‘Pike River' trailer released, first screening in Sydney
Greymouth is set to host the New Zealand premiere of the upcoming Pike River film this October, although it will screen first at the Sydney Film Festival next week.
The trailer for the film was released yesterday, offering a glimpse into a retelling of the events leading up to the November 2010 explosion that killed 29 men underground at the Pike River coalmine, and the long battle the families of the miners have faced since.
The New Zealand movie opens locally on October 30.
New Zealand actresses Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men, Yellowjackets, The Last of Us, Heavenly Creatures) and Robyn Malcolm (After the Party, Far North, Outrageous Fortune) play Anna Osborne (Lynskey) and Sonya Rockhouse (Malcolm), who both lost their loved ones in the disaster and became leading voices in the long fight for truth and accountability.
The film also features Lucy Lawless (Xena, My Life is Murder) as unionist Helen Kelly, and Tim Gordon (The Kick) as Pike families spokesman Bernie Monk.
Pike River was partly shot on location in Greymouth in 2023, and some families were closely involved in the production. The film is supported by the Families Committee and Families Reference Group.
Film-makers say they have chosen to premiere the movie in Greymouth to honour the community at the heart of the story, though it will have its world premiere in Sydney on June 7, as a "special presentation" at the 2000-seat State Theatre.
Some Pike River families from New Zealand and Australia will be attending that screening, along with members of the cast and crew.
Melanie Lynskey stars as Anna Osborne.
Greymouth Mayor Tania Gibson watched the trailer yesterday morning.
"It's going to be an emotional time — watching the trailer was hard in itself."
The film would be good for the community to see, 15 years on.
"I'm sure there will be some mixed emotions around."
Director Rob Sarkies, originally from Dunedin, commented: "After working closely for more than five years with many of the Pike River families it's gratifying to be sharing the first glimpse of the film. I hope Pike River will give New Zealanders an insight into the determination of these families and an understanding of what they went through, and why.
"Melanie and Robyn have done an extraordinary job capturing Anna and Sonya's inspiring friendship that transformed them into leaders for their community." — Greymouth Star
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- NZ Herald
The Last of Us Season 3: Here's everything we know ahead of next chapter
Chief Lifestyle and Entertainment Reporter Jenni Mortimer gives an update on all things entertainment. Video / Herald Now Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. The Last of Us Season 3: Here's everything we know ahead of next chapter This article contains spoilers for Season 2 of The Last of Us There were 763 days between the first two seasons of hit TV show The Last of Us, and we've just been given an indication whether that pattern will continue. HBO renewed the series for a third season on April 9 this year before the premiere of the second season, but didn't say when that third season would air. In a recent interview with Variety, Casey Bloys, the HBO chief executive, confirmed the American television service's timeline for the show's next season. He told the publication fans have a bit of a wait ahead, saying 'the series is definitely planned for 2027'. If that schedule eventuates, there will be a similar gap between each instalment of the video game adaptation. Season one wrapped on March 12, 2023 and season two premiered on April 13, 2025. In New Zealand, The Last of Us streams on Neon.
