Movie 'June Again' has Waipukurau link and will screen in town

JJ Winlove (left) with June Again stars Claudia Karvan and Noni Hazlehurst on set. Photo / Supplied

A movie written and directed by the grandson of the former Waipukurau mayor will be shown as a one-time screening in Waipukurau for a charity fundraiser.

Australian movie June Again written and directed by JJ Winlove will screen on June 20 in a "high tea and movie" fundraiser at the Civic Theatre.

JJ says the film is about an elderly woman with dementia who out of the blue has a lucid spell, escapes her nursing home, finds her family has fallen apart and works to fix it in the few hours she has.

He says it is a feel-good film which is about the importance of family.

Filmed in Sydney in 2020 over 20 days, the film took about three years to make from beginning to end and due to Covid-19, they had to wait another year until it could be released.

JJ spent a lot of time in Waipukurau as a child with his grandmother Joan "Windy" Winlove and grandfather and former Waipukurau mayor Harry Winlove, who lived in the town their whole lives.

There are a couple of nods to them in the film – his grandmother spent her final years in Woburn Rest Home and the home in the film – Winburn - is a combination of her nickname and the home.

His father also grew up there and his uncle George Winlove owns the Winloves appliance shop in Ruataniwha St.

"We used to go up there quite often when I was a kid, I loved it.

"I used to love walking down the main street and seeing our name Winloves on the sign, it was always a moment of pride for me and my brothers."

Personal assistant at Property Brokers Waipukurau, Vicki Winlove, the cousin-in-law of JJ Winlove, has organised the fundraiser.

The film has shown in Australia and New Zealand, but Vicki wanted to organise a Waipukurau screening.

It was then suggested to her that the screening could be a fundraiser, and with a friend recently being diagnosed with breast cancer, she felt the Breast Cancer Foundation was an ideal cause to support.

"I am thrilled it's playing in a place where I have such a strong family connection, especially that it was family that helped to make it happen, it's really beautiful," JJ says.

Movie distributors StudioCanal decided not to charge them for the film when they found out it was for a charity event.

The Details:

What: June Again screening and fundraiser

When: June 20, 2pm

Where: The Civic Theatre Waipukurau

Tickets: $30 from Property Brokers Waipukurau or The Civic Theatre