What a thrill it was to hold the World Premiere of MAURICE AND I at the magnificent Christchurch Town Hall, in conjunction with the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival 2024. We were so grateful to everyone who came along to celebrate with us - a full house in the wonderful James Hay Theatre!
After six years in the making, this really was an absolute 'pinch me' moment for all involved. For me, it brought to mind the sentiment expressed by my father Maurice in one of the interview excerpts that didn't make it into the final cut. He talked about the thrill of walking into the Douglas Lilburn Auditorium on the night of the opening concert in September '72, and experiencing it for the first time as a performance space - full of people! For the preceding four years he had experienced it only as a building site, now suddenly it had been transformed into a concert hall!
Similarly, for the past six years MAURICE AND I has been a project - an idea, an unfolding narrative, a collaboration, a funding challenge, many discussions, many decisions, a giant jig-saw puzzle, a work in progress, an impending deadline. On this night, for the first time, thanks to this audience and this venue, we were able to experience MAURICE AND I as 'a movie'.
We'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the generous support of our major donors, without whom this film could never have been made - The Warren Trust, Warren and Mahoney, The Turner Trust, New Zealand Institute of Architects, Ryman Healthcare The Mahoney Family, The Luney Family, Hamish and Karen Doig and all our Boosted Campaign Supporters. We are also hugely grateful to have been the recipients of at New Zealand Film Commission Feature Film Finishing Fund.
And finally, a big thank you to the hosting and catering teams at Venues Otautahi, for ensuring an excellent time was had by all.
PHOTOS: Maurice and I World Premiere, 1st May’24 📸 @petramingneau
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