Great having the film ticking along on a daily basis. Even though I’m on holiday, a fair amount of each day is consumed with working on The Insatiable Moon. It doesn’t bother me, because getting this film to screen is something I care about. I meet many people who dream of doing things, but who wait around for someone else to make them happen. But unless you’re very very lucky or extra cool, no one is going to hand you something like the cost of a film because they like you or your project. You need to have absolute determination to get there, and a good dose of stubborn intransigence.

One thing I learned years ago when I first started writing professionally, was that everyone someone talked to you and discovered you were a writer, they began talking about the book they were going to write. Sometimes the more keen had already started one. Very few ever actually produced a book. What they were attracted to was the idea of writing; and the romantic notion of being a writer. Those in the know realise there’s very little romance involved. It’s sheer hard work and application. To put it bluntly, writing a book requires endurance, persistence, and regular toil.

Doing films and plays, which require the coordination of large numbers of people, is even more demanding. There’s a lot of wannabes who fall by the wayside. Personally, and while this may sound arrogant it is at least based on experience, I think the worst possible attitude is to sit around waiting for someone to fund you to do something you believe needs doing. It creates an attitude of dependence which can shape a life. Art is always challenging; therefore it encounters resistance; therefore it needs determination to achieve.

I wrote the novel The Insatiable Moon in 1996 (published in 1997). The film project has been on the boards since around 1999. The current team has been together (including the faithful Rawiri Paratene) for 7 years. This year our work will see the light of day. That seems about right for a decent gestation.

Posted in news