Media release for immediate release
Tuesday 24th May
Te Radar Scoops ODDFELLOWS International Comedy Festival Awards
A week after winning the Qantas Media Award for Best Humour Column, social commentator and renegade war correspondent Te
Radar, took out the top award for Best Local Comedy at the ODDFELLOWS International Comedy Festival.
The 2005 International Comedy Festival ended on Saturday after three weeks of side-splitting humour and sell-out shows.
Te Radar's multi-media show, Timor ODDyssey, was named Best Local Comedy of the festival.
From India with Love, directed by Te Radar, and starring Tarun Mohanbhai and Rajeev Varma, was also one of the four
nominees for the award.
Both shows feature live performance, interactive film segments and plenty of laughs.
Timor ODDyssey is a documentary-style narrative, presented live by Te Radar, of his visit to war-torn East Timor- via
Australia. Having blagged his way onto a UN flight into Timor in 2000 he arrived in the country with little more than a
video camera, some pocket money, and a "borrowed" TVNZ visitors pass.
The result was ".a slick and funny show that succeeds in making you laugh and think at the same time," New Zealand
Herald, May 2005.
From a different comedic stratosphere comes From India with Love- a Bollywood-tinged fiction about a young couple who
come to New Zealand to find a new life.
Based on last years Indian Invaders, also directed by Te Radar, and which won Best Local Comedy at the 2004 festival,
From India with Love goes on tour later this year to Malaysia, Singapore and Wellington, and is already fielding offers
from other International festivals.
Timor ODDyssey will continue to be seen at various New Zealand festivals over the coming 12 months
"Timor ODDyssey was an idea spawned out of boredom and frustration with the state of New Zealand's comedy and current
affairs. I guess it goes to show there's nothing wrong with chasing-up those sporadic thoughts- no matter how odd and
potentially stupid they are."
Te Radar's next project is Hitori, a work commissioned by the Christchurch Arts Festival in conjunction with Ngai Tahu,
on the history of the South Island.
ENDS