MEET THE TEAM
MORGAN LEIGH STEWART
Throughout her career Morgan has been drawn to exciting, and genre bending stories. She has produced over a dozen short films, and has produced across TV, music videos, and events. Her first feature Deathgasm premiered at SXSW.
In 2019, she attended the Berlinale Talents, and Morgan has been included in Script to Screen’s prestigious programs Story Camp, FilmUp and Strength in Numbers. In 2024 she was a finalist in WIFTNZ’s Woman to Watch.
The feature film Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant premiered at Sundance 2026, and marks THUNDERLIPS’ feature debut. It is due to be released in 2026 with XYZ Films and Umbrella.
Morgan’s focus is on strong stories with an edge, creative collaborators, and projects that understand and respect their audiences.
Producer
HWEILING OW
Hweiling has directed and written several online short horror films, with a collection of over 20 million views, called T is for Talk, The Tattooist, and The Claw.
Hweiling has also received funding from the New Zealand Film Commission for her genre based short films Vaspy and Chengbeng and feature film Grafted.
Additionally, Hweiling has also received funding from New Zealand On Air, for various projects for New Zealand public broadcast. Highlights are AFK, The Basement, and two seasons of Homebound 3.0.
Hweiling is the recipient of the 2020 New Zealand’s Women in Film and TV (WIFTNZ)'s Women to Watch category. Hweiling is interested in stories that intersect between her life as a migrant, and the messy experience of her upbringing.
Writer / director / actor
MIA MARAMARA
Mia is a Filipino filmmaker based in New Zealand. Mia wrote and directed Beyond the Veil: Albularyo for TVNZ, which earned her the distinction of being the first Filipino director to helm a prime-time drama on New Zealand TV. Albularyo went on to be the National Winner for Best Single Drama / Anthology Episode at the Asian Academy Creative Awards.
Her feature film Kāinga has screened at festivals around the world, winning the NETPAC Best Feature Film in 2022. Her latest feature film, Grafted (dir. Sasha Rainbow) premiered at the acclaimed Sitges Film Festival 2024, NZ International Film Festival 2024, and is distributed by Mister Smith Entertainment and Shudder.
Writer / Director
Sara's background in digital marketing has made her a veteran of getting eyes on screens, navigating the online space for clients ranging from global brands like OPPO to Vendetta Films, with social campaigns for features including THUNDERLIPS' Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant.
As a narrative producer, Sara champions bold, emotionally grounded stories. Recent credits include Hweiling Ow's Vivie, which screened at SXSW Sydney 2024 and was nominated for Best New Zealand Short at Show Me Shorts, and Pon Torthienchai's Rice Run, which premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Tasveer Film Festival in 2025. Her most recent short, Shin & Bone, received New Zealand Film Commission He Kauahi Catalyst funding and is set to film later this year.
producer