Film producer turns hand to new projects, remake of Goodbye Pork Pie
The Blondini gang's little yellow mini is roaring back - with a boost from the NZ Film Commission.
The producer of Kiwi smash hit The Dark Horse Tom Hern is set to tackle another national icon, Goodbye Pork pie, and things are looking good for a slate of other new projects too.
Hern is not new to New Zealand's entertainment industry - fans of the small screen will remember him as the face of religious fanatic Baxter Cormack on Shortland Street, circa 2005.
But these days, the 30-year-old is more likely to be found behind the camera.
He now runs production company Four Knights Film, alongside longtime collaborator James Napier Robertson, who wrote and directed The Dark Horse, and writer/director Max Currie.
Four Knights is one of five production companies to get a cash injection under the New Zealand Film Commission's 'Boost' scheme, with grants of between $50,000 and $130,000 given out to further develop television and feature films at all stages of production.
The company has seven feature films and two television shows on the go - one of which is a remake of the 1981 classic Goodbye Pork Pie, with Matt Murphy, the son of original director Geoff Murphy, attached to direct.
Hern and Robertson are also working on a follow up to The Dark Horse, an "ambitious project" that has sparked a lot of interest off the back of the success of previous film, Hern says.
When Hern started working with Napier Robertson, the idea was that producing would help him create vehicles for his acting.
He starred in the pair's first feature I'm Not Harry Jenson in 2009, but quickly fell in love with producing gig, how varied the role was.
The two began work on The Dark Horse, a biopic looking at the life of bipolar chess champ Genesis Potini, in 2009. The film was released in New Zealand in July last year, soaring up the box office rankings, grossing more than $3 million. Hern said The Dark Horse has become calling card for the pair, opening doors to bigger and better projects.
"We looked at the likes of Niki Caro off the back off Whale Rider and what she was able to do with her follow up feature, we looked at the likes of other hit Kiwi films like Once Were Warriors and what Lee Tamahori was able to do off the back of that film," he said.
"We were looking for that high pedigree, quality picture that would announce us to the international market and go, here's what we can do. Now let's talk about what we're going to do next."
The film went to festivals like the Toronto International Film Festival, the Rotterdam International Film Festival, where it won the MovieZone Award, and the Palm Springs Film Festival, where it was runner up for best film.
At the 2014 New Zealand Film Awards, it picked up best picture, best director, best screenplay and best score.
Cliff Curtis took home the best actor Moa for his portrayal of Potini, and James Rolleston was named as best supporting actor as Potini's nephew Mana.
The film will have a US release in December.
"You can talk about all kinds of strategy … but at the end of the day, if you make great work, the opportunities will come," Hern said.
"It's that simple"
Written by Kashka Tunstall. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz
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