to screen, share and talk about.
why this film, why now
Carers already know these numbers. They live it. What they rarely experience is an event where somebody says it out loud, in a room, with other people who recognise it too.
Carers do some of the hardest human work there is, where nobody can see. featherStrength shows it: the isolation, and what it takes to keep going without a break.
“The permission to look after yourself. The permission to take time. The permission, it’s okay to be lonely.”
Audience, Takapuna
the film
A father turns the camera on himself. Over a decade, he keeps filming, to cope. featherStrength is a portrait of care, endurance, and living the life you didn’t plan for.
Winner, Best New Zealand Feature and Best New Zealand Editing, Doc Edge 2026.
world premiere country: new zealand
Auckland, Takapuna, Wellington and Christchurch, July and August 2026.
He shared his story on national radio and asked Carers NZ and Parent to Parent to join him, so the local context could be heard alongside it. Both interviews can be found below.
“Working with Jon was straightforward from the first conversation. He came to us with a film and a genuine willingness to put carers' voices first, including inviting us onto national radio with him. Our members left the screenings feeling seen. I would recommend it to any carer organisation.”
“Bowled over by the size of human love.”
Kathryn Ryan, RNZ Nine to Noon- RNZ Nine to Noon with Kathryn Ryan, joined by Laurie Hilsgen, Carers NZ. Radio, 30 minutes.
- Newstalk ZB with Jack Tame, joined by Karen Miles, CEO Parent to Parent NZ. Radio, 12 minutes.
- Sunday Star Times by Kevin Norquay. Print.
- Doc Edge awards release, 1 July 2026.
see what each audience said
what a screening creates
A film can be watched anywhere. Making it an event changes what the content does.
The lights come up and nobody moves for a moment. The audience starts talking, this is where the connections are created. People hear from each other rather than from a professional, and say out loud what they usually carry alone.
That conversation is not left to chance. Its shape is agreed with you beforehand, around what the carers most need to talk about in your area.
You walk out a little more human.
Solidarity
In the foyer stands a flying fish with empty wings. Each person writes on a single feather, what featherStrength meant to them, why it is needed, or one thing that helped them through a hard time. Then they place their feather on the wings themselves.
Over the course of an evening the wings fill, in handwriting, by strangers or colleagues who have just watched the same film. “feathers together can SOAR”.
Every feather is a person. The feather wall collects them, one voice at a time, and grows with every screening. There is one sculpture and it travels with the series.
how a screening works
- Watch it firstRequest a private preview for your team.
- Choose a formatA public screening, a carers’ evening, a staff or volunteer session, part of a conference, or a screening series.
- Choose the carer speakersfeatherStrength on its own, with Jon or Aukje joining online, or with Jon or Aukje live in person.
- Share the workYou bring the venue, the audience and local promotion. featherStrength brings the film, subtitles and promotion materials.
- Screen and talk47 minutes of film, then conversation. Under 90 minutes in total.
what it costs
The film itself is never the barrier. Screening fees are agreed with each partner and kept affordable for carer organisations.
Where a partner would like Jon or Aukje to take part, whether online or in person, this is charged as an appearance. In a series, travel and accommodation can be shared between the hosts.
Tell us what kind of event you have in mind and we will quote for it.
three ways to partner
propose a series of screenings
Tell us where your carers are. Four organisations in a region make a series.
propose a seriesfeatherStrength carer speakers
Jon Earle
Carer. Filmmaker and speakerJon made featherStrength alone over ten years, filming, directing, editing and scoring it while caring full-time for his daughter. It won Best New Zealand Feature and Best New Zealand Editing at Doc Edge 2026. He works with each host beforehand on the shape of the conversation, has taken questions after screenings in Auckland, Takapuna and Christchurch, and spoken live on national radio. Two decades of work sit behind the film, from documentary to children’s books: see his portfolio at EARLEstudio.
Aukje van Gerven
Carer. Speaker and facilitatorAukje is the mother in featherStrength, and the figure on the poster. Her reflections on care, on love, and on what it costs are among the film’s most quoted moments. A trained facilitator and a founder of MOYO Training Foundation, she takes part in selected screenings and conversations, as she did at the Wellington Q&A, and can be requested for your event.
“You learn to appreciate love in many different shapes and forms.”
Aukje, The Roxy Cinema, Wellington
questions
Who is it for?
Carers themselves, the people who support them, and anyone who works in care or policy. More broadly, it also resonates with parents and those who have or are navigating contrast.
How long is it?
47 minutes, plus conversation. Under 90 minutes for the whole evening.
What languages?
English, with English subtitles for the Dutch and French dialogue.
When can we screen it?
Partner screenings from 2027.
We are not in the Netherlands. Can we still take part?
Yes. Tell us where your carers are. A series can be built around where the interest is.
What if we cannot host until a later date?
featherStrength is a timeless project, each and every year it will still be relevant.
A note for hosts
The film is honest about exhaustion and isolation. Plan a moment after the screening for people to talk.
get in touch
Jon Earle, featherStrength
info@earlestudio.com
Based in the Netherlands. Available in English and Dutch.