Earth Whisperers/Papatuanuku

Earth Whisperers/ Paptuanuku is about to open, down the road at the Paramount. I found the Earth Whisperers flier there the other evening when I went to Shamim Sarif's I Can't Think Straight (I'm such a sucker for rom coms, and this was different than any rom com I've ever seen, really enjoyed it, in an almost full theatre, on a very cold night).

And then I found that the Earth Whisperers/ Paptuanuku director is Kathleen Gallagher, a poet and playwright whose work I loved in the past, but someone I haven't seen or heard of for ages.

And then I found a website, full of details about her other films: He Oranga He Oranga: Healing Journeys about people with cancer, Caed Mile Failte: A 100,000 Welcomes about Villa Maria, a Sisters of Mercy school in Christchurch, A Peaceful Pacific about a peace conference in Christchurch in 2004, and Tau te Mauri/ The Breath of Peace.

According to the website:

Tau Te Mauri/ The Breath of Peace tells the story of of effort towards global peace, featuring eight peace people of Aotearoa New Zealand - spanning some seven decades - peacewalkers, petitioners, and folk in small boats and on the surfboards sailing out into the harbours in the face of huge warships.

A unique documentary, bedded in the movement of aihe (dolphins), tohora (whales), kotuku (white herons), toroa (albatross) and with an original score blending contemporary waiata and traditional Maori musical instruments.

This film tells the story of how Aotearoa New Zealand became nuclear free and anti-war.

All the films are available on DVD.

Earth Whisperers/ Paptuanuku focuses on ten visionary New Zealanders out to prove that a shift in consciousness can heal our environment. Another perspective to add to those of The Age of Stupid & An Inconvenient Truth.

I'm thrilled to hear about a whole group of docos I hadn't heard about before and look forward to seeing them soon, especially Earth Whisperers/ Paptuanuku. And thrilled that a poet and playwright has made them. Here's a Christchurch Television (CTV) Good Living interview with Kathleen talking about Earth Whisperers. It starts with an extract from the film. And the website lists the dates you can see it, all round the country. The DVD will be available after the theatrical release is over.