‘The Summer of ABC Burns’ is a short narrative drama set in an Australian high school in the summer of 2000. It explores the realm of tumultuous teenage relationships through protagonist Gem and her ‘best friend’ Drew.
Their relationship is toxic. When the girls are alone, Drew is warm and kind. However, in front of others Drew becomes cruel. She belittles and humiliates Gem by refusing to sit next to her on the bus and giving her an ABC burn against her will. ABC Burns is a game of endurance and torture, wherein the students scratch each other’s skin.
It is at the climax of the film when Gem discovers Drew is in love with her. The attraction is mutual, but rather then admit it, Gem exposes Drew’s secret and assumes the more powerful position – the only way to survive in the visceral high school world.



Set in the year 2000, we want the sense of nostalgia to resonate with women now 5, 10, or 15 years out of high school who remembers the cruel nature of their own friends in the crushing environment that is adolescence.

"The Summer of ABC Burns" is in a team of incredibly capable and passionate individuals. We all thank you for your donations and hope that together we can create something fantastic.

                                                             CREW

                                             PRODUCER | Steph Westwood
                               WRITER & DIRECTOR | Dannika Horvat
                              CINEMATOGRAPHER | Harry Hayes
                                                    EDITOR | Emily Robb
                                  SOUND DESIGNER | Troy Mauri
                                           COMPOSERS | Liam Parsons and Samuel Webb



                                                            CAST

                                                       GEM | Jessica Yates
                                                     DREW | Arielle O'Neill
                                                AMANDA | Alex Klages
                                                 TRISTAN | Josh Geary

Every single dollar donated is precious and valuable, and your generous donations will be used to help us:

- Lenses and other camera department hires
- Steadicam operator hire
- A professional colour grade, sound master, and mix
- Feeding the hard-working cast and crew
- Transportation costs and location hire
- DVD and poster printing costs, as well as venue hire for the final screening

As always we face many challenges on a film set, working hard to create real, authentic experiences on a tight schedule. We are also scouring the eastern suburbs of Melbourne trying to find the perfect location - possibly several perfect locations - that will fit in with the theme and style of our film while still being nearby and cost-effective.
We will also have many extras and featured extras throughout the film - filling the high school location. Transporting, organizing, entertaining, and feeding many extras is always a tough job!
Despite these challenges I believe our team is more then prepared for the work ahead and we are all excited for what's to come.