The world premiere of Juliet Bergh‘s salvagepunk western Existence is fast approaching – August 3rd, during the Wellington leg of the New Zealand International Film Festival. I’m really looking forward to it. If you haven’t seen the teaser trailer yet, I highly recommend you do.

Over the past couple of days, two behind–the–scenes clips/mini video blogs/electronic press kit files have turned up on the film’s Facebook page. The first clip introduces us to ‘The Rider’ played by Matt Sutherland (Out of the Blue), one of the men patrolling the boundary fence that keeps Earth’s last survivors prisoner. The second one takes a light-hearted look at what it’s like filming at New Zealand’s windiest location (in the middle of winter, no less!), with an amusing toilet-centric anecdote thrown in for good measure from lead Loren Taylor (Eagle vs Shark) – who plays Freya in the film.

During his narration, Sutherland drops in an interesting little plot detail – something that wasn’t apparent from the teaser trailer or synopsis. So don’t watch ‘The Rider’ clip if you want to avoid a possible spoiler.

Here are the clips:

The Rider

Extreme Filmmaking

There are still tickets to the August 3rd world premiere available, so get in quick – visit ticketek.co.nz to book online.

You liking the look of ‘Existence’? Going to the World Premiere?

Existence is the story of a woman, Freya, who is trapped in a dying world she cannot escape. Set many years from now, the earth is submerged under a toxic ocean and the last remaining land mass barely support the survivors. Freya’s family salvages what little remains in a land where they live, effectively, as prisoners. An immense electric fence powered by wind turbines keeps the family shut off from the world beyond. Enigmatic Boundary Riders guard the fence and prevent crossings. Freya believes her only hope for freedom lies with a Boundary Rider who also yearns for something he cannot have. Determined to cross the fence she seduces the Rider and the consequences are disastrous for her family.

Directed by Juliet Bergh, and co-written by Juliet Bergh and Jessica Charlton, the film stars Loren Taylor, Gareth Reeves, Matt Sutherland, Peter McCauley, Aaron Jackson, Thomasin McKenzie, Peter McKenzie, Rachel Roberts, Gentiane Lupi, and Rachel Freeman.

Existence will screen on August 3 (World Premiere) and August 6 as part of the Wellington leg of the New Zealand International Film Festival. No news on a general release yet – but stay tuned

Website: existence.co.nz