Ant Timpson
Film Fanatic
Ant Timpson’s longtime love affair with movies — especially the wild and 'incredibly strange' end of the spectrum — has seen him launch long-running film festivals and New Zealand's biggest filmmaking contest, 48 Hours. He has been part of the producing team on a run of features, from Housebound to The ABCs of Death. In 2019 Timpson directed thriller Come to Daddy, starring Elijah Wood.
It’s as if director Jason Eisener had downed a keg of Street Trash Viper, blended it with some meaty chunks of Texas Gladiators 2020 and Class of 1984, then vomited it all up in Technicolor. Ant Timpson on his Incredibly Strange movie pick Hobo with a Shotgun, showing he knows his stuff
Come to Daddy
The Field Guide to Evil
The Greasy Strangler
ABCs of Death 2.5
Deathgasm
Designed to provide a “perfect storm” of gore, guitars, girls and comedy, Deathgasm involves two young heavy metallers who accidentally summon up a demon. Blazing a bloody trail at festivals across the United States, the film was born from the Make My Movie Project. Four hundred pitches for a low budget Kiwi horror movie led to one winner: this tale inspired by the metal and movie-mad youth of digital effects man and director Jason Lei Howden. After debuting at US festival South by Southwest, Deathgasm won keen reviews, and festival slots in Sydney and Aotearoa.
Turbo Kid
The ABCs of Death 2
Housebound
Described as “bloody brilliant” by horror legend Peter Jackson, Housebound follows a woman dealing with the triple threats of house arrest, potential ghosts, and having to live with her mother. Morgana O’Reilly (TV movie Safe House) is the criminal facing eight months home detention with an annoying Mum (Rima Te Wiata). Jaquie Brown Diaries director Gerard Johnstone’s film debut won near universal praise, and the remake rights sold to New Line in the US. Fangoria loved its mixture of "fantastic comedy" and mystery and it was nominated for ten Moas, including Best Film.
How to Meet Girls from a Distance
In this 'peeping tom rom-com' Toby (Richard Falkner) gets a little carried away un-obscuring the object of his desire — SPCA worker Phoebe (Scarlet Hemmingway). His dating guru Carl (comedian Jonathan Brugh) doesn't help. The inaugural winner of the Make My Movie Feature Film Competition was made in six months for $100,000. The Wellington team behind Distance proved that you don't need a big budget and years of development to make a crowd-pleasing feature. Following successful screenings at the 2012 NZ Film Festival, it was picked up for theatrical release.
The ABCs of Death
Rocked the Nation
Rocked the Nation launched in 2008 with six one hour-long shows. Production company Satellite Media ransacked the archives and interviewed protagonists, to survey 100 key moments in Kiwi music history: including smash hits, riots, TV talent shows, and sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. Hosted by Karyn Hay, the series screened on C4 during NZ Music Month, and was the channel’s highest-rating series to that date. Follow-up series counted down 100 New Zealand Pop Culture Stories (2009, hosted by Rhys Darby) and 100 New Zealand Sporting Moments (2011, hosted by Dai Henwood).
A Song of Good
Gary Cradle (Gareth Reeves) wants to go straight, but has to face up to a drug habit, family dysfunction, and the burden of guilt over a past sin. Gregory King's redemptive recovery yarn debuted at the Rotterdam Film Festival. King's second feature won Qantas Film and TV Awards for the best film made for under $1 million, and Ginny Loane's camerawork. Actors Reeves and Ian Mune (playing his far from supportive father) were also nominated. In February 2009 the film gained media attention after being made available to watch free online, for 24 hours.
The Devil Dared Me To
Matt Heath and Chris Strapp dragged their characters from bogan TV series Back of the Y to the big screen for this movie, which follows Randy Cambell's rocket car driven mission to be "New Zealand’s greatest living stuntman". Gross and petrol-fuelled mayhem ensues, as Cambell romances a one-legged female Evil Knievel and fights a family curse. Scott Weinberg (Cinematical) praised this "cross between The Road Warrior, Mad Magazine and Jackass" as "loud, raucous and adorably stupid" when it premiered at US festival South by Southwest in 2007.
Celluloid Horror
Crab Boy