Pour a Dicey wine. Watch a Dicey movie.
At Dicey HQ, the discussion around how we engage our community almost always reverts to wanting to share our wines the way we ourselves enjoy drinking them — in a casual, relaxed way in the company of good people.
So, when Matt and James decided to get the Holden Kingswood out on the road and travel the country, it was decided just such an event should be included in the itinerary and the idea of a movie night was born.
Enter Loading Docs.
A NZ On Air, NZ Film Commission supported platform that shares short documentary films made in New Zealand by New Zealanders. The films are available to view online, in full and at no cost to the viewer. It’s sort of incredible really and we wanted to share some of the incredible films.
The following list includes the films that were carefully curated to reflect our own values and the things we feel are important in life. Conservation, facing adversity, stepping up to take on a challenge, celebrating creativity and art all the while ensuring there’s a good dose of humour in the mix to provide a little balance. We wanted to champion diversity and celebrate some of the efforts young people are making to contribute to a better world while honouring the joyous and deeply significant and beneficial actions of our older community. Quick summary: good people doing good things.
While these films were epic on the big screen, we urge you to set aside some time, pour a glass of your favourite Dicey wine and enjoy watching these short docos by some incredible kiwis.
Before we cracked on with the docos, we served this gem up first. A snazzy Super8 number made for us for those clever clogs Soph Bayly & Si Moore.
Super Dicey
a film by baylymoore
The origin story of what has become the worldwide phenomenon of bungy jumping. ‘The Jump’ is the story of bungy jumping and its unsung creator Chris Sigglekow. Unearthed video footage from the 80s uncovers this amazing period of bungy’s beginnings.
The man who became a meme, Levi Hawken, recalls his joke that birthed a viral catchphrase. Living with a rare genetic condition which affects his appearance and turned him into an internet caricature, Levi defines the price of our fame based society. Blurring the line between internet icon, skateboarding legend and talented artist, he discovers all is connected and fate is often as simple as being careful what you wish for.
Mike and Dave love being underground, deep underground. They’re friends and cavers, and they’re on a mission to find a new entrance to a spectacular cave. It’s dark, it’s muddy and it’s confined – more so than most people could bear, but Mike and Dave are determined. Will these two singularly focused mates strike it lucky and find their way into something breathtaking?
In the 1940s, two young Chinese refugees found an unlikely way to repay New Zealand's welcome.
Fay and Joe Gock are quite simply beyond inspiring. Having escaped the Japanese Invasion of China, they fell in love in 1950’s New Zealand. And it seems that nothing, even the fact that owning land was illegal for the Chinese at this time could stop these two from becoming the largest and most sharing kumara growers in New Zealand.
Petra Leary takes her hidden superpower to the sky, with her drone and dog, Kodak, in tow.
Life’s about how you see it. Petra Leary sees the world from above, seeking startling heights to create stunning art, all while trying to make sense of the complex and challenging world around her. Having pushed back against traditional education and now an ADHD NZ ambassador, Petra sets out with her skateboard, drone and dog Kodak to defy the odds and create her own artistic legacy.
Poet Hone Tuwhare's granddaughter pens a love letter to the world, bridging the gap he left and embracing his legacy.
A national treasure whose poetry spanned over 40 years, the world knew Hone Tuwhare. His mokopuna Manaia never did. Now 18 years old, Manaia feels her koro calling her, triggering a journey of connection in te reo Māori to prove there’s another Tuwhare who writes poetry. This narrative frames a deeply personal exploration of identity, heritage, and the enduring power of words to connect generations.
Meet the millionaire who became a shoeshine man peddling goodwill and cheer throughout Auckland.
Never in a thousand years did Larry Woods believe he’d become a shoeshine man. In the 1980s, the flamboyant businessman was “made”, a chauffeur-driven millionaire whose extravagant exploits even made tabloid fodder. This is the story of one man’s revelation for change and the pivotal moment that led him there, from a lifestyle of wealthy self-indulgence to becoming an ambassador of goodwill and cheer.
A hunt for the rare Weedfish in fading New Zealand kelp forests leads to a profound underwater journey.
Our waters are under threat. In a bold attempt to defend them, two marine researchers and photographers embark on a wild search for the Crested Weedfish. The goal, capture a powerful photo of the rarely-seen fish before its home is damaged beyond repair.
Honouring her late Uncle Clive's adventurous spirit, Ashley takes a leap of faith and learns to fly.
A decade after his death, Ashley takes off on an emotional journey of reconnection. Following in her Uncle’s larger-than-life footsteps, she wants to do one of the things he loved most, fly like a bird. Can his memory instil Ashley with the courage she needs to reignite her zest for life and understand his?
A passionate conservationist and his canine companion fight together to save New Zealand’s kea.
Ajax is a story of fear and hope for New Zealand’s unique wildlife told through the relationship of conservationist Corey and Ajax, his highly-trained border collie cross, as they voyage into remote and challenging parts of the New Zealand countryside to track down the world’s only mountain parrot, New Zealand’s endangered kea.
Travel with these two friends as they brave the elements and manage the disappointments, in the hope that together they can make a difference in the fight for kea survival.
Posing a massive threat to native wildlife and a river’s fragile ecosystem, didymo (discovered in New Zealand in 2004) has now infested many of the South Island’s most iconic rivers (including the Rangitata and the Tekapo). Just a single drop of infected water or plant fragment can spread the algae – didymo kills rivers.
Angered at seeing his beloved waterways decimated by this ‘rock snot’ and frustrated by the apparent lack of action by ‘the authorities’, Logan Williams, a 22 year old scientist, inventor and entrepreneur from Timaru, has taken matters into his own hands.
In the thrilling world of dirt track racing, Brooke smashes through gender barriers to do what she loves most.
With racing in her blood, Brooke Clarkson a fourth-generation driver doesn’t just collide with other cars, she must come up against chauvinism in a sport that has been driven by men for so long. Brooke and her family take us into their world, challenges and triumphs. This high impact sport isn’t for the faint-hearted, but when Brooke takes her place at the starting line, she’s unstoppable.
Grace Rawson revisits the art of hand-tinted photography, a craft she mastered in the 1950s.
The hand-tinted photographic landscapes of Whites Aviation have become celebrated icons of New Zealand’s mid-century culture. But few still know that each photograph was individually coloured by hand. 83-year-old Grace Rawson provides a new perspective on the work when she picks up the cotton wool one more time to showcase the wonderful aesthetic of a lost art. Social expectations of photography and its process have radically changed, but nothing can change the authenticity and aesthetic of a hand-made craft.
Gratitude:
Thanks to Chris at Loading Docs
Rob, Claire & Tadhg at Silky Otter Cinemas
Johnny, Amie & Co at Red+White Cellar
