European Premiere For Taika Waititi’s Boy

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Friday, 18th December 2009

European Premiere In Berlin For Taika Waititi’s Boy

Taika Waititi’s latest feature film, BOY, has been selected in competition at the prestigious 60th Berlin International Film Festival, which will be held from February 11th – 21st.

The film will screen in the Generation programme of the Festival and will be judged by two juries: a young person’s jury which awards the prestigious Crystal Bear to the best feature film in the programme, and an international expert jury which awards a cash prize to the best feature film in the programme.

Inspired by Waititi’s Oscar nominated short Two Cars, One Night, BOY is the hilarious and heartfelt coming-of-age tale about heroes, magic and Michael Jackson. Written and directed by Waititi, the film was shot in his childhood home town of Waihau Bay on the East Coast of New Zealand. BOY is the debut feature for James Rolleston as 11 year old Boy and Te Aho Eketone-Whitu as his younger brother Rocky. Waititi plays their father Alamein, who is the subject of Boy’s fantasies and whom he imagines as a deep sea diver, war hero, rugby legend and close relative of Michael Jackson. In reality Alamein is an inept, wannabe gangster who has been in jail for robbery.

Waititi’s short films Two Cars, One Night and Tama Tu, and his debut feature Eagle vs Shark have all screened to acclaim at the Festival. Two Cars, One Night was awarded the Panorama Short Film Award in 2004 and Tama Tu received the Special Jury Prize in 2005.

Taika Waititi and James Rolleston will both travel to Berlin as guests of the Festival. Producer Ainsley Gardiner will also attend.

BOY is financed by the New Zealand Film Fund, NZ Film Commission, Unison Films, NZ On Air, Maori Television Station and Te Mangai Paho. NZ Film, the sales arm of the NZFC, is handling world sales of the film.

BOY will be released in NZ through Transmission Films.
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