A New Zealand gay-themed comedy, Quiet Night In, is one of only twelve feature films to have been selected from around the world to screen at the Stratford-Upon-Avon International Digital Film Festival next weekend. Quiet Night In will be the only New Zealand film to play at the festival, and has been programmed for the closing night. Auckland-based writer/director Christopher Banks, who works as a part-time journalist for GayNZ.com, will attend the screening in the heart of England's Shakespeare country. "Knowing that, I'd like to be able to say it has something lasting and meaningful to say about the human condition," he says. "But the only thing that comes to mind is the giant rubber penis that features in the first few minutes." Quiet Night In follows the exploits of would-be novelist Jess Bartlett, who embarks on a wild creative binge for an evening to finish her new book. Fuelled by red wine and the board game Cluedo, she confronts a menagerie of crazy friends, including a closeted footballer, a manic lesbian TV host, and a pervy old author. At a recent preview screening in Toronto at the Reelheart International Film Festival, programmers described Quiet Night In as "John Waters' colours meet Friends in a parallel universe." The diverse soundtrack features Mozart, New Zealand country music queen Patsy Riggir, and the fictional lounge composer Frank Smile. Starring as Jess Bartlett is Nicolette Kenny, former pop-star and stuntwoman for cult lesbian TV fave Xena: Warrior Princess. Her dance/pop single Blue Day was a top 20 hit in 1999, and was produced by Quiet Night In's Christopher Banks. Banks also founded one of the country's most successful pop groups, Deep Obsession, the first New Zealand act to achieve three consecutive #1 singles, all of which he wrote and/or produced. One of the three founders of The Stratford-Upon-Avon International Digital Festival where Quiet Night In will screen is Douglas McFerran, a writer/actor and director who formed Power Pictures with Peter Howitt in 1995. After the success of their film Sliding Doors, they entered into a two-year deal with Miramax-Intermedia, during which time McFerran also worked as a writer and script doctor for various MGM and Paramount Pictures projects. He has also worked exclusively with the playwright Harold Pinter in the West End. Banks says he hopes New Zealand audiences will be able to experience the insanity of Quiet Night In for themselves in the near future. "If you're a fan of the lighter side of sex, mystery and woollen dresses, this could be the film for you," he says. GayNZ.com; press release - 21st August 2005
Credit: GayNZ.com; press release
First published: Sunday, 21st August 2005 - 12:00pm