WIFT member Vanessa Riddell sees her feature film West of Eden premiere in style on Wednesday 22 February, as part of the Auckland Pride Festival, before release through Rialto Cinemas on March 9.
Also slated for international distribution, the film is set in rural 1960s New Zealand and centres on the blossoming love between two young men: one a Maori city boy, running from the truth of who he is, and the privileged Pakeha son of a prominent local farmer.
Vanessa wrote and co-produced West of Eden, which was four years in the making and is her second independent feature film. She says, "West of Eden is a triumph of what can be done with a small budget, good planning, a committed core crew, and a great and talented cast. I am extremely proud of writing this wonderful slice of New Zealand's past, and bringing a light onto the struggle that many fellow Kiwis faced at that time, when being with, and loving who you love, was illegal."
For more on the film and to watch a trailer, visit the Little Red Hen Pictures website.