Festival focus on film making

Producer/actor Fraser Brown from the Closing Night feature Orphans & Kingdoms.

Puanga Pictures is an inaugural three-day film festival celebrating contemporary local, Maori and New Zealand cinema, being held in Whanganui on July 15-17.
The festival has a focus on film-making and will host a number of visiting guests over the weekend. From the Opening Night feature Great Maiden's Blush, writers/directors Andrea Bosshard and Shane Loader will attend for Q&A alongside cinematographer Waka Attewell, as will producer/actor Fraser Brown from the Closing Night feature Orphans & Kingdoms.
A Filmmakers Session on Sunday welcomes Maori cinema luminaries Libby Hakaraia and Tainui Stephens who will Q&A over a shared lunch following the screening of Ms Hakaraia's documentary Hautoa Ma!: The Rise of Maori Cinema. A second documentary about NZ cinema, Barefoot Cinema: the Life & Art of Cinematographer Alun Bollinger, will also screen.
The centrepiece of the festival on Saturday is two programmes of short films, the first, Kia Ora Shorts, selects the best from the latest Wairoa Maori Film Festival, and will be followed by a diverse line-up from Whanganui filmmakers, or films with a Whanganui connection.
The festival is a joint initiative by Helen Marie O'Connell of the Whanganui Film Society, and photographer Tia Huia Ranginui, both of whom have backgrounds in the film and cinema industry.
"We wanted to bring people together to show films that reflect the diversity of our culture in Aotearoa, as well as showcasing the breadth of talent we have here in Whanganui. To also be able provide a space for local filmmakers to not only meet each other but to learn from other practitioners in the industry has been an unexpected bonus. The response from both the local and visiting filmmakers has been overwhelmingly positive," Helen Marie said.
The festival is funded through the Creative Communities Scheme, supported by the Whanganui Film Society, Double Farley Creative Partners, Whanganui District Council, and in association with the Wairoa Maori Film Festival.
Puanga Pictures screens over two venues: the Concert Chamber at the Whanganui War Memorial Centre, with the Filmmakers Sessions held at the Double Farley Learning Space in Watt St. Admission to the Kia Ora Shorts and Local Shorts programmes, and Sunday's Filmmakers Sessions, is by koha, with the feature films Great Maiden's Blush and Orphans & Kingdoms $10 each. The festival is open to the public (censors ratings apply).
¦ Full info and updates on the website puangapictures.nz or contact puangapictures@gmail.com for more info.