1News
18-07-2025
- 1News
Menopause, sex and the joy of being 60: Robyn Malcolm doesn't hold back
As her long career climbs to new exciting peaks, one of New Zealand's favourite actors remains politically fierce, sexually outspoken and determined not to be overlooked by her famously sexist industry. By Gill Higgins It might be a strange comparison, but I think of Robyn Malcolm like a tornado. Wherever she lands, she kicks up what's in her path and somehow leaves you feeling more alive than before. And so it was that on a mini break from filming in Perth, she swept me into a whirlwind 24 hours: a dash to Tauranga to speak at a women's business event, then straight to Wellington for dinner with old friends, then on to see her son Pete's band, American Muscle, that same night. ADVERTISEMENT And while she's at it, she's across her social media. She's the face of a new anti-ageing cream for the vagina (yes, really), she's promoting her latest Netflix series, pushing the relaunch of Outrageous Fortune for its 20th anniversary, and gearing up for the October release of the long-awaited Pike River film. Somewhere in there, the dogs get walked too. And she's just turned 60. Robyn Malcom, then and now. (Source: Supplied) For those of us racing toward that milestone, Malcolm's not just weathering it – she's changing the forecast. 'The ticking over into 60 that I was nervous of because of what it represents – I am so in love with. I love it!' So naturally, I wanted to know how she's so positive about a period of life that many dread. Once back in Auckland, exhausted, we head to the home she's had for over a decade. It's an old villa, painted a striking pink to brighten up her street. It's loud, it's a statement, it says 'I'm proud of who I am', just like its owner. Malcolm's sense of purpose has always been clear. From a young age, acting was everything. At 15, after a clash with a senior staff member at school (she told them to f*** off), she turned to her father, Pete – who happened to be the school principal. His response? It was time to leave and chase her dreams. ADVERTISEMENT A young robyn Malcolm and her dad, Pete. (Source: Supplied) It was her dad who told me that story and I could tell he was quietly proud of his stubborn, determined daughter. She moved to Wellington to live with her grandmother and never looked back. A Kiwi star was born. Malcolm in her first show (that's Michael Hurst). (Source: Supplied) That determination has never left her. Malcolm has never been afraid to stand up – for herself and for others. She recently marched against the government's Fast-track Approvals Bill. She's protested the atrocities in Palestine. And in 2010, she famously took on the Warner Bros, during the filming of The Hobbit, speaking out for better pay and conditions for local actors. 'I went through hell with that, it was awful. I had death threats and loss of work.' Young Malcolm was equally outspoken. (Source: Supplied) So always feisty, but she'd say never more so than now. ADVERTISEMENT 'Since menopause my feminism – which has always had a really healthy spring in its step – is so f***ing rabid now!' Much of her ire is directed at her own industry. The ageism, the sexism – she says it's relentless and she's felt it especially keenly since going through menopause. 'When I first went through it, I was just sobbing my heart out going, I don't know what's happening.' Her doctor prescribed HRT and antidepressants. But as she looks back now, she wonders 'how much of my feeling shit was about my place in the world and the messages I was being given'? Malcolm says menopause was a hard time. (Source: Supplied) She shares the stories with humour, but the undertow is serious. Like the time in her late 40s that she was asked to sign a nudity clause – something she was happy to do - only to be told they'd prefer her to keep her clothes on. Or the roles she lost to women 10 to 15 years younger, despite the fact she was the one who was the same age as the character. She quotes Amy Schumer 'when you're no longer f***able, suddenly there's less tolerance'. 'It wasn't crushing,' she says, 'but it made me furious.' ADVERTISEMENT An industry's obsession with youth She's also frustrated by the effect the industry's obsession with youth has on women. She knows many actors who've spent thousands of dollars chasing it. 'To me, it's almost like an illness, this dissatisfaction with how we look, how we try to be something we're not.' She feels women waste far too much time and money betraying the very things we should be grateful for. 'Why are we so critical, so mean, so judgemental, so downright vile to our bodies'? She's been there. But she's done with it. Malcolm, in the Shortland St era. (Source: Supplied) These days, she's found a new appreciation for her body, likening it to a car – a solid one, that's carried her for 60 years and is still going strong. 'I'm learning how to handle a slightly older vehicle now. I love that metaphor. Like I've got to go in for a Warrant of Fitness a bit more than I used to.' ADVERTISEMENT She 'buggered her knee' while filming the 2024 TV series After the Party and her back plays up. 'Because I'll still bend from the hips and lift 30 kg bags of compost out in the garden, you know?' But she celebrates that her vehicle is still on the road. Still doing its job. It's OK to be a woman and angry And it's not just an appreciation of her physical self, but her emotional self too'. 