JACOB POWELL finds short films in strength at this year’s “Homegrown: Works on Film” programme.

PLAYING early in this year’s festival programme, 2007’s Homegrown: Works on Film selection (presented c/o the wonderful crew at MIC Toi Rerehiko) is quite inspiring. Last year there were a few good little pieces amongst some so-so ones; this year there were some really moving examples amongst a stable full of starters. No newbies this year, but a couple of second-time directors, including a return by 2006 entrant Tearepa Kahi with his new short Taua. Raising the bar further on an already impressive standard, this is not a year to miss out on our NZ short film catalogue!

2007 thematic territory focuses in on explorations of adolescent identity as well as ranging through several takes on strained family dynamics, a visualisation of some dramatic historical korero, the stretching of cultural mores.

Run (Mark Albiston/2007/15 min)
Director Mark Albiston presents an engaging film about a fractured Samoan family trying to find some equilibrium. A father’s inability to process his grief results in the metaphoric caging of his children. A daughter is struggling to find and express her identity; a son is simply trying to be a young boy. They manage to draw courage from one another to delight in who they are.

Immediately after viewing Run I thought this was going to be the best of the bunch, which says something about its quality. That it is not the best says a lot about overall quality levels across the programme. Albiston and crew capture a mixed mood of sadness tinged with humour in this well put together slice of life drama. They also manage the most tasteful masturbation joke/reference I think I’ve seen on film.

Taua (Tearepa Kahi/2007/15 min)
One of the two standouts in an exceptional programme, Taua (for me) tops Kahi’s 2006 debut effort, The Speaker. Beautifully realised, Taua puts me in mind of numerous korero I have heard from kaumatua (elders) on various marae throughout Aotearoa. The filmmakers successfully manage to place pictures to some very stirring memories, creating a short which transports us back to another time. A war party portages a waka (50ft canoe) through forest and over mountains; all senses are tautly strained, alert to the sounds of possible ambush. A prisoner lashed to the front of the waka is confronted with the compassion of a young boy which (later) has interesting repercussions.

Dialogue is backgrounded against the physical environment and movement. In aesthetic terms, it is hard to go wrong with native NZ forest settings and Kahi captures them in all their unadorned splendour. The costuming and makeup are smartly finished, adding authenticity and immediacy to the piece.

During the introductory speeches, Tearepa commented that he was indebted to his local kaumatua for their trust in him and his team with their waka; after seeing the film I can see what he means! I think that they would agree, though, that their trust was well placed.

Fog (Peter Salmon/2007/15 min)
For me, the weakest in this year’s programme, Fog looks at a coming-of-age experience of a young Mãori boy in a small coastal community. The action focuses around his strained relationship with his strict father and his crush on a strong-willed and confident local girl. She helps enable him to find his voice while at the same time envying, a little, his familial situation.

What lets Fog down is its occasionally stilted scripting which leaves the actors performances feeling somewhat staged. The resolution scene at the end also comes off as a little trite. Despite this, Salmon avoids a clichéd demonising of the parental figure and throws in contrasting ideas around childhood freedom and family disconnection vs repressive love and concern. Add to this the exceptional visual tone of the film – with lighting, sound and locations all top notch – and you are left with a reasonably enjoyable quarter hour of screen time.

Clean Linen (Zia Mandviwalla/2006/14 min)
Cracks in the outer façade of a New Zealand Indian family become apparent when the children accidentally expose their father’s porn video collection to their mother. Though the family’s troubles mirror the mother’s initial judgement of a relation’s circumstances, their own internal relational cracks are made apparent from the beginning.

Director Zia Mandviwalla critiques well the illusion of respectability that culture often forces upon us; blinding us to the truth of our actual situation. She draws believable performances from her young leads and exudes a kind of grim humour that nicely fits the New Zealand psyche. Admittedly, toward the end, the action starts seeming a little less cohesive and the ending is slightly odd. Nevertheless Clean Linen has a satisfying weight and will leave you with a few thoughts to chew over.

The Lethal Innocents (Kirsty Cameron/2006/10 min)
Kirsty Cameron is a name many will recognise in conjunction with recent prominent NZ films such as Rain, In My Father’s Den and Whale Rider. Here she turns her hand (again) to direction and produces a short of great value which, to my mind, takes pride of place alongside Taua as the programme’s top short. Cameron commented that she is exploring the issue of teen female suicide in NZ and in The Lethal Innocents portrays the systematic stripping away of a young woman’s self-worth.

Right from its cruel opening scene The Lethal Innocents evokes a strong sense of empathetic sadness. Anyone who has ever had the misfortune of being bullied (and I suspect that this will be the majority of us) will relate deeply to the sense of utter helplessness the protagonist feels. Cameron reminds us of the extremity of adolescent action and feeling – often warped and out of perspective – presenting a piece of uncomfortable, challenging, and immanently worthwhile viewing.