Cast arrive ahead of premiere
A stretch of New Plymouth’s main street will be shut down tonight to play host to a red carpet for a worldwide movie premiere.
The Mountain, the directorial debut from New Zealand actress Rachel House (Ngāti Mutunga, Te Atiawa, Kāi Tahu), will have its first official screening at TSB Showplace.
When it came to choosing where to have the premiere, House wouldn’t have chosen anywhere other than Taranaki, where much of the movie was shot with 126 cast and crew coming to the region for the four week filming period.
“I connect and whakapapa to Taranaki and when I was first given the script by Tom Furniss, the mountain didn’t have an identity so Taranaki was of course one of the first choices,” she said.
“We had such an amazing time here with locals and mana whenua. They’ve been so kind and so generous.”
The Mountain is a heartfelt drama about three children on a mission to find healing under the eye of Taranaki Maunga.
Sam, played by Elizabeth Atkinson (Te Atiawa, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Tama, Kāi Tahu), is a young girl raised outside of her Māori culture and is determined to fulfil her mission of connecting with her mountain in the hope they can heal her from the cancer she battles.
Along the way she meets some misfits and new kids in town - Mallory, played by Taranaki local Reuben Francis, and Bronco, played by Terence Daniel (Ngāti Kahungunu, Raukawa ki Wharepūhunga, Kuki Airani – Aitutaki).
House said she felt like a protective aunty of the three stars of her movie.
The love shared was clear when they all arrived at New Plymouth airport on Monday morning running to each other with arms extended.
“It’s always a pleasure to be around this three, nothing changes,” House said.
“Beth got really tall, Reuben’s voice has broken and Ted had a haircut - other than that nothing has changed.”
The red carpet will kick off on Devon Street West from 5.30pm today.
The three stars of the movie are only just entering their teenage years and can’t wait for their first red carpet.
“I’ve got butterflies in my stomach but I’m excited. I’ve got a big fashion reveal for the premiere,” Reuben said.
Although New Plymouth will get the first official screening of the movie, each of the stars are hosting a premiere in their own home towns, too.
Elizabeth and Terence had never been to New Plymouth before shooting the movie, but both have connections to the region.
Terence’s mum grew up in New Plymouth so he was excited to come with her and see her old home town, and Elizabeth whakapapas back to Taranaki.
“I’d never been here before so it was cool to see The Mountain as Taranaki is my maunga.
“We’re both Ngāti Mutunga and I didn’t know that when I cast her,” House added.
All said how thankful they were for the generosity of the locals and iwi who participated.
“We were filming one day down near the Port and this incredibly kind person, who I never got to meet, came and gave me a big magnum of champagne, so I just wanted to mention how grateful I was,” House said.
“Little things like that, we were treated so well.”
It’s been a long time between premières for Taranaki.
The most recent was the première of the the film adaptation of Ronald Hugh Morrieson’s novel Predicament in Hāwera in 2010.
Before that, the New Zealand première of The Last Samurai was held in New Plymouth in 2004.