Waipā mayor praises locally shot film Home Kills after screening

Home Kills producer Matt Hicks (right) with a couple of meat pack winners at The Regent Theatre screening and Q&A session.

Waipā District Mayor Susan O’Regan is impressed with the locally-shot film Home Kills after viewing it recently at the Cambridge “meat and greet”.

Local quizmaster and DJ Matt Hicks is passionate about making films that reflect small-town New Zealand life and is part of the Home Kills crew taking their movie on a tour of Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Coromandel cinemas with support from Waikato Screen, the regional film office.

On Sunday night, the Regent Theatre Te Awamutu hosted the Home Kills team and their movie with a question-and-answer session.

Much of the project was filmed at a Roto-o-Rangi farm between Cambridge and Te Awamutu.

“I love the people of Te Awamutu and it was so humbling to see them come out in droves to support Home Kills,” Hicks said.

“Thanks to everyone that came out and watched the new Waikato shot Home Kills film at the Regent Theatre in Te Awamutu on Sunday.”

Producer Hicks, also a writer/actor/director, said Home Kills is basically a bunch of former Shortland Street, Outrageous Fortune and Neighbours actors “being a bit dodgy in rural Waikato”.

“If you get the chance you absolutely have to see Home Kills, a locally shot independent film about a couple of broke butcher brothers who find themselves in a little over their heads,” Mayor O’Regan said.

“I was fortunate to be able to attend the Cambridge premiere at the Tivoli Cinema. Brilliantly written, shot and acted. A film in which Maungatautari and our Waipā rural landscapes played a leading role. Congrats to Matt Hicks, Haydn Butler and crew – great stuff!”

Home Kills is dark, but out of the shade there is light and humour. The world is one of despair but without slipping into parody.

The humour is deadpan and the performances are natural and grounded.

“It’s such a good feeling to have our Waikato-shot film play in some awesome local cinemas. It feels like a little homecoming in a way,” Hicks said.

“Heaps of our actors have gone on to bigger things. Our female lead Mavournee Hazel is one of the core cast of NCIS: Sydney. One of our lead males, Josh McKenzie, is in a local show called The Twelve on TVNZ and got singled out by the legend Sam Neil in an interview the other day as one to watch.

“We have 36-year Neighbours veteran Stefan Dennis who you’ll know as Paul Robinson playing the bad guy. The cast all round is absolute quality.”

The Regent Theatre in Te Awamutu will host one more screening of Home Kills on Tuesday at 6.30pm.

Tickets are available for purchase online.

Jesse Wood is a multimedia journalist based in Te Awamutu. He joined the Te Awamutu Courier and NZME in 2020.