Anton Steel’s film The Z Nail Gang is based on real events in Kūaotunu when a group of locals fought back against an international mining company with plans to dig an open-cast gold mine in the area. Photo / John Borren
Anton Steel’s film The Z Nail Gang is based on real events in Kūaotunu when a group of locals fought back against an international mining company with plans to dig an open-cast gold mine in the area. Photo / John Borren
A new “Coromandel-centric” film festival is blossoming this spring in Whitianga.
Creative Coromandel chairwoman Fiona Cameron said the film festival will, for the first time, bring together Coromandel films and filmmakers in an exciting programme over three days, in a collaboration between Creative Coromandel and Twin Cinemas Whitianga.
CoroCine would also kick off the Coromandel Artbeat Spring Festival, a three-month online programme of creative events, Cameron said.
“The thriving arts scene in the Coromandel is beginning to rival the beaches for a reason to take a trip down SH25. But while there are a number of art festivals and open studio events that take place around the rohe, with the amount of talent that is bursting out of the peninsula it was only a matter of time until local filmmakers were coaxed out of their darkened viewing rooms to take their place in the limelight.”
CoroCine is scheduled to screen between September 6 and 8 at the Twin Cinemas in Whitianga.
Cinema owner Anne-Maree McDougall had been a key driver in pulling the festival together, Cameron said.
“As well as celebrating local film, the festival aims to be a catalyst for people to start making their own films, and to inspire those who have always wanted to make a film to see that there is a local venue keen to screen what they have made to an audience.”
The programme includes international award-winning filmmakers James Muir (Mauri o te Kauri), Amy Taylor (Milked) and Kirsty Griffin and Viv Kernick (The House of Champions) alongside emerging filmmakers and a collection of short films.
The festival officially kicks off on September 6 with a screening of Anton Steel’s The Z Nail Gang, based on real events in Kūaotunu when a group of locals fought back against an international mining company with plans to dig an open-cast gold mine in the area.
Daniel Leo Max’s documentary Baring Our Souls would tell the story of a local Tairua man healing himself through art, a topic that reflected the themes and genesis of the festival itself, which celebrated art as a way to bring people together, Cameron said.
“Earlier this year, Anne-Maree offered the use of the cinema to Ian Preece, a local photographer who was putting together a film of his night photography; Anne-Maree’s generosity meant Ian could see how his film looked on the big screen and adjust as needed, an invaluable experience for a first-time filmmaker.
“When both showings of the final version of Ian’s film Starry Starry Night sold out, the seed for CoroCine was planted as Anne-Maree realised what an appetite there was to see local films by local filmmakers on the big screen. After sending out a couple of emails, within 48 hours, Anne-Maree had three major works to show, and a film festival was born.”
McDougall said she would like the festival to extend to Q&A sessions and workshops to provide a strong platform for local filmmakers to network and learn more about their craft.
She saw the festival as an investment in the future and was looking forward to the day the cinema was thanked by a new Oscar winner who got their start at the CoroCine Festival.
CoroCine is supported by Creative Coromandel – He Mana Toi Moehau, a charitable trust that champions the arts, artists and creative industries.
Steampunk will feature as part of the Coromandel Artbeat Spring Festival.
This will be the second year of the Coromandel Artbeat Spring Festival, following a successful launch in 2023, Cameron said.
“The Coromandel has always been a haven for creatives who have made their homes here and forged art careers; this creative spirit was evident last year when we had 70 events who had signed up to be part of our Artbeat Spring Festival throughout the three-month festival.”
Artbeat was an umbrella festival, designed to provide cover and promotion for all creative events on the Coromandel between September and December.
Cameron said the programme was designed to be a “choose your own adventure” art trail that could be used to map trips around the peninsula and to plan a creative and scenic journey.
“It will bring together and promote a diverse range of artists and creatives; from the CoroCine Film Festival to experimental community music events, and from the Steampunk Festival in Thames to a chemistry course for making pottery glazes there will be something to inspire and interest everyone.”
The festival is free for any creatives to register an event and would give everyone a chance to meet the fascinating artists who live in the Coromandel Hauraki rohe, she said.
