New Zealand 3 January 2006
Wet West Film Festival ready to show world firsts
The Wet West Film Festival opens this Thursday with the wet and wild kayak night. It’ll be a night of action from
around the world screening white water kayak films from Chile, Africa, Patagonia, Iran and then ‘In Flux’ by kayaker and
film maker David Arnaud. This French film takes the audience on a epic world trip through four continents and all styles
of white water kayak action. Entertainment for all at this rare night of adrenalin pumping kayak adventures.
That’s just the first session! From there, the official opening of the Wet West Film Festival on Friday night leads the
audience deeper into water based stories, from drama to documentary, humour to thought provoking comment.
First time screenings of films such as Shave with Death by Greymouth Director Patrick McBride, a reflection of an old
man’s life and how the war and his friends affected that life; or Alone Across, the epic journey of a man sailing across
the Atlantic in a homebuilt four metre long boat with no support or means of communication. Poyekhali from Alaska brings
fly fishing to the big screen to celebrate the action, beauty and adventure of the sport – a rare treat for fisherfolk.
Closer to home, from Auckland director Seonaid Abernethy, Kubla Kahn, this story combines disillusion with Unit
Standards, methamphetamine and the great 18th Century poet, Coleridge. By day a legal aid lawyer, Abernethy presents a
story that offers an alternative in the natural highs one gets from music or poetry.
The Wet West Film Festival screens from Thursday to Sunday at the grand old Regent Theatre in Hokitika. It offers
visitors a great weekend of true West Coast adventure and story telling, through the 42 films screening in four days.
Check out the programme on the website, and head over the hill, down the road or up the coast for a weekend of exciting
entertainment, celebrating creativity – and water - Hokitika style.
ENDS