Aoraki Mt Cook to be location for upcoming Tenzing Norgay movie about Everest climb
Directed by Australian documentarian Jennifer Peedom, Tenzing is scheduled to film in Aoraki/Mt Cook next month, with its snow-capped, rugged landscape serving as the backdrop of the world-famous
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Scoop
5 hours ago
- Scoop
Brisbane Alt-Country/Indie Rock Group Halfway Release Their New Album The Styx
Halfway have been a band for quarter of a century, and across that time they've made eight studio albums, each of which has received a wealth of critical acclaim. From their origins in 2000, Halfway have developed their style and songs into cinematic soundscapes, lush with pedal steel, densely layered guitars, and driving rhythms. Halfway's new album, The Styx, features the return to the fold of band co-founder Chris Dale after a six-year absence, and contributions from guests including Chris Abrahams (The Necks, Midnight Oil) and Adele Pickvance (The Go-Betweens). A concept album of sorts, The Styx is situated in a remote Australian coastal town during the Christmas of 1986 and explores themes of family, isolation, love, and betrayal. " Growing up, my family would spend time at Stanage Bay in Central Queensland, which is a small fishing village situated to the southeast of the Styx River. It was a remote and beautiful place," reflects Busby. He didn't know anything about Greek mythology but saw the beauty and the danger there just the same. On fishing trips with his father and a cast of characters who might have walked out of the pages of a John Steinbeck story, he must have heard a hundred times: 'People drown in here.' Seeds were planted. ' The whole Stanage Bay / Styx River area, and the people there, are a big part of this record. When some of the band and our friends started to inform the songs, I knew I had to set it at the bay,' says Busby. ' It's a place full of beauty and mystery. I had been wanting to base a story there for a long time.' There is nothing mythic about these stories of love, lust, longing, and leaving, which feel as real as an errant fishhook deep into flesh. Brothers George and Lennie are the kind of hard-bitten characters who might be found in stories by Steinbeck or Richard Flanagan, battling the elements and themselves and always with an eye out for the fishing inspectors. Just before daylight, Lennie goes to check the nets. He doesn't return. The recording of the album took on a different form for the band, who recorded themselves in Brisbane before Mark Nevers (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Lambchop, Calexico, George Jones) shaped the mix of the songs at his South Carolina studio, with Busby alongside him. ' We usually just record live in a room, but this one started quietly. Just my guitar and vocals, layering it track by track, and then recording the drums last. A weird back-to-front album, but it gave us the chance to put the story / songs first rather than concentrate on how the songs would work live.' The sound the band has concocted is one of sweeping beauty and sonic grace, both heartfelt and tragic. Guitar strings and keys wash across the speakers, like the ocean breeze and the river tide. Drawing on the influence of bands such as The Triffids and Phosphorescent, Halfway seamlessly blend alt-country and indie rock sensibilities, providing the songs with a hypnotic and compelling backdrop to these poetic tales from the Australian coastline. The album's first single,' The Palace ', features heart-wrenching pedal steel, courtesy of Noel Fitzpatrick, Elwin Hawtin 's solid backbeat and those chiming, hypnotic guitars (John Willsteed, Chris Dale, John Busby) that Halfway do so well. Vocal melodies duck and weave, hanging in the air with a melancholic grace as Busby delivers his lyrics amid the exquisite and atmospheric alt-country sprawl. Courtesy of an endlessly played cassette of The Queen is Dead, bought at Kmart in Rockhampton, 'The Palace' " pays homage to The Smiths and to dreaming even in the most remote places," says Busby. "It's a song for the outliers and people living in the margins." The second single, ' Matches ', written by Busby and bassist Ben Johnson, creaks and shimmers to life courtesy of its gently sparkling guitars and atmospheric keys. Drums enter the fray as the music swells and expands into an evocative sound akin to the best of Mercury Rev, where musical dreams and memories coexist. " The coals of a fire are neither flame nor ash. 'Matches' sits in the space between ignition and extinction, rooted in uncertainty," says Johnson. " The stories of The Styx inhabit that uncertain ground where nothing is fully on or off, alive or gone. What begins as fire ends as cinders and lingers softly afterward." As in their songs, as in life. Love lost and found, the pain and the hope, the past and the landscape ever-present. Great songwriting often finds a way to make the deeply personal feel universal. Few bands navigate that path as surely as Halfway across their nine timeless albums.
