The Star: January 26, 2017

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Thursday January 26 2017 41
Theatre/Arts
Filmmaker to capture Olympic history
• By Georgia O’Connor-Harding
ZAHRA LARI could become
the first figure skater to represent
the United Arab Emirates at the
Winter Olympics.
And a filmmaker who grew
up in Merivale is determined to
capture the skater make history
at next year’s event
in South Korea.
From the moment
filmmaker
Niamh Peren
(left), 27, stumbled
across a lowquality
video of
the Muslim figure
skater on YouTube, she instantly
wanted to know more.
“We became like pen pals for
a little bit and I was like this is
too good of a story. She is on the
cusp of doing something really
big,” Peren said.
The filmmaker secured a week
in February to travel to Abu
Dhabi to create a documentary
about the inspiring skater in her
homeland.
“I think it is a really beautiful
and cinematic notion, an ice
skater that comes from the desert.
Like it is quite a brave sport
to choose . . . the chill of the ice
and the heat of the desert is just
worlds apart,” she said.
Peren, who attended St Margaret’s
College, will travel over
with a small film crew, including
• By Georgia O’Connor-Harding
OLIVER DAVIDSON was going
to study to become a surveyor at
Otago University.
But after achieving three major
feats in the performing arts
realm, the former St Bede’s College
student has decided to take
a risk.
Davidson, of Papanui, will
study a Bachelor of Performing
Arts at Otago University after
winning a $16,000 scholarship.
But, not only has he had his
tertiary fees covered, he was
recently accepted to attend an intensive
singing school in Napier
earlier this month, and has been
chosen to represent the country
at the world championships of
performing arts in Los Angeles
in June.
About 300 people auditioned
for a place in Napier’s IFAC
Handa NZ Singing School and
Davidson was one of 73 chosen
to attend.
But, while the 11-day course
focuses on helping students to
accelerate their skills in singing,
Davidson said what he enjoyed
most was being around likeminded
people.
He said his junior years at St
Bede’s were a struggle with some
of his fellow classmates finding
dancing a “weird thing.”
But he said as everyone grew
London-based cinema photographer
Jeremy Valender.
Valender, who has shot a range
of work for Burberry, Adidas,
Google and Louis Vuitton, is one
of the big names Peren has built
up in her contact list during her
film career.
Peren has worked with filmmakers
Jane Campion, Garth
Davis and Jonathan Glazer.
The film crew plans to “get to
know” Lari and her home life by
capturing places such as the rink
she trains in, and the desert she
drives past on the way to training
each day.
“Hopefully, she gets into the
Olympics, which will be the biggest
thing ever and we will go to
South Korea and watch her shred
it,” Peren said.
Peren’s career took off
when she first acted in the
film Blue, which won an award
in the Cannes critics’ week section
of the Cannes Film Festival,
when she was 17. She then started
her own video-making while
studying at the Elam School of
Fine Arts in Auckland.
Recently, Peren was signed to
Blink Productions in London,
which specialises in commercial
and music video production, and
she has since been travelling for
her filmmaking.
Peren and her crew need to
raise at least $10,000 to under
up they began to see dancing as
“cool” instead.
“I think towards the end of
my high schooling, it was quite
good. There wasn’t many people
like me, it made me stand out so
I wasn’t just part of the norm,”
he said.
Having started in dance at the
Patricia Paul School of Dance
and Southern Ballet Theatre, his
involvement in the arts began to
go up a gear when he performed
in all three productions produced
by Showbiz Christchurch
last year.
Now, encouraged by his No 1
supporter, his mum, Davidson
will have a crack at a career in
arts.
“Some people were like you
are so stupid going down to
Dunedin to do surveying, why
are you wasting your talent?” he
said.
He is now hoping for the best
outcome for his career from his
upcoming competition at the
world championships.
The competition, known as
the official ‘talent Olympics’ is
renowned for giving scholarships
to schools, such as the New York
Film Academy and the New York
Conservatory for Dramatic Arts.
But for now, Davidson is most
excited about having the chance
to “start over again” in Dunedin.
BEHIND THE LENS: Niamh
Peren, who grew up in
Merivale, wants to make a
documentary about United
Arab Emirates ice skater
Zahra Lari.
take the project and have so far
raised about $2540 using Givealittle.
She will be supported by
two film companies.
She said people who make
donations will have their name
presented in the end credits of
the film.
“I think it is such an important,
huge and beautiful story.
Seriously, in today’s climate, if
we look at the women’s march, it
is really important to be telling
female stories,” she said.
To support the film, go to https://givealittle.co.nz/project/
niamhperen-documentary
Scholarship helps actor towards career in the arts
TALENT: Oliver Davidson has decided to take a risk and pursue a performing arts career. He
performed in Showbiz Christchurch’s production of Evita last year. PHOTO: DANIELLE COLVIN