Springflix: With Daylight Saving starting this weekend, Hawke's Bay locals give you tips on what to watch and listen in your spare time.
Pitsch Leiser, director Hawke's Bay Arts Festival
Best movie I have seen lately
My preference is usually documentaries to watch over movies so I have been spending countless hours on nzonscreen.com lately. I am very interested in Aotearoa's stories of activism and protest and I have come across the Ngā Tamatoa series going back 50 years now, narrated by actor Rawiri Paratene and directed by Kim Webby. It is a very insightful series covering some of the history of the Maori protest movement and the people behind those pivotal moments in Aotearoa's history. And for some more humorous but always very sharp social commentary I enjoy anything in the John Clarke collection.
Best TV series I have been watching
A friend introduced me to the French TV series Call my Agent on Netflix. I have been watching a few episodes, loving the French cinema qualities and the madness of the lives of people working at a talent agency. It is beautifully cast, fast moving and sufficiently light to take your mind of any Covid news overload. Closer to home, TVNZ on Demand is featuring The Panthers, a new series shedding light on the times of the dawn raids, racial tensions between white and Polynesian New Zealanders, the creation of the Polynesian Panthers and Robert Muldoon's premiership. It features a brilliant cast, has an exceptional soundtrack and is a must-see miniseries.