cloud south films media book

M E D I A B O O K

C l o u d S o u t h F i l m swww.cloudsouth.co.nz i n f o @ c l o u d s o u t h . c o . n z89 Clarence Street, Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand

C O N T E N T S

INTERVIEWS - - - - - - - 3

NEWS PIECES - - - - - - - 4

FEATURES - - - - - - - - 10

REVIEWS - - - - - - - - 15

INTERNATIONAL - - - - - - - 20

I N T E R V I E W S

KIM HILL - RADIO NZ, SATURDAY 27TH FEB, 2010http://tiny.cc/jhbdd

95 BFM RADIOhttp://www.95bfm.com/assets/sm/195223/3/Thiswayoflife.mp3

TV ONE GOOD MORNING, FRIDAY 12TH MARCH, 2010http://tvnz.co.nz/good-morning/goodmorning-s2010-e120310-barbaraburstyn-vid-eo-3411742

4 CLOUD SOUTH FILMS I N T E R V I E W S

The Dominion Post, 16th Feb 2010URL: http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertain-ment/film/3332326/Maori-documentary-a-hit-in-Berlin

BY TIM DONOGHUE - The Dominion Post

Maori documentary a hit in Berlin

Last updated 05:00 16/02/2010

A low-budget documentary film about a Maori family from Hawke's Bay living a subsistence lifestyle is a huge hit atthe Berlin Film Festival.

This Way of Life tells the story of Peter and Colleen Karena who moved from Omahu two years ago when their homewas destroyed by fire.

The couple, both in their early 30s, moved their homeless family and horses to a small homestead near the TukitukiRiver on the Havelock North-Waimarama Road.

Three festival screenings this week in a 1000-seat Berlin theatre have all been sellouts.

Shot over four years against a background of the Ruahine Range and Waimarama beach, the film is about a familyof six children and 50 horses living on the thin edge between freedom and economic disaster. During the four yearsof filming, the family's home burnt down, horses were stolen and they lost a baby.

The Berlin Festival programme describes the independent film as a story of family life in New Zealand.

"Except that this is no ordinary family," the festival publicity blurb reads. "It's almost as if the word `risk' does not existfor them: barefoot, bareback and without reins or riding hat is for instance the way the family's daughter (Aurora)gallops across the New Zealand prairie.

"Some people may think that the Karenas live a life of poverty. But this isn't true. This Way of Life is a film aboutfreedom."

The documentary was produced and directed by Hawke's Bay couple Barbara and Tom Burstyn.

Mrs Burstyn said it was a great honour to be invited to Berlin, along with Mrs Karena and the film's narrator, MrsKarena's eldest son, Llewellyn.

The message of a life lived away from consumer society had struck a chord, Mrs Burstyn said.

"People who see the film over here say it is life-changing for them. Audience members are being forced to considertheir own lives and their own situations."

Nationwide screening of the film to New Zealand audiences begins on March 11.

Maori documentary a hit in Berlin | Stuff.co.nz http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/3332326/Maori-do...

1 of 1 15/11/10 12:51 PM

CLOUD SOUTH FILMS N E W S P I E C E S 5

Hawke’s Bay Today, 16th Feb 2010URL: http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/local/news/bay-pairs-documentary-hits-big-time-in-berlin/3909987/

6 CLOUD SOUTH FILMS N E W S P I E C E S

NZ Herald, 22nd Feb 2010URL: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10627767


Taika Waititi's film 'Boy' has won the Best

Feature award at the Berlin International

Film Festival. Photo / Supplied

NNZZ ffiillmmss ttaakkee mmaajjoorr pprriizzeess aatt ffiillmm ffeessttiivvaall

10:11 AM Monday Feb 22, 2010

New Zealand films have won three of the six major awards in

the Generation section of the Berlin International Film Festival

over the weekend.

Taika Waititi's latest film Boy won the Best Feature award.

After the ceremony Waititi said he was thrilled with the award,

which came with a cash prize.

The much-lauded short film, Six Dollar Fifty Man, received a

special mention in the shorts section.

Written by Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland, is was about an eight-year-old boy who retreats into

a world of make-believe to escape playground bullying.

It had already won the International Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

The documentary This Way of Life was runner up in the Generation Award.

Shot over four years against the isolated Ruahine mountains and Waimarama beach in Hawkes Bay,

the film follows Peter and Colleen Karena as they raise their six children and 50 horses on the brink

of poverty.

Director Tom Burstyn said it was amazing that a self-funded, home-made documentary would

receive a major prize against a comprehensive field of feature films.

The film was also recently chosen for official selection at the Palm Springs International Festival.

- NZPA

Copyright ©2010, APN Holdings NZ Limited

Print nzherald.co.nz Article http://www.nzherald.co.nz/news/print.cfm?objectid=10627767

1 of 1 15/11/10 1:09 PM

3 News, 9th June 2010URL: http://www.3news.co.nz/Oscar-hopes-raised-for-Kiwi-documentary/tabid/418/articleID/159945/Default.aspx

8 CLOUD SOUTH FILMS N E W S P I E C E S

Print

Oscar hopes raised for Kiwi documentary09-Jun 12:46

This Way of Life, the award

winning NZ documentary, has

been selected for

DocuWeeks putting it up for

Academy Awards 2010

consideration.

The film has taken the

international film festival

circuit by storm and picked

up the Crystal Bear award for

best film in the Generational

category at the Berlin

International Film Festival.

