A look inside the dream factory
Docos delve into Hollywood’s hearts and minds
Take a peek behind the scenes at famous Hollywood actors and directors when actress, writer and local resident Christine Mackenzie showcases two documentaries she has written and produced, right here in Katikati.
The first screening is Inside the Dreamfactory, filmed by Radio Television Luxembourg (RTL).
Christine says the gig came about from a chance encounter when she found herself sitting beside the RTL manager on a plane from Munich to London.
“I told him I would love to make a series of what goes on with the actors and directors in Hollywood — and call it Inside the Dreamfactory. And bounce around on different sets with different directors and have fun with it.”
The result was a pilot with Christine as the presenter. She never wanted the interviews to be static. For example, she had fun painting with powerhouse director Oliver Stone.
“Oliver Stone likes to paint, which many people don’t know, so I turned up with my overalls and we painted on a canvas laughing and splashing each other with paint.
“I didn’t want it to be a talk show, sitting down and talking. I wanted the series to be fun . . . you know, ride horses on the beach, paint, play guitar.”
The first part of the documentary
was directed by French filmmaker Francois Taborelli on the Hollywood movie set for the film Red Corner (shot in a reconstructed Chinese town on what once was Howard Hughes’s private airport), starring Richard Gere.
It features an interview with Oscarwinning production designer Richard Sylbert (The Graduate, China Town, Dick Tracy and My Best Friend’s Wedding). A videotaped interview with Gere was lost as the tape was not replaced so instead he was filmed running over set rooftops. There’s
also an interview with Chinese lead actress Bai Ling.
The second screening is The Spirit of Clay which was filmed for the Arts & Entertainment channel, produced by Christine and Muriel Fariello. The documentary is about four women potters creating claywork in the historic village of Galisteo, New Mexico.
To Christine’s delight, the National Museum of Women in the Arts ran it at an annual fundraiser event in Santa Fe.
Christine’s achievements are extensive — she’s been in musicals, written about 10 screenplays, once ran a New Zealand theatre company and has written for magazines. She also wrote, directed and produced comedy movie Rent a Gent in Hawaii. She particularly enjoyed being a specialty performer in 2017 television series Godless.
“My proudest achievements are my playwriting, my screenplays and my novel,” she says.
The adventure, action and romance novel Hoofbeat Heartbeat
was inspired by her husband, now friend, polo player Stuart Mackenzie who was New Zealand’s highest goal scorer, reaching nine for a season in 1988. Christine says the book sold out and online sales enabled her to buy a house in Katikati.
Now she pops up in the odd local theatre production, is a keen supporter of the arts in Katikati and is working on an upcoming creative project.