Luella Miller

Born from director Dane Giraud's desire to make an intimate melodrama, Luella Miller is the tale of a young woman who creates no end of drama. Sia Trokenheim (star of TV show Step Dave) plays Luella, who crashes into small-town Ketley — and into Lydia, the woman who lets her stay (Sara Wiseman, from TV's Mercy Peak and A Place to Call Home). In this opening excerpt, Lydia sets the scene, and first encounters Luella in unusual circumstances. Made on a low budget, the film was shot in the Hawke's Bay (partly in the town of Takapau) over 28 days. It later sold to leading American video chain Blockbuster Video.