Gone Curling opens doors
Gone Curling, produced by Master of Science Communication students Rachael Patching and Roland Kahurangi, continues a run of success for the Centre for Science Communication.
Professor Lloyd Davis (right) Roland Kahurangi and Rachael Patching: Their film deals with global warming and its effect on the lives of people involved in an "old and quirky" sporting tradition.
The documentary, filmed in Central Otago last winter, was recently selected from 491 films to be one of three finalists in the Newcomers category at the prestigious Wildscreen Festival, which is held in Bristol every two years.
“The festival is the Oscars for natural history, wildlife and environmental films, so the other entrants are mostly people in the industry working for Discovery, National Geographic, or their own companies, often with budgets of hundreds of thousands – not students working with $NZ3,000,” says centre director, Professor Lloyd Davis.
He describes the film, which deals with global warming and its effects on the lives of people involved in an “old and quirky” sporting tradition, as “technically competent and beautifully shot”.
Gone Curling continues a long history of success for the centre, with student films making every Wildscreen final since 2006. Since the master's programme began in 2002, 96 graduates have produced 62 films and gained 43 international awards.
“The film is a very New Zealand story … so we were absolutely thrilled that the festival organisers recognised its potential,” Kahurangi says.
Patching is now working on two short films and a feature-length movie with her production company, Preditor Films. She credits the film with giving her strong industry credentials.
“It acts like a calling card and gives me a reason to create relationships with industry professionals.”