IFFI-2008 - International Film Festival of India

IFFI-2008
COMPETITION
2008, 35 mm, Colour, 90 mins, English-Punjabi
New Zealand
Apron Strings
Apron Strings is a parallel story of two families and two cultures set in suburban Otahuhu
in South Auckland, New Zealand. It explores the boundaries of nurture and control,
mothering and smothering, and how we sometimes have to let go of our individual sense
of what is 'right', to do what is 'good' for all. As the Pakeha family struggles to move out
of a co-dependent stalemate that stops them moving forward, an Indian family has to
confront misunderstandings and secrets from the past that tore their family apart. At the
heart of the stories are three women whose lives and livelihoods revolve around food.
Lorna, in her old fashioned cake-shop; Tara, in her no-frills curry-house and Anita on her
stylish Indian cooking show on TV. Hard working Lorna must not only deal with her
unemployed stay-at-home son Barry and his chronic gambling addiction, but also
reckon with a tragic past that haunts them both. For the stylish and beautiful Anita,
everything comes to a head when her son Michael decides to meet her estranged sister
Tara, and delve into a past that she cannot bear to face. And for the more traditional Tara,
Michael's arrival in her life opens up old wounds that challenge her seemingly peaceful
life as a spinster. Sometimes, in order to grow and forge new connections, old apron
strings have to be cut loose. Letting go, it seems, is the best embrace. "Apron Strings is
the first Indian feature film to be funded through official channels in New Zealand," says
producer Rachel Gardner. The role of Anita is played by Moroccan-Indian actress Laila
Rouass, and New Zealand based Indian actress Leela Patel plays Tara. Co-producer
Shuchi Kothari, born and educated in Ahmedabad and based in New Zealand, is also the
co-scriptwriter of the film. She has also co-scripted Nandita Das's Firaaq.
Director
Vaele Sima Urale
Screenplay
Shuchi Kothari, Dianne Taylor
Cinematography
Rewa Harre
Editor
Eric De Beus
Music
Mark Petrie
Cast
Laila Rouass (Anita), Scott Wills (Barry), Jennifer Ludlum
(Lorna), Nathan Whitaker (Michael), Leela Patel (Tara), Jodie
Rimmer (Virginia)
Production Design
Johnny Hawkins
Sound
Chris Burt
Costumes
Nina Edwards
Production
Great Southern Film Ltd
World Sales
NZ Film Commission
PO Box 11 546 Wellington New Zealand
T: +64 4 382 7682
F: +64 4 384 9719
Email: kathleen@nzfilm.co.nz; marketing@nzfilm.co.nz
www.nzfilm.co.nz
Festivals & Awards
Toronto, Auckland, Vladivostok, New Zealand International
Film Festival, Melbourne
Born in Savaii, Samoa, Sima Urale and her family immigrated to New Zealand in 1974.
She is a graduate of Toi Whakaari O Atearoa 1989 (New Zealand Drama School), and
Victorian College of the Arts Film and Television School 1994 in Australia. Since her
return to New Zealand in 1995, her short films O Tamaiti (1996), and Still Life (2001),
together have accumulated several international accolades, including the prestigious
Silver Lion at Venice International Film Festival. In 1995 she also made a brief return to
theatre for the award winning play Think of Garden, which won her Best Actor in a
Supporting Role at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards. In 1997, she directed her first
documentary Velvet Dreams for TVNZ, which went on to win Best Documentary Award
at the Yorkton International Film Festival in Canada. In the same year, she directed her
first music video Sub-cranium Feeling and won Best Music Video at the BFM, Mai
Time, and Flying Fish Awards. In 2007, she directed short film Coffee & Allah, written
by Shuchi Khotari, and had it's world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. This is her
debut film.
17