By Emma Brooks, Raglan Old School Arts Centre
There’s homegrown talent aplenty amongst the nominations for this year’s RAFFA awards.
Winner of the 2013 Best Director Award Ben Lenzner is once again in the running for a gong, this time with This is Just Batting Practice, a film inspired by a collection of 8mm family films.
Aaron Mooar’s popular film Xtreme Waste-Community Enterprise, is up for numerous awards, as is Te Karere me Tukupeau Stevenson, a captivating narration of Whaingaroa history in Te Reo.
Environmental messages carry through several submissions. National Anthem For Planet Earth is a music video written and performed by PigSlug (Raglan Records), whilst An Emergency Creative Response depicts just that: a creative response to Anardarko. KASM film Make a Submission is also included.
Young filmmakers are well represented amongst the entries. Child Soldiers is a short film by Frankie Reynolds, Rylie Nail and Rachael Hayward to raise awareness of the illegal use of child soldiers throughout the world. Meanwhile The Sweet Life depicts the traditional Raglan pilgrimage to Bali by Emma Blaikie and Sky Reid.
Plus, Aaron Brunet’s The Bread Man, Raglan Bar Crossing, Raglan Art To Wear and Don’t Grow Up It’s A Trap.
Extracts from selected RAFFA films will be screened before main feature films throughout the festival, on Wednesday 17 September (Xtreme Waste – Community Enterprise and This Is Just Batting Practice), Sunday 21 September (Art To Wear) and at the Red Carpet Awards night.
For full details of this year’s RAFFA nominees, please see the official film festival programme, available from the Old School, or online at www.raglanartscentre.co.nz/rff.