Running for Empties

On a typical weekday, 14-year-old Glenn sprints to his after school job, delivering milk bottles up and down the suburban streets of Newtown, Wellington. This film follows Glenn and fellow milk boy Todd as they engage in a friendly race to deliver their crates first. Thanks to animated sequences imagining Glenn as a futuristic action hero, reality mixes with fantasy. The documentary offers a slice of the 80s, capturing the days of glass bottles, plastic tokens and energetic teens pushing trolleys at speed, following the milk truck. Running the Empties was directed by David Stubbs (Daffodils, Belief).

I'm saving for a skateboard.

– 14-year-old Glenn talks about his milk run earnings

Key Cast & Crew

Brendan Anderson

Cinematographer

Ewan Cole

Narrator

Trevor Loomis

Animation

Sean O'Donnell

Lighting

Lori Katzer

Producer, Sound Editor

David Stubbs

Director, Editor