Gregory King

Writer/director Gregory King has quickly made a name as a distinctive voice in digital filmmaking. His first feature was dysfunctional family story Christmas (2003), followed by A Song of Good (2008).

Originally trained as an actor - something he recommends all directors try - King began directing short films in the late 90s. His debut short Pop won an outstanding achievement in video production award at the Melbourne Film Festival, while ...Teach You a Lesson was selected for Melbourne and New Zealand festivals. 

King's third short Junk won him the best short film award at the NZ Film and Television Awards, and the following year he was named SPADA NZ Filmmaker of 2002.

King made his feature film debut with Christmas, which was invited to festivals in Toronto, Edinburgh, Melbourne and New Zealand. Set in a crowded Whangarei bungalow in the days leading up to Christmas, the film revolves around four troubled adult siblings, their parents, an alcoholic boyfriend and two children.

Filming in the house where he grew up, King’s intention was to look at a group of people without judging or “assuming the arrogant stance” of understanding their behaviour. The low-budget feature went on to win four NZ film awards for digital films - including best feature and screenplay, and best acting (for Darien Takle).

King has also appeared before the camera. He features as the drug-addicted friend of the main character in Colin Hodson’s digital feature .ON. The film was originally released in 2002, in a longer cut, as .OFF.

In 2004 King won selection to the Binger Filmlab, a film development school based in Amsterdam. King was especially appreciative of the lab’s “rewarding” writing programme. There King’s next project — which he described as being about "redemption, alienation, power" — won the enthusiasm of editor Molly Stensgaard, a colleague of wunderkind Danish director Lars von Trier.

Plans to make A Song of Good as a co-production with Von Trier’s Zentropa entertainment were later abandoned after funding difficulties; instead the film was produced through the New Zealand Film Commission’s Headstrong digital film scheme. The top drawer cast includes Danielle Cormack, Jonathon Hendry, and Matt Sunderland(Out of the Blue). The film chronicles the struggle of a young man (Gareth Reeves) to redeem himself after committing a horrific crime. His overbearing father (Ian Mune) proves little help.

Both Mune and Reeves were nominated for NZ Film and TV acting awards. The movie took away gongs in a new category devoted to films costing under $1 million: best film, and another for the work of cinematographer Virginia Loane. Among invitations to international film festivals, A Song of Good made its sell-out debut at the prestigious Rotterdam Film Festival.

In February 2009 A Song of Good was distributed using a pioneering method: the movie was made available to watch via an official website, for 24 hours. The film’s NZ DVD distributor Vendetta then cancelled the film's planned DVD release, claiming they hadn’t been told of the plan to stream it free online. Happily, publicity drummed up by the online release led to a surge of orders from video chains.

King has also written for others. Short film Brave Donkey, written for Kiwi director Gaysorn Thavat, won invitation to a number of festivals (Locarno, London, Melbourne). He also co-wrote short film Bird, with director Jane Shearer.

Now based in Wellington, King has worked as a script consultant for filmmakers from New Zealand, Denmark and the United States. He is also developing his own projects - including NZFC-funded short UFO, and feature Pollution Girl Dreaming.

Sources include
Gregory King
Brannavan Gnanalingham, 'Gregory King on A Song of Good' (Interview). Lumiere website. Loaded 11 July 2008. Accessed 6 February 2012
'King, maker'(Interview). OnFilm, November 2008, Page 24 (Volume 25, Number 11)