Christine Jeffs joins Writers and Readers Week

ACCLAIMED DIRECTOR JOINS STELLAR CAST FOR WRITERS AND READERS WEEK

Internationally recognised film director Christine Jeffs joins New Zealand Post Writers and Readers Week, in a late addition to the programme, to talk about the challenges and issues of adapting work for the screen.

Named by Daily Variety as one of "10 Directors to Watch", the director of Rain and Sylvia joins Oscar winner Philippa Boyens and writers Geraldine McCaughrean and Anne Kennedy in a topical discussion of the gains and losses that accompany the process of transferring a story from one medium to another.

Jeffs replaces fellow director Niki Caro, who has had to pull out of the panel due to commitments in Los Angeles. Her latest film Sylvia, based on the life of poet Sylvia Plath, starred Gwyneth Paltrow and was partly shot in Dunedin. Jeffs is currently working on a screenplay of Wildlife, a book by Pulitzer Prize winner and fellow Writers and Readers Week participant Richard Ford.

Born in Lower Hutt, Jeffs has enjoyed a remarkable career, with numerous awards as a commercial director and critical acclaim for her film work. Her first short film, Stroke, screened at both Cannes and Sundance and Rain, for which she also adapted the screenplay, was selected for its World Premiere in the Directors Fortnight at the 2001 Cannes International Film Festival. New Yorker critic Anthony Lane hailed her as one of the "great water-based directors" because of her exquisite use of the liquid in her film work.

Christine Jeffs will appear in the panel Adaptation, chaired by Ken Duncum, at 10am on Sunday, 14 March at the Embassy Theatre. Tickets are $12 ($9 for students) and are available from all Ticketek outlets.

Tickets remain available for most sessions during New Zealand Post Writers and Readers Week. The full line-up of international writers and information on how to book can be found on the Festival website (www.nzfestival.telecom.co.nz).

The New Zealand International Arts Festival runs from 27 February - 21 March 2004.

ENDS

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