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Smash Palace
''Smash Palace'' is a New Zealand feature film that premiered at Cannes in May 1981 and was released theatrically in April 1982. The film chronicles a former race car driver (played by Bruno Lawrence) who inadvertently contributes to the end of his marriage, then kidnaps his daughter ( Greer Robson). Lawrence's character runs a carwrecking yard in an isolated area of New Zealand's North Island. ''Smash Palace'' was the second feature directed by Roger Donaldson. Critical acclaim in the United States won him interest from Hollywood, and the chance to direct the first of a number of films financed outside of New Zealand, '' The Bounty''. The soundtrack was composed and performed by New Zealand-born singer Sharon O'Neill. ''Smash Palace'' has an R16 rating. Plot Retired international racing driver Al Shaw returns home to take over his late father's car-wrecking yard, "Smash Palace", on the remote North Island Volcanic Plateau. Al's French-born wife Jacqui is increasingly unhappy ...
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Roger Donaldson
Roger Lindsey Donaldson (born 15 November 1945) is an Australian-born New Zealand film director, producer and writer whose films include the 1981 relationship drama '' Smash Palace'', and a run of titles shot in the United States, including the Kevin Costner films '' No Way Out'' (1987) and '' Thirteen Days'' (2000), and the 1997 disaster film '' Dante's Peak''. He has worked twice each with actors Kevin Costner, Pierce Brosnan, Anthony Hopkins and Michael Madsen. Also worked with actors Tom Cruise, Liam Neeson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Bruce Greenwood, Dexter Fletcher, Bernard Hill, Laurence Olivier, Edward Fox, Al Pacino and many more. Life and career Donaldson was born in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia where he attended Ballarat High School. At 20, in 1965 he emigrated to New Zealand, where he established a small still photography business and began making advertisements. Donaldson was also directing documentaries, including an adventure series featuring Everest-conque ...
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New Zealand Film Commission
The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC; mi, Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga) is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films. It was established under the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978 (as amended in 1981, 1985, 1988, 1994 and 1999). Functions and responsibilities The New Zealand Film Commission is a Crown entity working to grow the New Zealand film industry. Their statutory responsibility is to encourage, participate and assist in the making, promotion, distribution and exhibition of films made in New Zealand. Through the financing and administration of incentive schemes they have been involved in more than 300 feature films including '' Boy'', '' Goodbye Pork Pie'', ''Heavenly Creatures'', ''The Lord of the Rings'', ''The Hobbit'', ''Avatar'', '' Whale Rider'' and '' Mr. Pip''. Film financing and marketing The NZFC assists New Zealand filmmakers by providing grants, loans and equity financing in the development and production o ...
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1981 Drama Films
Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, FMLN launches its first major offensive, gaining control of most of Morazán Department, Morazán and Chalatenango Department, Chalatenango departments. * January 15 – Pope John Paul II receives a delegation led by Polish Solidarity (Polish trade union), Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa at the Vatican City, Vatican. * January 20 – Iran releases the 52 Americans held for 444 days, minutes after Ronald Reagan is First inauguration of Ronald Reagan, sworn in as the 40th President of the United States, ending the Iran hostage crisis. * January 21 – The first DMC DeLorean, DeLorean automobile, a stainless steel sports car with gull-wing doors, rolls off the production line in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland. * January 24 – An 1981 Dawu ea ...
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New Zealand Music Awards
The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that a group or artist can receive in New Zealand music, and have been presented annually since 1965. The awards show is presented by Recorded Music NZ. A range of award sponsors and media partners support the event each year. History and overview The first awards for New Zealand recorded music were the Loxene Golden Disc awards, launched in 1965. The awards were created by soap powder manufacturer Reckitt & Colman's advertising agency, with support from the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC), the New Zealand Federation of Phonographic Industries and the Australasian Performing Rights Society (APRA), with the awards named after Reckitt & Colman's anti-dandruff shampoo, Loxene. While initially only one prize was given, other award ...
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Smash Palace (EP)
''Smash Palace'' is the first extended play by New Zealand singer and songwriter Sharon O'Neill. The EP is a soundtrack to the 1982 Roger Donaldson film, ''Smash Palace''. This vinyl only EP has become a very sought after item by collectors of her music. The recording won "Best Film Soundtrack/Cast Recording/Compilation" at the 1983 New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that .... Track listing References 1982 debut EPs 1982 soundtrack albums Synth-pop EPs Sharon O'Neill albums CBS Records albums {{1980s-pop-album-stub ...
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Hunt For The Wilderpeople
''Hunt for the Wilderpeople'' is a 2016 New Zealand adventure comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi, whose screenplay was based on the book ''Wild Pork and Watercress'' by Barry Crump. Sam Neill and Julian Dennison play "Uncle" Hector and Ricky Baker; a father figure and foster son who become the targets of a manhunt after fleeing into the New Zealand bush. Carthew Neal, Leanne Saunders, Matt Noonan, and Waititi produced the film. The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2016. The film opened across New Zealand on 31 March 2016. The film received a limited North American release on 24 June 2016. The film received critical acclaim, with many critics highlighting Dennison and Neill's performances and chemistry. Plot Ricky Baker, a juvenile delinquent who was abandoned by his mother, is taken by child welfare services officer Paula and police officer Andy, to live in a remote farm with foster aunt Bella Faulkner and her husband, th ...
