Pheno was Here

In this 1982 short film, Harry (Goodbye Pork Pie's Kelly Johnson) and Pheno (Donogh Rees) are bored Wellington rebels on a crime spree: tagging, stealing art and hijacking a bus to the badlands of nearby Makara Beach. It was the era of Muldoon, Springbok Tour protests, spacies and dole queues. The film captures the disillusionment of its youth, especially in the outcome of the duo's pursuit by a tyro cop (Duncan Smith). Johnson was fresh from Pork Pie, and Donogh Rees a young actor on the rise. Director Richard Riddiford went on to helm features Arriving Tuesday and Zilch.

The film serves as a pocket reminder to those of us that lived through it of how ambiguous we felt about our country back then.

– Gregor Cameron, reviews the film for website Lumière Reader, 8 October 2010

Key Cast & Crew

Donogh Rees

As: Pheno

Richard Riddiford

Director, Producer, Writer

Kelly Johnson

As: Harry

Jim Macfarlane

As: Paint shop man

Bill Walker

As: Dole clerk

Grant Tilly

As: Shop manager