It\u2019s not the latest masterpiece from Iran or a new Oscar-bait documentary.\u00a0 It\u2019s a comic horror film from New Zealand.\u00a0 I have no idea whether it\u2019s any good, but it\u2019s got a great tagline:\u00a0 \u201cThere are 40 million sheep in New Zealand … and they\u2019re pissed off!\u201d\u00a0 Naturally Black Sheep<\/em> revolves around one of those genetic experiments that go terribly wrong.\u00a0 It\u2019s the first feature by writer\/director Jonathan King.\n<\/p>\n I\u2019ve known about Black Sheep<\/em> for quite some time, since one part of The Frodo Franchise<\/em> deals with the impact that The Lord of the Rings<\/em> had on the Kiwi film industry.\u00a0 Of course Rings<\/em> helped draw other blockbuster productions to New Zealand, but for a while there was a fear that the small-budget local films would suffer\u2014costs driven up, competition for talent, and so on.\u00a0 Fortunately, Rings<\/em> turned out to be good for New Zealand\u2019s own filmmakers.\n<\/p>\n Before Rings<\/em>, it was rare for Kiwi films to draw international attention, and they tended not to do well at home, either.\u00a0 For a while Whale Rider<\/em> (2002) looked like it might just be one of those occasional exceptions. \u00a0Most directors were working abroad. The main support for most domestic films was, and is, the New Zealand Film Commission<\/a>.\u00a0 I had the pleasure of interviewing the Commission\u2019s head, Dr. Ruth Harley, twice during my research.\u00a0 The first time was in October, 2003, when it was not yet clear whether Rings<\/em> would swamp local filmmaking and be a one-time bonanza for New Zealand.\u00a0 The second time was at the American Film Market about a year ago, when filmmaking in the country was bustling and Harley declared that the industry was having its best year ever.\u00a0 The momentum seems to be holding steady, if not increasing.\n<\/p>\n Naturally I\u2019ve tried to see the new Kiwi films as they appeared.\u00a0 I enjoyed watching In My Father\u2019s Den<\/em> (2004) in the Empire Theatre in Wellington (where The Return of the King<\/em> had had its world premiere the year before).\u00a0 I very much liked The World\u2019s Fastest Indian<\/em> (2005), with an engaging performance by Anthony Hopkins, but unfortunately it was not well publicized during its American release.\u00a0 Even River Queen<\/em> (2005), with all the tales of its troubled production, turned out to be an impressive epic.\u00a0 It\u2019s a pity that the charming comedy about gay adolescents in rural New Zealand, 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous<\/em> (2005), has not gotten wider distribution.\n<\/p>\n More films are on the way, and several expat directors have returned home to work.\u00a0 Variety<\/em> reviewed Sionne\u2019s Wedding<\/em> (retitled Samoan Wedding<\/em> for distribution abroad) at the Montreal World Film Festival last month, declaring it \u201can instantly exportable comedy that will play gangbusters in all situations.\u201d\u00a0 It was a huge hit in New Zealand, where audiences have become interested in the local product in the wake of Rings<\/em>. \u00a0More recently Variety<\/em> praised Out of the Blue<\/em>, a thriller starring Karl Urban\u00a0 It\u2019s only the second feature directed by Robert Sarkies, whose Scarfies<\/em> (1999) was critically and popularly well-received.\u00a0 These and others in the pipeline suggest that Kiwi filmmaking is on a healthy footing.\n<\/p>\n
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Workshop, which had previously stuck to epics like Rings<\/em>, Master and Commander<\/em>, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe<\/em>.\u00a0 Peter Jackson and his partners in the various filmmaking facilities in \u201cWellywood\u201d provide services to other films than their own, and they particularly want to encourage local filmmaking.\u00a0 Black Sheep<\/em> is a step in that direction.\u00a0 Early publicity for the film quoted Weta head Richard Taylor as saying, \u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to turning some beautiful little sheep into crazed killers.\u201d\u00a0 The publicity photo from Variety<\/em> certainly gives that lamb a slightly Gollumesque look.\n<\/p>\n