ScreenTalk

Actor Rena Owen came to international fame through her role as matriarch Beth Heke in the hard-hitting feature film, Once Were Warriors, based on the Alan Duff novel about a Māori family struggling with domestic violence, gang culture and urban alienation.

She is currently living and working in Los Angeles and and is developing an adaptation of the novel, Behind the Tattooed Face by Heretaunga Pat Baker. Behind the Tattooed Face was the first novel written by a Māori about pre-European Māori. Owen hopes to return to NZ to film it once the financing is in place.

Owen was back in New Zealand recently to work on Vincent Ward’s Rain of the Children and Fiona Samuel’s upcoming TV drama, Piece of My Heart.

In this interview she talks with Clare O’Leary about:

• her beginnings in theatre as an actor and playwright;
• her many television drama roles and how she got her break on the landmark drama series, E Tipu E Rea;
• her role as Beth in Warriors;
• making a living as a Kiwi actor overseas;
• working on New Zealand stories (Behind the Tattooed Face, Piece of My Heart);
• the significance of working with Māori creative teams and crew.

Find out more about Rena Owen on NZ On Screen.

This interview is available to download and distribute in two parts (Part One and Part Two) on YouTube.

Credits: Direction and Interview – Clare O’Leary, Camera and Editing – Leo Guerchmann

World-renowned children’s author Margaret Mahy and director Yvonne Mackay talk to Clare O’Leary about their work together. Margaret discusses the different processes of writing a script, from devising new ideas, to seeing the adaptations of her books come to life on the screen.

In 2008 Yvonne Mackay produced and directed A Tall, Long Faced Tale. In this 70-minute partly animated documentary (an excerpt of which is available on NZ On Screen), children’s author Margaret Mahy is interviewed by friend and fellow author Elizabeth Knox. Elizabeth is aided and abetted by storybook characters who put Margaret on the spot about their origins.

A documentary about Margaret Mahy from the Made in New Zealand series is also available on NZ On Screen.

Find out more about Margaret Mahy and Yvonne Mackay on NZ On Screen.

This video is available on YouTube as Part 1 and Part 2 to share and download.

Credits: Direction and Interview – Clare O’Leary, Camera and Editing – Leo Guerchmann