Dance central to gang love story
We have a fine finish to what has been a successful season for the Nelson Film Society. Our main feature Geronimo is a French drama from director Tony Gatlif ( Latcho Drom). Also screening is Lydia Campbell-Robinson’s Nelson short, Chalk Up, a winner in the 2015 Nelson Briefs and NMIT Film Competition.
With an updated West Side Story theme Geronimo takes place in a French housing project, home to the Spanish and Turkish communities. The film is largely shot outdoors and in a vast abandoned factory. These prove to be ideal locales for the high energy combination of contemporary ethnic music and dance with long sequences of flamenco hip-hop and Turkish music.
Geronimo (Celine Sallette, Rust and Bone) is the young and courageous community social worker who has devoted her life work to keeping local youth out of trouble. In combining compassion with tough love, she attempts to prevent all-out war between the families of an illicit couple. 16 year old Nil Terzi (Nailia Harzoune) is being forcibly married off to older Tarik (Tim Seyfi). After fleeing from the alter she meets her Gypsy lover Lucky Molina (David Murc¸ia), and they manage to escape on his motorcycle.
Once the couple has run away,
Anyone in the region this Labour Weekend will have more than enough to do if they are remotely interested in art, food and let’s not forget, wine. Along with the final weekend of shows and Readers and Writers guests at the Nelson Arts Festival, and the annual Art Expo at Saxton Stadium, on Sunday Moutere Artisans are offering tempting glimpses into their studios, wine cellars and boutique businesses.
Just a short 30 minute drive from central Nelson, the village of Upper Moutere and surrounds boasts a plethora of arts, gourmet food, cider and a wine trail to boot.
The Upper Moutere Old Post Office is home to Moutere Gold, a haven for conserves made and bottled in the village using plums, blackberries and boysenberries and much more. Sharing the space are also Woods & Co Gallery featuring original art work by Fleur Woods and other contemporary artists. Next door is Skunk & Robot, specialising in hand screen printed wares made by Katie Tyrrell.
Leading ceramic artists, Katie Gold, Owen Bartlett and Anna Barnett open their studios for visitors to watch how they make their work and take away something unique from the region. Neudorf Road sculptor and fine wood worker Michael MacMillan opens his Terzi’s four hot-headed brothers are out for blood in order to save the family’s honour. Reacting beyond all reason, her brother Fazil (Rachid Yous) and his gang recently refurbished studio, an artwork in itself, showing a range of platters, and pizza paddles made from wine barrels and large bespoke sculptures.
Back in town there’s The Moutere Inn, built in 1850, the oldest pub in New Zealand, pouring 13 artisan beers, real ales, and exclusively Moutere wines. The Moutere Inn won the Nelson Hospitality’s Outstanding Beverage List Award 2012.
Also locally made on offer in the region are sheep cheeses, olive oils, gourmet mushrooms and the first of this season’s strawberries.
Then there is the winery trail, Mahana Cellar door offering wine, food and contemporary art in the Mahana Gallery. Harakeke Farm, is a family vineyard specialising in low cropping, hand harvested vines and small batch, hands-on winemaking. other vineyards include Neudorf Vineyards, and the Moutere Hills vineyard and cafe.
Meanwhile Peckham’s Cider specialise in making traditional cider, creating vintage English style ciders from heritage cider apples, all grown on their family orchard. are convinced that the only way to save face is by killing his sister.
Gatlif has been collaborating with composers Delphine Mantoulet and Valentin Dahmani for ten years. They manage, through their captivating blend of Spanish and Turkish rhythms, to substitute music for actual gunplay. Gatlif has written the script and is production designer; Patrick Ghirinc¸helli is on camera; costumes are designed by Catherine Ricault.
The cast also includes Vincent Heneine, Adrien Ruiz, Aksel Ustun, Tim Seyfi, and Serc¸i Lopez.
This Romeo and Juliet themed film is most fitting for the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. It is brought to you courtesy of the Embassy of France.
Lydia Campbell-Robinson’s documentary Chalk Up takes a look at the world of gymnasts. She displays original camera work and combines the dedicated training required with interviews. It won an X factor prize in the student short film competition.