NZ Short Film Selected For US Festivals

11 August 2005

Short Film Selected For Los Angeles, Washington Festivals

A short documentary about last year’s hikoi to Parliament to protest against foreshore and seabed legislation has been selected for the National Geographic’s All Roads Film Festival and will be screened in Los Angeles and Washington in September.

In his film, Passion and Conflict – Te Aurere me te Papaa, Porirua filmmaker and composer Tony Burt combines footage filmed on the day the hikoi (march, walk) reached Wellington with his own music to create a powerful and poetic vision. Burt says:

“What I observed that day was a hikoi borne out of conflict and the passionate expression for the right to be heard. The challenge I faced was to produce a film that would convey the power, cultural pride and emotion so evident on the day.”

The music was composed before the film was shot and Burt describes its meaning as: “The essence of all that I am cannot take away from me; I have passion in my belief, this is my power.”

Passion and Conflict was first runner-up in the short-film documentary section of the Wairoa Film Festival held in June. “It had an emotional impact on the festival goers and at one session was replayed in response to requests from the audience. The film has an international message about the passion, power and pride of a people to stand up collectively as one and be heard.”

The All Roads Film Project celebrates films by and about indigenous people and minority groups. It is a multimedia event comprising film, video, live music and art from cultures around the world.

Members of the festival advisory board include many prominent actors and directors including Stockard Channing, Spike Lee, Shekhar Kapur, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker and New Zealand Maori filmmaker Merata Mita

Board members nominate films for the festival, help identify new talent and teach master classes to aspiring filmmakers.

ENDS

© Scoop Media