Yes We Cannes!

2008 - six years since we got under way. Things are looking good. The NZ Film Commission finally comes on board by funding a new draft of the script. Both my UK and NZ producers are going to Cannes in May. I decide to use my script fee to join them there.

We prepare a promo vid for the festival, featuring Rawiri Paratene, Gillies Mackinnon, and moi. You can see it here. A variety of meetings are scheduled with potential distributors, as well as with Screen West Midlands and the NZ Film Commission. We get some promising reactions.

Cannes is mad. You can read my recounting of the experience here. A fair bit of wine was consumed. 

From there we headed off to London, where we met with our director, Gillies Mackinnon, for more eating and drinking. I stayed on for a few whiskies with Gillies, and we hit it off very well - always a good sign for the writer/director relationship.

Everything was looking set to go. With the budget set at somewhere between NZ$9m and $11m, the only box left to be ticked was a UK distribution deal. 

Surely we were nearly there. Surely?