Costa Botes
When the Cows Come Home introduces audiences to Tilly and Maggie, a pair of cows that musician, journalist, artist and cow whisperer, Andrew Johnstone has befriended and subsequently saved from slaughter. The garrulous herdsman is enthusiastic to expound his views on animal husbandry, bovine communication and the vagaries of life in general, before the film walks us back through the events that have shaped the singular farmer-philosopher. From personal family tragedy to warring with Catholic school authorities, innovating in Hamilton’s nascent music scene to creating guerrilla art installations; Johnstone’s life has had a truly idiosyncratic trajectory. Mental health issues may have seen him retreat to life on the farm, but the film makes clear its subject’s restless inquisitiveness is far from being put out to pasture.
Charting the ripple effects of real compassion, this inspiring true story follows a spirited young New Zealander’s search for the Rwandan samaritan who assisted him through a dangerous predicament over ten years before.
Costa Botes takes us far, far north of his native New Zealand for this magical documentary about man's four-legged friends. Brian Ladoon is an eccentric, lone-wolf Canadian who has dedicated his life to saving the extinction-threatened Qimmiq - a species of canine used by local Inuits for centuries as hunting-hounds but now abandoned in favour of motorised skidoos. The snowy wilds of remote northern Manitoba make for a stirringly picturesque backdrop for footage of the rugged but irresistibly cute Qimmiq, not to mention the polar bears who occasionally amble by. Doing their best to make an impact among such furry scene stealers are the crustily ornery Ladoon and his unflappably laid-back younger Kiwi assistant, former teen-TV pinup Caleb Ross.
A gang member wakes up one morning and decides he needs a day off. Inspired by a newspaper advertisement he impulsively decides to take a short ferry trip between islands. With his tattooed face, black leather clothing, and prominent gang patch, the gangster is a fish out of water when he arrives in the idyllic small port town of Picton. The experience he has there will change his outlook on life forever.
Candyman tells the amazing true story of David Klein, an eccentric candy inventor from LA, who came up with the concept of Jelly Belly® jellybeans. These colorful beans became a pop culture phenomenon, revolutionized the candy industry and were personally endorsed by Ronald Reagen. However, David's eccentric personality and peculiar sense of business led him to leave Jelly Belly just as it was about to explode and grow into a billion dollar enterprise. Is there room for eccentric genius in the modern corporate world? The film tells how Klein may have lost his beans, but kept his soul.
A vivid first person look at the annual blues festival held in Nepal. The film features many performers but also shows the city and country, including a hair raising bus trip and a visit to the elephant breeding centre at Chitwan National Park.
Nigel Gavin ran away with a circus when he was fifteen. Many years later, he is still performing incredible feats. This concert recording features a mix of original compositions and stunning freeform improvisations, mostly played on Gavin's bespoke Laurie Williams guitar; but also on a unique 11 string Glyssentar guitar that needs to be heard to be believed.
After 35 years of playing, one of New Zealand’s most accomplished Blues troubadours had still never recorded an album. Some of Dave Murphy’s friends decided that had to change. This film documents the creation of his first long playing record.
Created by filmmaker Costa Botes (personally selected by Peter Jackson), this documentary uses raw footage to reveal the inside story on how the greatest adventure film franchise was born. Included as a bonus feature with "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Limited Edition".
A behind the scenes documentary from the making of the "Two Towers"
A behind the scenes documentary from the making of the "Return of the King"
Their music has been described as deep blues from way down under, as if the Mississippi River had gorged its way through the center of the earth and come home in...New Zealand of all places. They are the Windy City Strugglers. This film offers a funny and passionate look at 40 years of obscurity and great music.
A behind the scenes documentary from the making of the "Fellowship of the Ring"
A collection of The Making of 'The Fellowship of the Ring', 'The Two Towers' and 'The Return of the King'. This documentary treats movie, special effect and fantasy fans to a behnd-the-scenes look at the making of The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson's blockbuster three-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic work of fiction about the battle to save Middle Earth from the power of Sauron, and the quest that must be undertaken by a single small hobbit. Includes interviews with director Jackson, stars Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood, and the rest of the cast and crew who share some of the experiences they had in making the film, as well as discuss the massive effort that went into making the myths and monsters of Middle Earth a reality.
Grace is a homeless teenager. She befriends an unemployed carpenter and he invites her to share his flat. She moves in and to her surprise a delicate relationship develops. He helps her repair her shattered self-esteem and she begins to feel loved and secure. But then she discovers his secret - he tells her he is Jesus Christ.
The life story of Colin McKenzie, a forgotten pioneer of international cinema who was born in rural New Zealand in 1888.
Valley of the Stereos involves an escalating battle between a hippie ('River', played by Danny Mulheron) and a metalhead (Murray Keane) who live next door to each other in the countryside.
Originally made for NZ television in 1988, this one hour documentary is now something of a time capsule or historical piece. It's also a record of a peerless performance by one of this country's greatest poets.
It is 1962. New Zealand is emerging from the austerity of the 1950s into a new age. Daniel is a nine-year-old Catholic boy, an only child given to colourful imaginings. He discovers that an old man who passes the plate in church bears a striking resemblance to the great Russian dictator, Joseph Stalin. Daniel starts to believe that the old man really is Stalin, come to take over New Zealand. Daniel takes it upon himself to give Stalin a fright and send him on his way. He hits on a method of doing so after finding where the old man lives and spying on him. Stalin is banished, but events take a strange twist, leaving Daniel with an even worse threat to deal with.
A Canadian-produced fantastic anthology series scripted by famed science-fiction author Ray Bradbury. Many of the teleplays were based upon Bradbury's novels and short stories.