Scoop
6 hours ago
- Scoop
Doc Edge Awards 2025: Mighty Indeed And The Pool Take Top Honours And Oscar® Consideration
On Thursday evening Doc Edge held their annual awards as part of the 2025 Doc Edge Festival at The Grand Millennium Hotel in Auckland. Twenty-four awards were announced to honour and celebrate the superb documentaries and filmmakers, from both New Zealand and internationally, participating in this year's programme. Doc Edge is an Academy Awards qualifying festival for feature and short documentary films. The winners of Best NZ Short, NZ Feature, International Feature and International Short are eligible for consideration for the 2026 Academy Awards. Mighty Indeed from New Zealand director Vanessa Wells and The Pool by Australian filmmaker Ian Darling emerged as the night's most awarded films, with Wells' taking out two awards and Darling's film taking home three. Mighty Indeed was awarded Best New Zealand Feature and Best Director. The film follows three women working in Antarctica across four decades, exploring science, climate, and survival in one of the world's harshest environments. The jury praised the work for its 'quiet strength, emotional depth, and clear directorial vision, gracefully executed.' Wildboy by Brando Yelavich and Toby Schmutzler received Best Editing and Best Cinematography, with the jury applauding 'its relentless commitment to capturing both nature in all its grandeur and personal challenges in all their intimacy'. Three Days in February directed by Serena Stevenson was awarded Best Sound, with the jury noting its 'evocative, immersive, and emotional aural design that transports the viewer to a magical place outside of time and day-to-day drudgery.' Little Potato, directed by Chen Chen, won Best New Zealand Short for what the jury described as 'artistic photography, an unflinching camera, and bravery and vulnerability in sharing intimate moments about a sensitive topic often kept behind closed doors.' The Best New Zealand Emerging Filmmaker award went to Caleb Young for Nothing is Impossible: The Primanavia Story and Best Tertiary Film was awarded to Ally, directed by Evienne Jones from the University of Canterbury. Best International Feature went to The Pool (Australia), directed by Ian Darling. The jury described it as ' a compelling and beautifully crafted work that transforms a seemingly simple subject into a powerful exploration of the human condition,'. The film also took our Best International Editing and Best International Cinematography. The Dating Game (United States), directed by Violet Du Feng, was awarded Best International Director and received a Special Mention for Best International Short. The jury praised the film for 'delivering on all fronts – from strong casting and beautiful cinematography to mindful editing, a remarkable achievement from a director to watch.' On Healing Land, Birds Perch (USA/Vietnam), directed by Naja Phm Lockwood, won Best International Short and In Waves and War took out Best International Sound. Ruby Chen, the previously announced recipient of the Doc Edge Superhero Award, was celebrated and formally presented with her award on the night. Ruby Chen is a tireless advocate for independent storytellers, she has played a pivotal role in elevating the global presence of Chinese and Asian documentaries and in nurturing a new generation of documentary talent. The 2025 festival programme boasts 90 titles including feature films, shorts and immersive projects. Screenings continue in Auckland until 13 July, before heading to Wellington and Christchurch from 16 to 27 July, and online via the Doc Edge Virtual Cinema from 28 July to 24 August. Full list of Doc Edge Awards 2025 Winners: New Zealand Award Winners Best New Zealand Short: Little Potato (Dir. Chen Chen) Best New Zealand Feature: Mighty Indeed (Dir. Vanessa Wells) Special Mention: Devils on Horses (Dir. Edward Sampson) Best New Zealand Director: Vanessa Wells (Mighty Indeed) Best New Zealand Editing: Wildboy Best New Zealand Cinematography: Wildboy Best New Zealand Sound: Three Days in February Best New Zealand Emerging Filmmaker: Caleb Young (Nothing is Impossible: The Primanavia Story) New Zealand Student Award Winners Best Tertiary Film: Ally (Dir. Evienne Jones) University of Canterbury, Christchurch Special Mention: Don't Forget Us (Dir. Maria Hewison) South Seas Film School, Auckland International Award Winners Best International Short: On Healing Land, Birds Perch (USA, Vietnam, Dir. Naja Phm Lockwood) Best International Feature: The Pool (Australia, Dir. Ian Darling) Special Mention: The Dating Game (United States, Dir. Violet Du Feng) Special Mention: Before the Moon Falls (United States, Dir. Kimberlee Bassford) Best International Director: Violet Du Feng (The Dating Game) Best International Editing: The Pool Best International Cinematography: The Pool Best International Sound: In Waves and War Festival Category Winners Being Oneself: A Quiet Love The Art of Storytelling: Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror Tides of Change: Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea Facing the Edge: In Waves and War In Truth We Trust: Blame The Edge of Impact: Yurlu | Country Immersive Impact Winners New Zealand Project: The Visitors Book (Created by Rewa Rendall) International Project: Kapwa (USA, Created by Michaela Ternasky-Holland, Aaron Santiago) Doc Edge Superhero Ruby Chen Stay updated with the latest news and announcements by visiting and following Doc Edge on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube. Film stills available here.
NZ Herald
9 hours ago
- NZ Herald
New albums reviewed: Rock and Roll misfits Jazmine Mary and Ratso
I Want to Rock And Roll By Jazmine Mary Anyone expecting something like Joan Jett or Suzi Quatro from Auckland's Jazmine Mary on the basis of the louche, rebel-gal album cover here hasn't been paying attention. Jazmine Mary is the noir-folk vehicle for Australian-born Jazmine Phillips, (they/them) whose downbeat The picked up Best Independent Debut at the 2022 Taite Prize and their follow-up DOG appeared in many best-of lists in 2023.
