''Futile Attraction'' is a 2004
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
film directed by
Mark Prebble
Mark Prebble (born 1951) is a former New Zealand civil servant. He was the State Services Commissioner, head of New Zealand's public service from May 2004 until 30 June 2008. On 25 January 2008, Prebble announced his retirement after 32 years in ...
. It is an anti-romantic comedy filmed in
mockumentary
A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...
style. The movie attracted media attention for the fact that it was the first New Zealand feature film, and one of the first films internationally, to be crowd-funded through internet donations.
Plot
A film crew are making a Reality TV show about a couple brought together by a dating agency. However, the couple are so incompatible that the crew must manipulate the relationship to get the footage they need for the show.
Randal (Peter Rutherford) is a telemarketer with a passion for telephones who has never quite broken away from his controlling mother; Germaine (Danielle Mason) is an activist who agrees to be filmed in order to publicise the threat a new dam poses to her favourite stream. During the filming, presenter Dudley (
Alistair Browning), who is willing to do anything to get himself looking good on camera, clashes with Anne (
Glenda Tuaine), who prefers to ignore their boss's ever-changing scripting instructions in preference to a more objective look at the reality of the relationship.
Production
With limited resources available, the writers chose the mockumentary format for its combination of low budget requirements and comedic possibilities.
The movie was filmed in 2002 over 13 days. However, due to budgetary constraints, post-production took two-and-a-half years.
Taika Waititi
Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( ), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. Known for quirky comedy films and expanding his career as a voice actor and producer on numerous projects, he ...
and
Jemaine Clement
Jemaine Atea Mahana Clement (born 10 January 1974) is a New Zealand actor, comedian, musician, and filmmaker. He has released several albums with Bret McKenzie as the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, and created a comedy TV series t ...
appear in cameos.
The ground-breaking fundraising campaign started in early 2004. Having been rejected for funding by the
New Zealand Film Commission
The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC; ) is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films. It was established under the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978 (as amended in 1981, 1985, 1988, 1994 a ...
, Prebble set up a website called www.MakeMarksMovie.com to raise money internationally. This internet crowd-funding campaign succeeded, despite taking place prior to kickstarter existing or Facebook being widely used. In addition to the money raised in this way, he received numerous offers in kind, from post-production services to poster design and band music.
Distribution
''Futile Attraction'' had a short cinema season in New Zealand followed by a DVD release by Arkles Entertainment. Internationally it was released by Echelon Entertainment. It can be streamed for free, along with a short making-of documentary, a
NZ On Screen
References
External links
One News interview* {{IMDb title, 0414998, Futile Attraction
Reality television series parodies
2000s mockumentary films
2004 films
2000s English-language films