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Goodbye Pork Pie
''Goodbye Pork Pie'' is a 1981 New Zealand comedy film directed by Geoff Murphy, co-produced by Murphy and Nigel Hutchinson, and written by Geoff Murphy and Ian Mune. The film was New Zealand's first large-scale local hit. One book described it as ''Easy Rider'' meets the Keystone Cops. It was filmed during November 1979, using only 24 cast and crew. Its overheads were surprisingly minimal, to the point that the police cars used doubled as crew and towing vehicles, and that the director Geoff Murphy performed some of the stunts himself. Plot In the Northland town of Kaitaia in spring 1978, nineteen-year-old Gerry Austin ( Kelly Johnson) opportunistically steals a wallet and uses the cash and driver's licence inside to rent a yellow Mini. With no particular aim in mind, he drifts down to Auckland. Meanwhile, in Auckland, the middle-aged John (Tony Barry), has just had Sue, his girlfriend of six years, walk out on him and fly home to Invercargill. After a night on the bottle ...
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Ohakune
Ohakune is a small town at the southern end of Tongariro National Park, close to the southwestern slopes of the active volcano Mount Ruapehu, in the North Island of New Zealand. A rural service town known as New Zealand's Carrot Capital, Ohakune is a popular base in winter for skiers using the ski fields (particularly Turoa) of Mount Ruapehu and in summer for trampers hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Toponymy The Ngāti Rangi iwi say the Māori language name ''Ohakune'' comes from the phrase "''he Ohakune ki te ao''", which broadly means "an opening to a new world" and refers to the descent from Mount Ruapehu into the valley and swamps of the area. In 2019 the New Zealand Geographic Board changed the official name to ''Ōhakune'', indicating that the first letter was a long vowel, but swiftly reverted to ''Ohakune'' without a macron when Ngāti Rangi objected. History and culture Pre-European history The lands to the south and west of Mount Ruapehu were historically ...
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Horopito, New Zealand
Horopito is a locality in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies on State Highway 4 between the village of National Park and the town of Raetihi. Horopito was the setting for the 1981 New Zealand feature film '' Smash Palace''. More recently (2011) there has been talk of a short film set in a caravan in Horopito. The film will be entered into the Cannes Film Festival. In the early days Horopito was a bustling sawmilling town. It had a railway station (1907-1986), school, two hotels, a bank, a strip club, post office and numerous houses. In 1907 a former Liberal MP, Kennedy Macdonald, had the impression that Hamilton, Horopito, Waiouru, Marton, and Palmerston North would be the chief places along the North Island Main Trunk line and was advertised as, "The future mercantile and industrial centre between Auckland and Wellington". In the 1920/30s Horopito fell into decline. People left for better work opportunities. Today nothing remains of most of the buildings. The hub of ...
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Manila Film Festival
The Manila Tagalog Film Festival, also known as the Manila Film Festival was a film festival organized in the city of Manila, Philippines. It is considered as the precursor to the Metro Manila Film Festival. History Then-Manila Mayor Antonio Villegas inaugurated the "Manila Film Festival" ("Manila Tagalog Film Festival"). The annual film festival ran for 10 days starting on the foundation day of Manila on June 24. During the run of the event, only Philippine films would be screened in theaters in Manila. It was set up in order to get Philippine films screened in "first-run" theaters which at that time only screened American films. Locally produced films prior to the film festival's first run was only screened at second-tier theaters. The success of the Manila Film Festival would lead to the Philippine Motion Picture and Producers Association (PPMA) to start their own film festival in Manila as well as other cities in the Philippines such as Bacolod, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, and Iloi ...
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The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid digital media, digital subscribers. It also is a producer of popular podcasts such as ''The Daily (podcast), The Daily''. Founded in 1851 by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones (publisher), George Jones, it was initially published by Raymond, Jones & Company. The ''Times'' has won List of Pulitzer Prizes awarded to The New York Times, 132 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any newspaper, and has long been regarded as a national "newspaper of record". For print it is ranked List of newspapers by circulation, 18th in the world by circulation and List of newspapers in the United States, 3rd in the U.S. The paper is owned by the New York Times Company, which is Public company, publicly traded. It has been governed by the Sulzberger family since 189 ...
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Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert became the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Neil Steinberg of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' said Ebert "was without question the nation's most prominent and influential film critic," and Kenneth Turan of the ''Los Angeles Times'' called him "the best-known film critic in America." Ebert was known for his intimate, Midwestern writing voice and critical views informed by values of populism and humanism. Writing in a prose style intended to be entertaining and direct, he made sophisticated cinematic and analytical ideas more accessible to non-specialist audiences. While a populist, Ebert frequently endorsed foreign and independent films he believed would be appreciated by mainstream viewers, which often resulted in such fi ...
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