18 NOVEMBER 2006

Greatest Line In Kiwi Film And Vive La France

The Greatest Line in Kiwi Film will be revealed on TV One’s flagship arts show Frontseat in its final episode for 2006 on Sunday night 17th November 11.10pm & Saturday 25th 8.00am.

And New Zealand noir novelist Chad Taylor strolls the streets of Paris, France at the prestigious Les Belles Etrangere literary festival exclusively for Frontseat.

Two Peter Jackson films, two Geoff Murphy films, and two lines from Once Were Warriors made the shortlist for Frontseat’s Greatest Line in Kiwi Film, after more than 50 nominations were whittled down to a Top Six.

Hundreds of votes poured into Frontseat’s website, and one of these lines will be unveiled as the winner as voted by the people. (See the Top Six, below).

“The winner is a definite classic in the canon of Kiwi filmmaking,” says Frontseat host Oliver Driver.

The Top Six, in no particular order, were:
• “Cook the man some f*cking eggs”. Jake Heke (Temuera Morrison) in Once Were Warriors. Writer: Riwia Brown, from the novel by Alan Duff
• “I’m a Derek, and Dereks don’t run”. Derek (Peter Jackson) in Bad Taste.
Writer: Peter Jackson
• “I’ve only been Pakeha for one minute and already I hate you Maori”. Puni (the late Tama Poata) in Utu. Writers: Keith Aberdein & Geoff Murphy
• “I know what to do about mother”. Pauline (Melanie Lynskey) in Heavenly Creatures.
Writers: Peter Jackson & Fran Walsh
• “You’re not gonna hurt my babies anymore”. Beth Heke (Rena Owen) in Once Were Warriors. Writer: Riwia Brown
• “We’re taking this bloody car to Invercargill, boy”. John (Tony Barry) in Goodbye Pork Pie. Writers: Ian Mune & Geoff Murphy

Meanwhile, novelist Chad Taylor (Shirker, Electric, Departure Lounge) was one of 12 Kiwi writers chosen to represent New Zealand at Les Belles Etrangeres.

Les Belles Etrangères is a French literary festival, created in 1987 by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, and organised by the Centre National du Livre (CNL, the French equivalent of NZ Book Council). The aim of the programme is to present foreign literature to French people.

Along with cartoonist Dylan Horrocks and writers such as Elizabeth Knox, Alan Duff, Sia Figiel, Albert Wendt, Dame Fiona Kidman and James George, Taylor is currently travelling around France meeting locals and reading at schools, libraries and more.

The Embassy of France assisted Frontseat in sending a camera & director to Paris to film the early days of this one-month festival, which will still be going on as Frontseat goes to air.

Ends