BELLBIRD
New Zealand / 2019 / 106 min / DCP / Drama comedy

Director : Hamish Bennett

Script : Hamish Bennett
Cinematography : Grant McKinnon
Editing : Jason Pengelly
Music : Karl Steven
Production : Catherine Fitzgerald, Orlando Stewart

Cast : Marshall Napier (Ross), Cohen Holloway (Bruce), Rachel House (Connie), Annie Whittle (Beth), Stephen Tamarapa (Clem)

Set over four seasons on a humble Northland dairy farm, Bellbird is the story of a dairy farmer struggling to cope with the sudden death of his beloved wife, and the gradual bond he builds with his gentle only son and the local community. Ross is a man of few words and when his wife Beth dies, so does his spirit. His son Bruce is reluctant to change his own life to help run the farm. Without Beth as a buffer, the distance in their relationship is exacerbated. The presence of local boy Marley proves useful, as does the support from Bruce’s boss at the dump, Connie, and from Clem, the local vet.

Hamish Bennett

Hamish Bennett is a New Zealand film-maker of Māori descent (Ngāti Whakaue, Patuharakeke, Kati Waewae) and a fulltime school teacher. His first short film, The Dump, won Best Short Script at 2012’s NZ Writers Guild Awards. His second short, Ross & Beth, won numerous awards, including the Jury and Audience prizes at the 2014 New Zealand International Film Festival. Bellbird is Hamish’s first feature film, and is set in the small rural Northland community where he grew up.