Light Through The Dust Auckland Premiere

Amber Beaton's debut feature film Light Through The Dust is premiering in Auckland in the Pioneer Women's Hall at the Ellen Melville Center.

When the 2011 Christchurch earthquake struck, tattoo apprentice Bonnie Singh was inside Southern Ink, the studio where she had finally begun chasing her dream. The building collapsed and Bonnie, trapped in the rubble, suffered a broken back, a shattered neck, and a brain injury that would affect her for life. But that was only the beginning.

This documentary follows Bonnie’s journey of recovery and reclamation over the last 15 years. As she battles relentless pain, severe brain fatigue and memory loss, she also finds herself fighting New Zealand’s state insurance agency, ACC, which denied her support despite her life-altering injuries. With the help of fellow tattooist Jak Law, Bonnie is determined to push through physical and neurological limitations to master the craft of tattooing that once seemed out of reach.

A story of resilience, reinvention, and the invisible scars we carry, this is not just a film about tattoos - it’s about what it means to rebuild a life and the importance of having a dream when everything has fallen away.