As some of you may have noticed, the Rugby World Cup is currently taking place in England. In honour of the game that inspires such a strong following in NZ, Clayton Barnett from Show Me Shorts [who have just made the first announcement of their 2015 programme] brings you three locally made short films that tackle the oval ball.
Like any of the top international sports, rugby games can be filled with drama and tension. Their playing fields and changing rooms are therefore ripe for good story telling. If you’re looking for something to find the gap before the next big match, try one of these compelling rugby shorts.
Sorry, the Matt Damon-as-a-Springbok Invictus, pictured above, ain’t one of them…
Warbrick
Joe Warbrick was the captain of the New Zealand Natives team that toured England in 1888/89, and this powerful short takes in the last test match against the motherland. Brothers Meihana and Pere Durie took six years to bring their tale of the little known captain, and the writing/directing duo utilise a tight location, create an effective soundscape and their art department deserve a solid pat on the back too. Featuring a powerful lead performance from ex Shorty star Calvin Tuteao, the stirring prematch haka will give you goose bumps.
Maul
Kiwis are adept making bloody good black horror films, and director Colin Hudson continues in the vein of Peter Jackon’s Braindead with this scarily good rugby short. Hudson nails the on-field action, you can feel the bruising hits as Will gets roughed up in the trial for the local rugby team. But it’s the surreal and sticky horror scenes that make Maul, with quality production design making this a squirm-inducing watch. Featuring 3-test All Black, and long serving sevens star, Dallas Seymour.
Score
A lot of rugby purists would balk at going to the opera, but somehow slow motion rugby action set to Tchaikovsky is a perfect marriage of sport and symphony. Arthur Everard spent almost 20 years making films for the National Film Unit, and brilliantly decided to put footage of France’s 1979 tour of New Zealand to Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony. Revel in All Black legends like the Wilson brothers, Andy Haden, Frank Oliver and captain Graham Mourie tackling old foes France. The short picked up a jury prize at the Montreal Film Festival.
Rugby and short films make a great team, even more so in the recent award-winning short Tits on a Bull that featured at the NZ International Film Festival. It’s not available online yet but keep an eye out for it. Go the All Blacks!
