marlborough and Kaikōura. The film is a deeply personal passion project he has been quietly developing while continuing to build his career behind the camera.

“It just feels right coming home to film part of the story,” Tyler says. “About 75 percent has already been filmed in Auckland, so we have a small window to complete the final scenes here in Marlborough.”

The film blends thriller and drama, exploring themes of nature versus nurture while offering a subtle commentary on pressures within New Zealand’s healthcare system.

At the centre of the story is a young woman named Abbey – played by Paipera Hayes – whose brother, Max, is dying of leukaemia. Desperate to save him, Abbey embarks on a search for a crucial DNA match – a journey that quickly spirals into something far more complex.

“It starts as a story about family and survival, but things start to get a little crazy once the search begins,” Tyler explains.

The Marlborough leg of the production also highlights local talent appearing in the film. For Tyler, filming in the region carries special meaning.

“Everyone here has been so incredible over the years and so willing to help me grow as a filmmaker,” he says. “There’s such a beautiful vibe to the region that you can’t get anywhere else.”

Storytelling has been part of Tyler’s life since childhood. He says he has been chasing the filmmaking dream since he was eight years old.

"I’m still just doing what I love,” he says. “I keep working and trying to break through the boundaries along the way. A feature film takes a lot of time and dedication.”

Interestingly, Second Nature was not originally intended to be a feature-length production. The concept began as a short film inspired by the style of Netflix drama Adolescence.

“We were meant to start filming in November, but then the idea came up to make it a feature instead,” Tyler says.

“Incredibly, everyone involved said yes. That was a pretty amazing moment – realising everyone believed in the project and wanted to make it happen.”

The script was developed in collaboration with writer Mahek Naghar, whose approach helped shape the film’s psychological edge.

“She’s incredibly talented,” Tyler says. “I gave her the outline of the story and she did an amazing job capturing how dark the human mind can be – often without showing it directly and leaving things to the viewer’s imagination.”

If all goes to plan, filming will wrap later this year, with the finished film expected to be released in 2027.

For Tyler, returning home to complete the project feels like a natural full-circle moment.

“Sometimes you just have to do it,” he says. “If we had waited another year, it would have been a very different film. This feels grounded, it feels comfortable – and I think audiences are really going to connect with it.”