The Mental Health Foundation of NZ have come on board as partners and sponsors of the Auckland premiere of The Insatiable Moon. We’re extremely grateful for this and delighted to have them working with us.

While Moon is not a ‘message’ film, it takes audiences into a realm where many of them have never been before – the world where sanity and madness become polar alternatives. There’s no way to watch it without considering who’s mad and who’s sane, and where the boundaries lie. In particular, the storyline raises the issue of how genuine community care may be.

Yesterday the Mental Health Foundation issued the following press release:

Mental Health Foundation supports new Kiwi film The Insatiable Moon

Media Release

July 12

New Kiwi film The Insatiable Moon exposes the negative impact of discrimination and the need for inclusive communities, says the Mental Health Foundation.

The Foundation is sponsoring the premiere, which takes place at Auckland’s Skycity Theatre on Saturday, 17 July, and is encouraging New Zealanders to go and see the film when it comes out on general release in September.

“The Mental Health Foundation has a long history of supporting creative projects and is delighted to support The Insatiable Moon,” Chief Executive Judi Clements says. “The arts play an important role in connecting a wide range of people to vital messages around mental health and wellbeing.”

“Director Rosemary Riddell and the actors involved have done a wonderful job producing an entertaining film that is thought-provoking and can’t help but stimulate discussion. It’s the kind of movie that stays with you long after you’ve seen it.”

The premiere of the film, which is part of the New Zealand International Film Festival, has already sold out and from 16 September it will be distributed in cinemas by Rialto.

The Insatiable Moon is Mike Riddell’s film adaptation of his popular 1997 novel of the same name. The story follows Arthur, the self-proclaimed second son of God, as he sets out to save the communal home he loves. Arthur brings wonder and hope to Auckland’s Ponsonby, shadowed by his devoted band of boarding house friends and fragile community worker Margaret.

Mike Riddell says the film offers an insight into a world that’s different from the one you might inhabit, and he hopes The Insatiable Moon will help reduce the stigma of mental illness.

The film stars Rawiri Paratene as Arthur, alongside other well-known New Zealand actors including Ian Mune, Sara Wiseman and Greg Johnson, and the soundtrack includes music by Johnny Matteson and SamRB Hana.

Posted in news