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 The Dominant Species
 Loose Enz - The Protesters
 Stalin's Sickle
 Forgotten Silver
 Scarfies

Synopsis

Saving Grace sees spiky street kid Grace (Kirsty Hamilton) get taken in by enigmatic carpenter, Gerald (Jim Moriarty). As Grace falls under (much older) Gerald's spell she's flummoxed by his claim that he is the messiah. Could Gerald be Jesus of Cuba Street or is he a delusional dole bludger? The screenplay was adapted by Duncan Sarkies (Scarfies) from his stage play. Botes' dramatic feature debut converted fewer viewers than his prior film, the classic hoodwinker Forgotten Silver; though critic Nicholas Reid welcomed an NZ film "with style and brains". 

Credits (15)

 Costa Botes

Costa Botes
Director

 Larry Parr

Larry Parr
Producer

 Duncan Sarkies

Duncan Sarkies
Writer, Original Author, Actor

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Produced by

Kahukura Productions

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Related Titles (9)

 Forgotten Silver

Forgotten Silver

Television, 1995 (Excerpts)

A mockumentary co-directed by Botes

 Scarfies

Scarfies

Film, 1999 (Trailer and Excerpts)

Written by Duncan Sarkies

 Nothing Special

Nothing Special

Short Film, 2005 (Full Length)

Another Kiwi second coming

 Stalin's Sickle

Stalin's Sickle

Short Film, 1986 (Full Length)

An award-winning short directed by Botes

 The Dominant Species

The Dominant Species

Television, 1975 (Full Length)

Another Wellington second coming

 Two Little Boys

Two Little Boys

Film, 2012 (Trailer)

Written by Duncan Sarkies

 Te Whanau O Aotearoa - Caretakers of the Land

Te Whanau O Aotearoa - Caretakers of the Land

Film, 2003 (Full Length)

A doco on a group of homeless people in Wellington

 Loose Enz - The Protesters

Loose Enz - The Protesters

Television, 1982 (Full Length)

Also features Jim Moriarty

 The Hidden

The Hidden

Television, 2004 (Excerpts)

A doco on Auckland street kids

Quotes

It’s a real pleasure to welcome a New Zealand feature film with style and brains. 

– Nicholas Reid, North & South

That’s what movies can do best. They can bend reality and explore dreamlike states ... I love surrealism, but I’m not into fantasy, as such. I like being on a cusp between what’s solid and what’s not. The same sensibility or balance in Duncan’s writing really attracted me, as theatre critic Denis Welch cleverly pointed out about Sarkies’ work: ‘It’s more ‘realism’ than ‘sur’. 

– Director Costa Botes

He understood Gerald, because in all the most positive ways, he's not unlike him. Far from being the macho man I'd feared, Jim's a lovely, nurturing kind of guy, full of irrepressible positive energy. He was a tonic for me and all the crew.  

– Costa Botes on actor Jim Moriarty

Awards

1997 NZ Film & TV Awards
Best Feature Film Score: Plan 9

Festivals include
1999 Fantasporto, 1998 Montreal World Film Festival, 1998 Chicago, 1998 Puchon International Fantasy Film Festival, 1997 Valladolid, 1997 Asia-Pacific Film Festival,