Hunt For The Great Southern Man

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17 February 2011

Hunt For The Great Southern Man

For many people, the thought of acting has never crossed their minds. But residents of Canterbury and Otago now have the opportunity to give it a go. Wellington filmmakers have chosen Timaru as the setting for their New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) short film The Red Beret, and they are searching for locals to fill the parts.

Producer Nicholas Henwood explains that auditions were held for supporting roles on Wednesday. “There was a great turnout of talent. Locals have been extremely keen to get involved.” But the search for people to play lead roles is still ongoing. “We’re looking for males roughly between the ages of 40-60. Acting experience is definitely not a prerequisite. Anybody can do it.”

The main part to be filled is that of a pig hunter. Henwood says that anybody with a background in hunting or farming is ideal. “We’re hoping to find the Great Southern Man” he says. But it is not limited, and anybody can audition.

The choice to find undiscovered talent in the local area, rather than bringing in actors, has been an important one. “Using real people instead of actors may be unconventional, but it’s going to serve this film better. It’s a practice frequently adopted by European and South American filmmakers” Henwood says.

In addition to auditions for males aged 40-60, there will be further auditions for supporting roles and extras. Henwood encourages anybody in Canterbury and Otago to give it a go.

The Red Beret is directed by Glen Maw. It revolves around the story of a pig hunter who attempts to ‘make a connection’ with a local barmaid. The NZFC selected The Red Beret as a part of its Fresh Shorts scheme, an initiative which aims to identify the next generation of feature filmmakers in New Zealand.

This is the first time Henwood has teamed up with director Glen Maw. In 2009, Maw won the Wellington 48Hours Film Festival for Otack Otack Otack Fall, a film which he wrote, shot, and directed. The film also won the C4 National Peoples’ Choice Awards.

Henwood is in his final year of law school at Victoria University of Wellington. But when he is not studying, he is filmmaking. He recently produced Where Dad Walked, an $8000 short film which is currently being submitted to A-list international film festivals.

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