The Big Bike Film Night is wheeling back into Rotorua this month, ready to celebrate cycling of all shapes and forms with an audience passionate about biking.
This is the film night’s ninth New Zealand tour, and it will be screening the films in Rotorua on Tuesday, February 21 at Equippers Church Auditorium (formerly the Harvest Centre).
The Big Bike Film Night brings a love of cycling to cinemas, presenting an array of international and New Zealand movies specifically selected by Taupō-based curator and “film peddler” Brett Cotter.
“Each year I set out with just one goal - to bring together the best cycling short films from around the world for our audiences, celebrating the fun, the adventure, and inspiration that bikes enable,” Brett says.
“Our stellar 2023 collection contains 10 mesmerising films that are as varied and diverse as you could hope for.
“This global programme contains a strong contingent of Kiwi films, including a world premiere, alongside an assortment of international films having their New Zealand premiere here as well.”
Return to Dillon Cone, set and shot in the rugged coastal Kaikōura ranges and created by talented Canterbury filmmakers Dylan Gerschwitz and Deane Parker, will be making its world premiere at the festival. The film follows a team who have spent five years formulating a dream - an attempt to reach an unridden peak accessible only by river.
The Big Bike Film Night is wheeling back into Rotorua this month. Photo / Aritz Gordo
The expedition has only one option to get there, taking on the jagged gorges of the Clarence River (Waiau Toa awa) by packraft, and afterwards travelling by mountain bike, in their pursuit of summiting the steep shingle-laid slopes of the imposing Dillon Cone.
Also in the treasure chest of films: a visually commanding film set in postcard Tuscany, following a 74-year-old bicicletta rider whose spirit personifies cycling; a delightful young Australian bikepacker shares lessons from her scenic trip to Hell; two schools offer insights into how they promote active transport within their school community; the tale of a rider with a searing thirst for adventure exploring interior Iceland; the eyes of a Scottish highlander are opened to the healing power of the bicycle, putting the ‘mountain’ into mountain biking; an uplifting film celebrates a humble volunteer whose community spirit is inspiring, as are the majestic winter views of the trail where he lives in the rural heartland of Central Otago; a human-powered movie follows a family that chooses to live life to the fullest in the face of adversity; and, to round out the night, find out what happens when you combine an ultra-distance 320-kilometre gravel race with parenting over a 24-hour period.
Brett says, “The power of storytelling is at the forefront of what we offer, and the belief that the humble bicycle can improve our health, inspire and uplift people with where it can take us; connecting communities with stories that captivate us, stories that make us think, and most importantly of all, inspiring us to get out and ride”.
The details:
What: Big Bike Film Night 2023
When: Tuesday, February 21, 7pm
Where: Equippers Church Auditorium
Tickets: Go to www.bigbikefilmnight.nz or visit the Equippers Church on the night to buy tickets (subject to availability)
