Beamafilm for Waitangi Day

There’s something for pretty much every time of year on Beamafilm – the library’s free streaming service for movies, tv shows and docos. So if you want to enjoy some quintessentially Kiwi content on our national day, here’s a few you might like to check out.

The Dark Horse won a bunch of film awards, including at the Toronto International Film Festival and NZ Film Awards, for the based-on-a-true-story movie starring Cliff Curtis. Cliff plays Genesis, the troubled chess player who volunteers to teach a group of disadvantaged children how to play the game.

Fantail is set mostly at a petrol station, where Tania works long hours to save money to take her brother to Australia to find their father. A poignant story with engaging main characters and a compelling story arc – good humoured but also kind of sad.

Keas is a nature documentary about the mischievous parrot that inhabits New Zealand’s mountains. Unlike other parrots, keas love the snow and harsh mountain climate. The film showcases the bird’s intelligence and resourcefulness with plenty of footage of the bird in action.

The Dead Lands is an epic action movie where the teenage son of a slain Maori chief seeks revenge for his tribe’s slaughter in the hope of bringing peace and honour to the souls of his loved ones. To have any chance of success he must pass through the Dead Lands and forge an alliance with the mysterious Warrior that rules there.

Waru is made up of eight 10-minute short films written by different Maori women filmmakers. Each is a vignette filmed in real time set around the tangi of a small boy who died at the hands of his caregiver. It’s a powerful story that shows the impact of the boy’s death on a community.

This is just a sampling of the terrific collection of NZ offerings on Beamafilm. You can also discover a huge selection of movies and shows from all over the world. If you haven't discovered this streaming service yet, it's easy to get started. Just go to the Hastings District Library's website and enter Beamfilm into a website search. Beamafilm also appears on the carousel under the banner. Either will take you to the Beamafilm information page. With just a few simple steps you'll soon be up and running with Beamafilm. Happy viewing.

Posted by JAM 

5 February 2024

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