Loading Docs 2017 - The Coffin Club

Web (Full Length) – 2017

A unique Kiwi story about prepping for death has captured the attention of international media. The BBC, The Guardian and National Geographic have all interviewed elderly members of a build-your-own-coffin club, some of whom feature in this musical short film. Members of the Kiwi Coffin Club don sequins and top hats, while singing about what makes their club tick — death is not to be feared, but instead should be celebrated as a normal part of life. A lyric from this offbeat Loading Doc sums up things succinctly: "It's the final verse but life goes on."

I decided to make the film in the style of a documentary musical as I thought that the mix of genres would bring another dimension to the film’s themes, and demonstrate that there is still so much to laugh about and celebrate when facing one’s mortality.
– Director Briar March on The Coffin Club