Indie sci-fi comedy film to show in Rotorua

A shot from This Giant Papier Mache Boulder Is Actually Really Heavy showing one of its sci-fi settings. Photo/Supplied

Exotic locations, a fantastic wardrobe and kooky robots are just some of things locals can experience when a New Zealand indie comedy feature hits the movie screen in Rotorua.

This Giant Papier Mache Boulder Is Actually Really Heavy will be played at the Basement Cinema on Wednesday and will be followed by a question-and-answer session with film-maker Christian Nicolson.

The film is a comedy adventure about three men who get sucked into a B Grade sci-fi universe when watching an old 50s sci-fi movie.

Mr Nicolson said it had won several awards overseas and took five years of hard labour to create.

It was being released nationwide, starting at the Rialto in Auckland yesterday and from there would be touring the country, with more than 30 shows.

He said the main challenge when making the movie was constantly trying to come up with the money.

It was a big-budget plot, set in a low-budget sci-fi universe, he said.

He said since the filming part of the process lasted two years. Another challenge was keeping everyone involved happy for that amount of time.

It had also been a strain on the family, as it had been intense and time-consuming, he said.

However, he said it was also constantly rewarding.

"The amount of generosity from people who have helped me has been quite overwhelming."

Mr Nicolson said he was surprised by the range of people who had enjoyed the film.

"I think the movie just generally is quite a lot of fun and I think that's why people from all different walks of life like it."

He said what he was looking forward to about touring with the movie was being able to go into the smaller places and show his movie to lots of different people.

He said it had been a while since he was last in Rotorua and he would be spending a day with his children here.

Mr Nicolson said he hoped people would come along to see the movie and then have a chat with him afterwards to find out more about it.

"I'm looking forward to coming to Rotorua."

To view the trailer visit http://thisgiantpapiermacheboulderisactuallyreallyheavy.com/trailer/.

The Details:
What: This Giant Papier Mache Boulder Is Actually Really Heavy film showing and Q and A with the film-maker.
Where: The Basement Cinema
When: Wednesday September 28, 8pm