The Weed Eaters Dir: Callum Devlin (13th Floor/NZIFF Film Review)
This little indie film feels like the defibrillator the NZ film industry didn’t know it needed – a necessary jolt to the system that reminds us what cinema made with heart, guts, and purpose can look like.
Starring: Alice May Connolly, Annabel Kean, Finnius Teppett, Samuel Austin
While a film with this many squelchy sfx is outside my usual gravitations, there’s no denying it: this (sports)team understood the assignment in terms of the craft of cinema. Every choice – from the performances to the dialogue, the structure to the emotional beats, the edit and the music – felt intentional and grounded. It’s a film made with clarity, care, and conviction. It doesn’t chase something glossy, commercial or Americanised. It leans into the specificity of its own cultural voice and setting (shout out Canterburyyyyy), and finds something more powerful in doing so: a story that feels lived-in, real, and resonant, local, layered, and unapologetically itself. There’s strength in this kind of storytelling, and it’s the sort we need more of.
When the industry takes cues from the inevitable success of this film, I hope it’s seen not as a blueprint or formula for future projects, but rather inspiration for what’s possible when we resist the pressure to pander to ratings or audience expectations, and instead stay true to the story, vision, and our own authentic voices. Let’s see fewer creatives waiting for green lights from the big manz and more diving in, getting hands dirty, and telling stories on our own terms. Let’s see fewer kiwis jumping ship for greener pastures, and instead invest our skills and dreams locally to build stronger systems, inspire future generations, and create the change we want to see at home. The Weed Eaters is proof that when we do, the results can be electric.
Shamin Yazdani
Now showing at the New Zealand International Film Festival
Shamin is an Iranian-New Zealander, filmmaker and multi-hyphenate creative engaged in storytelling across diverse mediums and platforms. She has worked in London as a Creative Producer in broadcast television and recently completed a personal auto-biographical documentary as part of the Day One Shorts programme, premiering later this year at Show Me Shorts, RNZ and Whakaata Māori.