'It's fine to be an older, angry, belligerent, passionate, furious woman. It's really fine'. It was all of this, all these experiences, that inspired her and co-creator (and head writer) Dianne Taylor to create After the Party. They knew it was a risk. A drama with a lead who was flawed rather than having flawless skin. Who wore trackie bottoms rather than flowing dresses. Who created a mess in the kitchen rather than a perfect pavlova. 'We really dug our heels in; there was a bit of pushback – 'she's not a nice character. People might not like her'.' ADVERTISEMENT With her partner, Scottish actor Peter Mullan, in After the Party. (Source: Supplied) Some didn't. Funding was hard to find. It took three years. But the payoff was worth it. Rave reviews, rewards and nominations rolled in – from France, New Zealand, Scotland and even at the Baftas which are like the British Oscars. It was up against well-funded giants like Shogun and Jodie Foster's True Detective. Shogun won, but it was a wild ride, a little Kiwi show creating quite a storm. And now? Robyn Malcom and Peter Mullan at the Baftas. 'We're getting serious offers from overseas, we're making something new with people in the UK.' That's all she'd reveal, but she couldn't hide her excitement. If filming moves to the UK, that would be a bonus – because it's home to Malcolm's long-distance partner, Scottish actor Peter Mullan. They've been together, albeit frequently oceans apart, for 15 years. 'You go, well, I love you, so we'll make it work. It doesn't have to be conventional, and we make sure we put the kids first.' (Malcolm has two, Mullan has four, all of them aged in their late teens and older.) 'I remember my mum saying, 'I like this man he puts his kids ahead of you. And that's what he should do'.' ADVERTISEMENT Mullan has also been her acting partner, twice. First in Top of the Lake, then in After the Party, where she accuses him of paedophilia on screen. Off-screen, she's far more generous. 'He's a great human being, a phenomenal father. Fierce and politically connected. And one of the greatest actors in the world.' We can't say enough about sex So, for Malcolm, unconventional works. Which means it makes perfect sense that while many actors push creams to smooth wrinkles on the face, Malcolm promotes products to revitalise the vagina. She's not shy about it, in fact, quite the opposite. 'Nobody wants to talk about sex, I've never understood why, it's like we just don't want to talk about sex. I figure we can't say enough.' She dives straight in. Explaining that 84% of women experience vaginal atrophy as they age. It's due to cellular death and it can lead to painful sex, burning sensations and infections. Malcolm says Myregyna cream and pills can revitalise cells – and she swears they work. Maybe the New Zealand-made product contributes to Malcolm feeling more comfortable in her own skin than ever before. She has a partner she loves, two sons she's proud of, and a career catching its second wind. And she believes there's more to come. ADVERTISEMENT She calls this stage the final act of her play. One she wants to make the best yet. She's named it: Oh my God, I am mortal. 'I haven't quite worked out how to articulate it but I think as your body gets older, the catch up that your mind has to do… it's to have a really visceral relationship with mortality.' Standing up for what matters At her sons' age (19 and 17), she says death was barely a concept. Now, it's a constant consideration. 'Like, maybe be grateful for every day more than you were. Maybe take a few more risks. I'm always thinking, how would I feel on my deathbed?' Malcolm, protesting for Palestine. (Source: Supplied) It's vital to her to stand up for what she believes in. One of the issues weighing heavily on her mind is the war in Gaza – she calls it 'one of the great moral catastrophes of the 21st century' –she says she'd be on the very first boat if an international group of artists were heading there to help. 'And I really mean that.' Because more than anything, she wants her life to count. 'To be able to say I did and said all the right things, that I showed up and that I was honest. And maybe that's what the last stage of life is about – finding your own way to your own sense of the authentic.'
NZ Herald
15-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Wētā FX earns two Emmy nominations for visual effects work on House of the Dragon, The Last of Us
Wētā Workshop co-founder Sir Richard Taylor speaks about Lord of the Rings 20 years on from the final instalment of the trilogy. Video / Marty Melville Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Wētā FX earns two Emmy nominations for visual effects work on House of the Dragon, The Last of Us New Zealand visual effects company Wētā FX has landed two Emmy Award nominations for its contributions to two high production value television shows. The Wellington-based company's special effects for the second seasons of The Last of Us and House of the Dragon were recognised in the Outstanding Special Visual Effects category. 'Having our work recognised by our peers and the global entertainment community is something we deeply appreciate,' Matt Aitken, Wētā FX's head of visual effects (VFX), said in a statement. 'The nominations are testament to the outstanding quality of work contributed by everyone at Wētā FX and we couldn't be prouder to be adding to the rich history of these iconic series.' The House of the Dragon team's VFX supervisor Wayne Stables said he was 'honoured' to be recognised with VFX producer Marcus Goodwin on their team's behalf.
