From the desk

Iremember seeing the film The Piano so clearly. It was May, 1993, and I was in Wellington. Fun fact: My brother Mark built the prop piano, beloved by Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter). It had to be light enough to be filmed and transported on the liferaft in heavy surf, but heavy enough to sink. Both piano and Ada were dragged through the rolling surf and up on to the slick wet sand at Karekare beach for that singular, haunting film still. The Piano won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and of course, the Oscar for best supporting actress, for Anna Paquin.

New Zealand film-makers have since created some dazzling movies. For the best since The Piano, see Cinematic countdown, page 4.

Nga¯ mihi nui.