Kiwi film Holy Days lands in local cinemas Feb 26 and how lucky are we Wifties to get such an incredible insight into this production direct from the director and fellow Wiftie Nat Boltt - enjoy our nourishing Q&A as she dials in from Canada!
So Nat – WOW – what a cast of powerhouse wāhine you have gathered from across the globe. Can we have an insight into how you managed to score Miriam, Judy and Jacki?
Thank you so much! It still feels unreal sometimes. I always had Miriam and Jacki in mind, but agents and managers can be very tough, even if the script is good — I had been developing Holy Days with an excellent script editor, Claire Dobbin. Even so, it’s hard to get it into an actor’s hands. The gatekeepers don’t necessarily take you seriously and are in no hurry to respond. This definitely slowed the process down.
What got us moving was when we brought a trusted international casting director on board. She had access to all the agents and had worked on some high-level projects, so she not only suggested names for the bigger roles, but she also got my script read — and Miriam came on shortly afterwards. Then Judy, and right at the end, Jacki. I remember it was Christmas morning the day I heard that we had all three nuns. It certainly felt like Christmas that year!
What a joy to have Joy! With your amazing short film experience with Joy Cowley, and now another brilliant story to riff on for the big screen — how would you describe the writing process and your collaboration together?
After the success of my short film The Silk, based on Joy’s most famous short story by the same name, Joy and I started working together on Holy Days. I spent many hours with her on a weekly basis. During that time, Joy became like a surrogate mother to me and a surrogate grandma to my son, Jupiter. I still have the wonderful things she made for us — blankets and wooden bowls, books and letters she wrote to Jupiter. She is such a generous and warm person, and we had no family in New Zealand.
I was very faithful to her story at the beginning, but the book is very different from how the screenplay ended up, because the Holy Days road trip required a faster pace and a more filmic structure. At some point Joy said to me, “OK Nat, it’s time for you to take this and run with it. Make the story your own.” For an author to say that is an incredible gift. It’s also terrifying.
But I always knew that if I had questions, or if it felt like I was getting derailed, I could go back to Joy and get her take on where the story could believably go. In my hands, it became more and more comedic. When Velvet Moss came on board, I was connected with Claire Dobbin, who understood my sense of humour and what I was trying to do. From that point, I would check in with Joy regularly. And we are still great friends.
What were the challenges and the gifts of being writer, director AND actor on your film?!
The gift of being the writer and director is that you can make changes really quickly on set. If an actor has a question or a note, you immediately know whether changing the scene is going to affect the rest of the movie, or if it’s going to strengthen all weaken the story.
The challenge is that you’re doing multiple jobs. During pre-production and production, there is absolutely no time to rest. You are either rewriting, shot listing, location scouting, or making decisions on production design, costume, and technical planning for the LED volume, plus a multitude of other decisions and trouble shooting.
Throw acting into that, and on days when my character was on the call sheet, I would be sitting in the makeup chair in the morning while answering questions on comms about the day’s shoot from every department. It was really nerve-racking. You can imagine how fidgety I was on those days — not easy for the hair and makeup team!
The benefit, I suppose, is that as an actor I didn’t have to learn any lines. I knew all my lines and every line of every character in the film!
A phenomenal team of women in front AND behind the camera — how was the vibe of this long-gestating project?
It was an incredible team of dedicated women. Financing the project was extremely difficult, so we definitely had our ups and downs. Once we were in production, we had to work really fast because we only had Elijah for eight hours a day and our leading ladies for 10 hours a day — and we had a lot to achieve. When you see the film, you’ll see how much we packed into that time and budget.
I’m very proud that we were so female-forward. Every department was either equally or predominantly female. Even our lighting team was almost entirely female — incredible mana wāhine carrying massive lights and gear, never slowing down, always positive, so skilled, with such great attitudes.
It was our fantastic Director of Photography, Tom Burstyn, who reached out and got Sophie Lloyd and her team on board. Aline Tran was our second unit DOP, and she is a talented and enthusiastic force. Carly Turner, our amazing editor, brought special magic and a can-do attitude that was absolutely vital to this film’s success.
The producers in both New Zealand (Emma Slade and Roxi Bull) and Canada (Michelle Morris) worked incredibly hard to make the very complex co-production contract work. That process is still continuing today as we wrap up the deliverables and secure worldwide distribution beyond the territories we’ve already sold.
