A couple of weeks ago I went to the Academy Cinema on a freezing evening for the launch of Loading Docs, and it was so great I wanted to try to recreate the experience for you. Loading Docs is a platform and incubator for short form documentaries dreamed up by two Aucklanders, Anna Jackson and Julia Parnell. Each year, ten short documentary proposals are selected for the initiative, and by the end of the process ten beautiful three minute films are released across a wide variety of networks including Air NZ In-Flight, TVNZ on demand, and this year, the New Zealand International Film Festival. Loading Docs is an incredible opportunity for young film makers, and this year’s crop of documentaries were a joy to see on the big screen.
The coolest thing about Loading Docs is that I don’t have to stop at just telling you about them, they are all available online so I can show you as well. So maybe take yourself to a quiet place, select full screen, and spend 30 minutes watching all of them, one after the other.
CONVERSATIONS WITH PETS
Directors: Justin Hawkes & Ian Hart
Producer: Hayley Cunningham
The one about a woman who communicates with animals. This was hilarious but it also blew my mind. I mean, I obviously don’t believe in it, but the prospect of having lengthy conversations with animals has really appealed to me since I read a YA novel called Adam’s Ark when I was a kid. WOULDN’T IT BE SO GREAT if it were true? I wish it were true.
WAIHOROTIU
Directors: Francis Haszard and Louis Olsen
Producer: Scott Elder
The one about the ancient waterway that’s trapped in a tunnel underneath Queen Street. It made me think about the land beneath our city, what it was before and how much our presence affects it.
DANCING IN THE DARK
Director: Rowena Baines
Producer: Paula Jones
The one about No Lights No Lycra Auckland and a cool guy called Peter Vosper who dances in a light suit. This was particularly close to my heart since I’m a big fan of NLNL, it’s the most joyous way to spend an evening.
NZIFF 2015 selection
MADNESS MADE ME
Director: Nikki Castle
Producer: Alexander Gandar
The one about mental illness, except that it’s funny and beautiful and asks you to think more broadly about language and stigma. It features the wonderful Mary O’Hagan.
NZIFF 2015 selection
KUSUDA
Directors: Henry Oliver and Amber Easby
Producer: Amber Easby
The one about a winemaker at harvest time, who managest to convey a deeply peaceful philosophy on life while his entire crop is threatened by an impending storm.
PLEASE OPEN
Directors: Karl Sheridan and Robin Gee
Producer: Monster Valley
The one about the Crystal Palace Theatre in Mt Eden, about it’s history and importance, a plea for someone to keep it alive. This one really stuck in my head.
WILBUR FORCE
Director: J. Ollie Lucks
Producer: Veronica Stevenson
An almost meta-doco about the ex-King of NZ wrestling, Wilber Force. The very reality of filming the doco is what inspires him to break out of a depressing life pattern. This one is very funny.
NZIFF 2015 selection
GINA
Director: Wendell Cooke
Producer: Jeremy Macey
The one about euthanasia, which gently reveals the lived reality of a woman with a rare genetic disorder that offers a poignant argument for the right to choose when to die. This one is heavy but important.
TIHEI
Director: Hamish Bennett
Producer: Orlando Stewart
The one about an incredibly talented freestyle rapper who busks at the Otara Markets. Aside from being just plain cool to watch, Tihei’s back story and attitude to life made this film inspirational to watch.
Selected for the NZIFF 2015, available to watch online from 29 July.
FANTASY CAVE
Director: Michelle Savill
Producer: Matthew Henley
The one about the number one tourist attraction in Dannevirk and the locals who run it. I really really loved this one, beautifully shot and hilarious and also, so fascinating. I have a feeling this could singlehandedly turn Dannevirk into a tourist attraction.
Selected for the NZIFF 2015, available to watch online from July 28th.
via Gather & Hunt