Stuff is proud to present Shopping, the debut feature film by Wellington film-makers Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland.
We have 30 double passes for next week’s preview in Wellington to give away to our readers. (May 15, 6.30pm at Penthouse Cinema, Wellington.)
Shopping was almost seven years in the making and the film-makers can’t wait to finally show local audiences their film, which was born from the success of a short film.
The duo celebrated their first international success with their short film The Six Dollar Fifty Man which won a Sundance award and was long-listed for the 2011 Academy Awards.
“[Six Dollar Fifty Man] was based on when I ran away from school and was chased by some bullies and we turned that into a short film, which went really well, and went to Cannes and to Sundance and basically gave us the leverage to make our first feature film,” Albiston says.
“We’re always taking from personal experiences, and now Louis gets his turn to moan about his life!”
Sutherland explains: “Shopping is based on when I had a bit of a hard time at home and then took off, got a bit of freedom and ran into a gang of shoplifters that was run by a career criminal, and walked on that side of the tracks for a while.
“It’s a bit of an Oliver Twist story – there’s a Fagin kind of character in there.
“The lead, Willie, has to make a decision: Does he stick with his family and look after his little brother or is he joining this exciting world of con, shoplifting.”
Shopping, shot on the Kapiti Coast and in Wellington, is set in 1981, partly because that’s when Sutherland experienced his adventures but also because it was a time when New Zealand tried to find its identity.
“And there were also great clothes,” Albiston adds.
After getting international accolades – Shopping was picked out of 4000 entries for the Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus international section for Best Feature Film at the Berlin Film Festival – Albiston and Sutherland say the real test still lies ahead.
“It will be fun to get this film finally to the New Zealand public and getting the litmus test whether people go through the gates,” Albiston says.
While they’re happy that the film found acclaim at international film festivals, they say, they really made Shopping for audiences at home.
“After our first screening of the film in New Zealand, the level of connectedness from the audience when they came out was that much bigger,” Albiston says.
“There are elements in the film that only Kiwis can get, like the historical background and the jokes,” Sutherland adds.
“We had great reviews and won awards, but nothing beats the feeling of watching the film with an audience and feeling them ride the wave.
“The few Kiwi audiences we’ve shared it with so far were absolutely gobsmacked because it captured a time that they remembered and they rejoiced in it and they went on a journey.”
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Albiston adds: “But it’s also for young people. It’s a part of our history, it’s important, it’s about sharing our culture.
“They’ll enjoy it!
“When you love your family, go, because you will get it. The biggest currency this film has, is heart.”
Shopping opens in theatres on 30 May.
How to enter:
If you want to join the Stuff team for the preview of Shopping in Wellington on Wednesday May 15, send an email to [email protected] with your name, address, post code and phone number before 10am on Monday May 13 to go in the draw. Please ensure the email subject line says, Shopping.
Terms and Conditions:
Prize winners will be determined from a random draw of eligible entries received before 10am on Monday, May 13. Only one entry per person will be accepted. Tickets will be sent out by email on Monday.
Prize cannot be exchanged for cash or other property. The winners need to make their own way to the cinema. The ticket is only valid for the preview screening of Shopping on Wednesday, May 15, 6.30pm, at Penthouse Cinema, Brooklyn, Wellington.
Employees of Fairfax New Zealand’s corporate office and www.stuff.co.nz, and their immediate families, are not eligible for the prize.
Fairfax New Zealand Limited’s Managing Director, Publishing, will make a final determination if any matter is disputed.
Entries belong to Fairfax New Zealand Limited and may be used by the company for marketing and promotions.
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