I’d also give a shout-out to the mums who kept their kids happy, hydrated and focused during very hot summer days, when a lot of the acting process involves waiting to be called to set. All the mums were amazing. Renaye Tamati, Elijah’s real mum, who plays Paula, did a phenomenal job helping and prepping her son for this leading role.
And now it’s on to PR and publicity — again, 90% female — doing an incredible job.
It’s so much harder to get female-led and female-focused films financed, but once they are out there, it is women who celebrate, support and spread the word — as evidenced by our phenomenal success at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where Holy Days was completely sold out, to the point of turning hundreds away. I can’t wait for this film to hit cinemas so we can prove the box-office appeal of this female-forward story.
Casting and working with young actors is a skill all its own — from the trailer alone Elijah Tamati has the goods and then some! How was he amongst the seasoned cast and what did he bring to the key role of Brian?
I think it was really special how Elijah brought his newness and innocence to this group of veteran actors. The ladies knew they needed to be patient with him and support him, and I think that shifted the energy on set.
I remember one hilarious day when Miriam was struggling with a particular line — she was blanking on it (very unusual for her) and getting very frustrated with herself. She’s such a perfectionist! And Elijah turned to her and said, “Hey, don’t stress! You’re a good actor,” with all the innocence of not understanding what it means to be a BAFTA winner. All Miriam could do was laugh and relax.
It was also interesting to see how, in his scenes with Judy, Elijah would absorb some of her brilliance — almost through osmosis. The final scene they have together is an example of that. He settles into this really connected space with her.
It’s such a wonderful thing to expose up-and-coming Kiwi actors to international talent and allow them to carry that experience into their own careers.
And, to be honest, I also felt like his sweetness helped settle her high energy too. Sometimes it’s just magic that happens between actors. I think this unexpected and inexplicable connection is part of the message of the film — that even if we are divided by age, gender, culture or beliefs, we still share a common humanity. Friendship can be forged under any circumstances.
How was the NZ/Canadian co-pro experience? What were the benefits and the challenges?
It’s a hell of a lot of admin! Co-productions are not simple. They require enormous tenacity and follow-through. The legalities, the pressures, the deliverables, connecting all the dots between two countries and meeting all the requirements for funding, producing and delivering a film — it’s not for the faint-hearted.
The producers will have much more to add, but I’d say the main challenge is coordinating the intricacies of both countries’ film treaties. You have to find a way to look after yourself, stay healthy, get rest — yet keep going until you see it through. It requires superhuman effort and energy, as well as mental clarity, stability, and outstanding communication and collaboration skills.
As a storyteller, and as a woman working in the screen industry, how does it feel to be releasing your feature out into the wild, and into cinemas for audiences to savour?
It’s a dream come true — a 12-year dream that was quite nightmarish at times! But now that it’s out there, I’m starting to really enjoy it and feel the pride, satisfaction and huge appreciation for everyone’s contribution — and remember why I started this process in the first place.
Considering how the film has already been received, I feel like its life is going to be long and beloved, and that the joy is only going to grow.
If you watch the film to the very end, you’ll see my dedication: “To Joy.” That is not just my special message to Joy Cowley, who believed in me from the very start, but to everyone who made this film — and everyone who is going to watch it. It is for joy. We all need more of that — especially now.
Storytelling is a joyous process. For me, it’s the only reason to do it.
Now that you’ve “locked off the edit” — ha ha! A word of advice and/or inspiration for aspiring Kiwi women working tirelessly to tell their own stories?
Keep going. Keep dreaming. Keep connecting.
Take yourself to film markets, meetings, and any opportunity to hone your craft. Invest in yourself. Volunteer on other people’s projects — in any department — and you will learn so much about the filmmaking process.
Meet as many people as you can. Your team is out there. Your support is out there. If one avenue isn’t working, think outside the box and try something else. Never let anyone tell you it’s too hard, or that “no one’s forcing you to make a movie” (as was once said to me).
If you are a storyteller, remind yourself that storytelling is one of the most human skills you can have. Honour it. Be a role model for other women. Yes, it’s harder — but if you succeed, you will be another woman that girls can point to and say, “I want to be like her.” “If she can do it, so can I.”
Above all, women, please support each other. Create the sisterhood. Strengthen it. Celebrate it. Have each other’s backs. There is a warmth, beauty and heart connection between women that is unlike any other bond.
We’ll do it our way — with grace, humour and dignity — and we will succeed.
And to celebrate this fabo release, we have five double passes to giveaway to Holy Days! We shall take the first FIVE swift Wifties who email us at the WIFT Office on office@wiftnz.org.nz and you shall win a double pass - good luck!