Lopdell House Gallery is celebrating Matariki with a showcase of West Auckland filmmakers Geoff Clendon and Simon Marler.

Geoff Clendon's short film Poroporoaki (Farewell) is set in the late 19th Century and is the story of a Pakeha settler and his Maori wife, dealing in different ways with the drowning of their nine-year-old son. Geoff lives in Titirangi and teaches drama at Massey High School and will give a short talk about the film.

Simon Marler's documentary Restoring the Mauri of Lake Omapere poses the question 'how do you resuscitate the land?' Co-producer and Director of Photography Mairi Gunn, who lives in New Lynn, will give a short talk about the documentary.Lopdell House Gallery is celebrating Matariki with a showcase of West Auckland filmmakers Geoff Clendon and Simon Marler.

Geoff Clendon's short film Poroporoaki (Farewell) is set in the late 19th Century and is the story of a Pakeha settler and his Maori wife, dealing in different ways with the drowning of their nine-year-old son. Geoff lives in Titirangi and teaches drama at Massey High School and will give a short talk about the film.

Simon Marler's documentary Restoring the Mauri of Lake Omapere poses the question 'how do you resuscitate the land?' Co-producer and Director of Photography Mairi Gunn, who lives in New Lynn, will give a short talk about the documentary.POROPOROAKI (FAREWELL)
Written and Directed by Geoffrey Clendon [Running time 15 minutes]
A man who can't grieve is helped by a woman who can.

SYNOPSIS
Set on the rocky coastline of Aotearoa - New Zealand in 1898.
James is an Englishman who has settled in the colony and forged a new life for himself after marrying Takatowai, a Maori woman of high birth. He is consumed with guilt over the drowning of their nine year old son, George. James returns to the scene of the tragedy to end it all. There he encounters Takatowai from whom he has been estranged since the death of George and through her tikanga / culture he finds the means to move on.

WRITER / DIRECTOR'S NOTES
Although Poroporoaki was filmed entirely on Waiheke Island the inspiration for the story came from my Grandmother who grew up in the Hokianga and whose parents spoke Te Reo around the house.

Making the film was part of my own journey to connect with my Maoritanga. I was learning Te Reo at the time of writing the script and my tutor, Te Rangihau Gilbert, agreed to be a mentor in matters of te reo and tikanga.

I am particularly grateful to Producer Brian Harris (a Titirangi local) for his support through the trials of filming in extremely difficult locations and to Creative NZ for part-funding the film.

The filming of the boat scenes and the scenes in the cave were testing as we could only access the locations by sea. When the weather cut up rough the cast and crew were forced to spend the night crammed on a small boat in a rocky cove. Those of us who were experienced sailors helped those who weren't to get through the ordeal.

FESTIVALS
River City Film Festival, Wanganui 2004 - winner Te Reo prize.
Waiheke Film Festival 2004
Hawaii / New York, 'Pacifika' Film Festival, New York 2005.
ImagineNATIVE Film Festival, Toronto, Canada 2005.
Maori Film Festival, Wairoa 2005

WRITER / DIRECTOR'S BIOGRAPHY
Geoffrey Clendon is of English, Ngapuhi and Irish descent. Geoffrey has worked in the performing arts initially as an actor and more recently as a director, writer and teacher in film and theatre. His previous short film Rise Up Stilt!, which he wrote and directed, screened in film festivals throughout New Zealand. Geoff lives in Titirangi and teaches drama at Massey High School and will give a short talk about the making of the film.

The Turning Tide Company is dedicated to making New Zealand films about the triumph of the human spirit.
Contact: Geoffrey Clendon email rmy@iprohome.co.nz

RESTORING THE MAURI OF LAKE OMAPERE
How do you resuscitate the land? This is a question Simon Marler's beautiful documentary, 'Restoring the Mauri of Lake Omapere' poses.

Mauri, meaning life spirit, is contained within all objects; trees, rocks, rivers, lakes, us too? It's a scary thought to think you've gone and messed with something like that.

But Marler takes us back through the history of Lake Omapere, a small Northland Lake that is no more than three metres deep at its deepest point.

And through that history Marler shows us the impact we as a people can have on the Mauri of such a vulnerable system. Will it make you think? Possibly. Certainly it's a thoughtful documentary, the questions posed being whether the voluntary management being undertaken and developed by Lake Ompere's Trustees, its Kaitiakitanga; meaning guardians for sky, sea and land, will be enough to breathe life back into the lake's still waters? It's a poignant thought.

Co-Producer and Director of Photography Mairi Gunn, who lives in New Lynn, will give a short talk about the documentary.

Presented in association with FLICKS and Titirangi Theatre. Saturday 21 June at 7.30pm. Entry $10 or $5 for Friends of Lopdell House Gallery. Tickets from the Gallery Shop, ph 817 8087 x209 or email events@lopdell.org.nz

17/06/08