Hi Guys and Gals,

Just a little follow up to the Armageddon Panel.

While it was fantastic to be able to share a little of what Last Star is about from the stage it was probably more gratifying spending time with all the film making and sci fi enthusiasts afterwards. In particular it was an unexpected pleasure to meet Julia Reynolds who has been working on her own sci fi film since 2010. I was aware of this production been made in Hamilton and have mentioned it before. She should really have been on the stage and not in the audience as she has a lot of insight into the film making process and it would have been great to show that indie sci fi film making is not just a boys only club.

Talking with Julia only reinforced my view that her film Shepherd 2154 is going to be something quite special and I’m very excited about the serious tone and depth of her production. It seems like the film will have a lot of heart.

With all these people desperately pouring themselves into these productions I cannot help but think its a shame that local commercial entities seem at best reluctant to fund anything outside the “New Zealand focus” sometimes even struggling to get out of the kitchen with all the cooking/reality shows etc. Science fiction transcends culture and with all the imaginative, creative people I’ve met through making Last Star I think there’s room for a fully funded TV show or Film that is still distinctly New Zealand but perhaps a little more “Out there.’

We will continue the battle to bring sci fi to NZ.

Kind Regards

John Ratcliffe

Hi Ladies and Gents,

Thank you to everyone who came to support us at the Guerrilla Filmmaking Event, we even had people down the back – standing room only! It was a real pleasure to share the stage with Dimi and Jonathon, both were insightful and interesting to listen too. Great audience participation and thoughtful questions which helped kept everything rolling along.

Special thanks to Debbie Byrnand and the team from Red Carpet NZ who did and excellent job with the banners, moderating and providing general support.

Finally, I would like to thank Kevin and Lily Luck who helped put the Last Star Trailer together for the Event. Staying up to the wee hours on friday morning (2am) and then carrying on right down to the wire on friday afternoon. It couldn’t have been done without you. We will be releasing the Last Star (halfway) trailer online soon.

Warmest Regards

John Ratcliffe