Girls On Film: Kaikahu Road Wraps!

13.07.09

Girls On Film: Kaikahu Road Wraps!

Photography for KAIKAHU ROAD, written and directed by Marama Killen, has wrapped in the beautiful Te Aroha and post-production is now underway in the Coromandel.

It all began in January 2007, when director Marama Killen and the then 15-year-old actresses Jordan-Leigh Foulds, Lydia Farley, Teal Grey, Nakita Cross and Lisa Buchanan began brainstorming ideas for a story line. They improvised and created scenes, plot outlines and characters. From this the first draft was written.

The “real world” main unit of KAIKAHU ROAD was shot in summer 2009 on scorching hot farmland while Marama was six months pregnant. After a brief maternity hiatus, the same crew returned with Marama, Director of photography husband Joe Hitchcock, and their two-month-old baby girl “Kairahi Hitchcock”, to film the fantasy scenes.

On shooting KAIKAHU ROAD, Killen comments “we were able to feed and accommodate cast and crew with the support of the Te Aroha community, make a lot of our own technical gear and use stunning locations belonging to local residents.“

“The story explores young teenage society. Things are different to what they used to be. New Zealand has a very real problem with youth drinking and depression. This is largely unexplored in New Zealand stories. A few years ago this would not have been the story of a teenager, it would have been the story of an adult.”

“Kaikahu Road is a story that is the sum of two parts. Approximately a quarter of the film is spent in the imagination of Flick and Regan exploring their inner thoughts. We have written a story where you get to experience and enjoy what the character is thinking, and how that can sometimes be elaborate, mean or despairing. I also wanted to look at issues that young girls face today, without getting sentimental or Disney.“

Official Website http://www.moondownfilms.com

ENDS

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