New Fiona Kidman doco captures what lies beneath the surface
A new documentary film which profiles the life of one of New Zealand’s most well-known authors, Dame Fiona Kidman, had its Hamilton premiere at the LIDO cinema this week.
Titled ‘The House Within’, the screening on Tuesday, August 5 was hosted by Hamilton Book Month and Hamilton Film Society. It was followed by a Q&A with Director Joshua Prendeville (In Passing) and Hamilton Film Society President, Andrea Haines.
The feature length film played to a full house and encapsulated an intimate part of Fiona Kidman’s life. It captures Kidman as a powerful writer and as a person with a good sense of humour, something filmgoer Ray Raynel picked up.
“I liked the scene where she talked about how she and her husband broke in the house to watch the moonlight”
At the Q&A Prendeville responded to questions, including his reasons for making the film, his process and decisions about narration and setting.
Asked what prompted him to approach Kidman, Prendeville said, “It is about her unwavering moral compass, and I was blown away by the depth of her as a person.”
Prendeville said when he first talked to Kidman about making a portrait film about her, she refused. However, after a few days of long conversations and building an amount of trust, she was convinced.
He said, “There’s so much more underneath the surface”, and this good rapport between them shines through the film with how open she is.
Prendeville was asked if having Kidman as the narrator was the idea from the start, and said “It is the perfect opportunity because she is a great storyteller.”
The director said the setting of the documentary. at Kidman’s home, came about after he met the author by the steps to her clifftop house overlooking Wellington Harbour.
“Fiona’s home always connects to her, it is somewhat intimate and a nice connection to make.” Prendeville said that it is also a love letter to Wellington as it is a memory from his childhood.
Audience member Ray Raynel said, “Even though she is the only person in the film, it feels like we are moving along with her as the story moves on because of the nice transitions from her house to the train, the ferry then back to her home.”
Before wrapping up the Q&A, Prendeville credited his crew mentioning the composer Xavier Mañello and Wellington based cinematographer Bill Bycroft and the sense of space and proximity he created between the camera and the person.
The film had its New Zealand premiere on July 24th and is in cinemas now. You can watch the trailer here https://youtu.be/2gSwO5AtH2E
Ronella Felizardo is a year 3 international student studying Bachelor of Communication.
