NZ feature film receives special Q&A screening with director in New Plymouth this Saturday

“…a touching, beautifully drawn Kiwi film … well worth hunting out”
****
Sunday Star Times

“Year’s Most Tasteful Depiction of Nudity”
New Zealand Listener

This Saturday (18 June), the writer-director of New Zealand feature Russian Snark will take part in a special Q&A at New Plymouth’s Arthouse Cinema after the 8.20pm screening of the film, which opens in cinemas nationwide this week.

Stephen Sinclair is a successful screenwriter, having written the scripts for The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, Meet the Feebles and Braindead with Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh .

He’s also a celebrated playwright – as well as writing such plays as The Bach and The Bellbird, he's the co-creator of international stage hit Ladies Night with New Plymouth-born Anthony McCarten.

Sinclair is making his feature film directorial debut with Russian Snark, which he describes as “an eccentric comedy-drama-art movie” about a Russian filmmaker struggling to further his career in NZ and the pressure this puts on his marriage and mental health.

A central theme of the movie is whether it’s better to be a great artist or a good man, something Sinclair laughingly admits has great personal resonance for him.

“Filmmaking is not a family-friendly profession,” he says, “and the conflict between work and private life was certainly an issue during the making of Russian Snark. Though my wife is still talking to me – so at least the outcome wasn’t disastrous!”

Sinclair will also be attending Q&A screenings of the film in Auckland (Rialto Cinema, Newmarket,16 June, 6pm) Wellington (Paramount Cinema, 19 June, 5pm) and Palmerston North (Cinema Gold, 23 June, 5.45pm).

MEDIA INFO
Local screening times: www.arthousecinema.co.nz
Trailer: http://www.flicks.co.nz/movie/russian-snark/
Official website: www.russiansnark.com
Media requests, including interview, high resolution photos: nof.grant@gmail.com