Late cinema shift for NZ film festival
Russell Crowe, Thomasin McKenzie and Marlon Williams will help get next month’s New Zealand International Film Festival under way with a bang.
The Kiwi trio feature in the Australian movie True History of the Kelly Gang, which has been selected as the opening-night attraction for the 2020 edition of our country’s annual celebration of global cinema.
Based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by Peter Carey, it also features 1917’s George MacKay, Tolkien’s Nicholas Hoult and Miss Fisher’s Essie Davis and has been billed as a surreal adaptation of the outlaw legend.
In a late twist for the Covid-19 affected event, the Justin Kurzel-directed (Snowtown) drama will debut at the same time at Auckland’s ASB Waterfront Theatre and online.
In late April, the festival announced an entirely ‘‘at-home’’ edition, but as government-imposed restrictions have since eased, that has been supplemented with screenings in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Gore, Napier, New Plymouth, Tauranga and Wellington.
All up, 27 of the festival’s 79 features and seven collections of short films from 41 countries will now
Kirk Torrance plays Tupaia in re-enactments but researches his role through interviews that are featured in the finished film. Tuffery creates works throughout as a response to what the film-makers learn.
The research for the film is, in a way, what the film is. That’s fitting given it is directed by Rolls, who grew up in Fiji but is Pa¯ keha¯ .
‘‘I identify strongly as a Pacific person, but I know I’m not brown,’’ she said.
‘‘When I do films that are Pacific and Ma¯ ori, I really collaborate with people I work with and try to be a conduit for their voices.’’
The climax of the documentary comes when Cook arrives at Teoneroa, now known as
Tu¯ ranganui-a-Kiwa or Poverty Bay.
Although the journey there would have been ‘‘extremely difficult’’ without Tupaia, according to Salmond, Tupaia himself did not disembark with the Endeavour crew, possibly because he was on the outs with Cook.
In his absence, Cook’s men, unable to communicate either culturally or linguistically with the Ma¯ ori who approached the ship, shot dead Te Maro, a local leader. They then violated tapu by approaching and examining his body, further enraging his compatriots.
The following day, Tupaia was brought ashore – luckily for the Endeavour crew, as local Ma¯ ori had get a cinematic airing. All the titles will be available to view across the nation via nziff.co.nz Recently renamed Wha¯nau Ma¯rama: New Zealand International Film Festival, this year’s edition will also include a programme of stillto-be-determined extra events that will include film-maker introductions, Q&As, discussion forums, awards ceremonies and masterclasses, says debutant festival director Marten Rabarts.
Tickets for cinema screenings will be on sale from July 10, and rental options will be available to buy from the first available screening date of the July 24 to August 2 festival.
Meanwhile, the Kiwi company behind the NZIFF’s streaming platform, Shift72, has been revealed as the platform partners for the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Covid-19 restrictions have forced the traditional Oscars-bellwether event to move much of its programme online this year. New Zealand director Taika Watiti, winner of a TIFF tribute award last year and whose film Jojo Rabbit took out the sought-after audience prize, was also announced as one of 50 global ambassadors for the September 10 to 19 festival.
returned in much larger force and were looking for blood. Despite Tupaia’s diplomacy, a prominent chief was killed and word travelled up New Zealand that the Europeans were not to be trusted.
Rolls and Salmond agree that incident had ongoing ramifications for modern New Zealand. Had Tupaia been there, they argue, his knowledge of local language and customs would almost certainly have meant violence was avoided.
‘‘If the violence hadn’t happened, Ma¯ ori wouldn’t have gone ahead in waka telling people what was coming and warning them, so maybe all the relationships would have worked better,’’ said Rolls.
‘‘That one moment could change everything.’’ When Cook returned to New Zealand in 1773, local Ma¯ ori approached his ship yelling, ‘‘Tupaia! Tupaia!’’
Cook noted: ‘‘The Name of Tupia (sic) was at that time so popular among them that it would be no wonder if at this time it is known over the great part of New Zealand.’’
At that time, perhaps. But today, Tupaia has largely disappeared from the narrative of Cook’s first voyage of the Pacific.
Tupaia’s Endeavour hopes to change that.
The Wha¯ nau Ma¯ rama New Zealand International Film Festival runs from July 24 – August 2.