This Way of Life is the

life-changing story of the

extraordinary Karena Family

and their everyday existence. The film has recently finished a successful 12 week theatrical

run in New Zealand and will be opening in Australia shortly.

To be up for Oscar consideration a documentary must be selected to take part in

DocuWeeks which has to take place by August 2010 in the USA.

During that time the film must play in screenings for a period of one week in both Los

Angeles and New York where it will then be judged by members of the Documentary

Branch. Final voting will be made by members of The Academy where a short-list of

documentaries that will be in the running for the Academy awards will be decided upon.

This Way of Life is released on DVD in New Zealand on June 17.

3 News

3 News - http://www.3news.co.nz/defaultStrip.aspx?tabid=213&articleID=159945

Oscar hopes raised for Kiwi documentary - Print Story - Home... http://www.3news.co.nz/defaultStrip.aspx?tabid=213&articl...

1 of 1 15/11/10 1:13 PM

Stuff, 1st September 2010URL: http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/papakura-courier/4080380/Movie-theatre-opens


HINERANGI VAIMOSO - Papakura Courier

Movie theatre opens

Last updated 05:00 01/09/2010

HINERANGI VAIMOSO

SEATS TO FILL: Peter Hunt of the Hawkins Theatre is thrilled to be opening the venue as a cinema.

AFTER more than four decades without them, Papakura will soon be able to go to the movies again.

The town's Hawkins Theatre is set to double as Hawkins Cinema from next week.

And to celebrate the theatre's first-ever film season, local moviegoers will be able to catch a few Kiwi-made gems.

Marketing and communications manager Peter Hunt says he's thrilled to be able to bring a cinema season toPapakura, an attraction he believes has been awaited ever since the town cinema closed in the 1960s.

"It is about having a well-rounded programme," Mr Hunt says.

"We know people have missed having a local cinema for so long and it's a great way of letting people know we areback in business and here to stay."

The first of three movies up for viewing is Taika Waititi's smash hit comedy Boy which packed out cinemas acrossNew Zealand.

Also on the bill is Home By Christmas directed by Gaylene Preston, a film memoir based on interviews with herfather about his World War Two experiences.

And then there's This Way of Life, made by Hawke's Bay team Ton Burstyn and Barbara Sumner-Burstyn. Thedocumentary was filmed over four years and tells the extraordinary tale of Peter Karena, his wife Colleen and theirchildren. Along with Boy it's won acclaim from some of the world's biggest international film festivals.

"We are so excited to be able to offer the community top recent release movies here in Papakura," Mr Hunt says.

What will be even more of a pull for locals is the cost, he says.

While going to a movie in Manukau could set you back about $14 for a ticket plus petrol or travel, heading down tothe Hawkins Cinema will cost just $7 for an adult ticket if bought in advance or $10 on the day.

In another innovation aimed at broadening the theatre's appeal, some high-profile music events have added thevenue to their national tours.

The first is soulful group Batucada Sound Machine an Auckland-based group.

See www.hawkinstheatre.co.nz to book.

Movie theatre opens | Stuff.co.nz http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/papakura-courier...

1 of 1 15/11/10 1:20 PM

Upper Hutt Leader, 10th March 2010URL: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/local/upper-hutt-leader/3423952/Freedom-of-Kiwi-lifestyle-inspires

10 CLOUD SOUTH FILMS F E A T U R E S

Upper Hutt Leader

Freedom of Kiwi lifestyle inspires

Last updated 05:00 10/03/2010

Memories of playing in the Hutt River have helped inspire a new award-winning Kiwi-made documentary which isgaining international acclaim.

The low-budget film This Way of Life has won the 2010 Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival.

The film follows the lives of the Karena family over four years a family with six children and 50 horses living in theHawke's Bay. From the rugged Ruahine Ranges down to an isolated beach, the film boasts the remarkable beauty ofan area not often seen on screen.

Film-maker Barbara Burstyn spent her early years in Upper Hutt and went to Trentham Primary School. She said thefreedom of playing in the Hutt River and the wildness of those days inspired her.

"In those days it was normal to let all the kids explore and wander those pathways to the riverside. This is the life theKarena children are living today with great freedom in nature, while for most of the world this is now a distantmemory."

This Way of Life has screened at the New Zealand and Vancouver International Film Festivals and was recentlychosen for official selection at the Palm Springs International Festival. It begins screening at The Ascot tomorrow.

0 commentsPost a commentExpand AllOldest First

Post comment

Name:Required

Email:Required. Will not be published.

Registration is not required to post a comment but if yousign in, you will not have to enter your details each time youcomment. Registered members also have access to extrafeatures. Create an account now.

I have read and accepted the terms and conditions

These comments are moderated. Your comment, if approved, may not appear immediately. Please direct any queriesabout comment moderation to the Opinion Editor at [email protected]

Post Comment

Freedom of Kiwi lifestyle inspires | Stuff.co.nz http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/uppe...

1 of 1 15/11/10 1:24 PM

NZ Life + Leisure, issue 31URL: http://www.nzlifeandleisure.co.nz/node/1352

CLOUD SOUTH FILMS F E A T U R E S 11

Sunday Star-Times, 28th Feb 2010URL: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/features/3379848/Moving-pictures-This-Way-of-Life


BY GRANT SMITHIES - Sunday Star Times

This Way of Life

Last updated 05:00 28/02/2010

IT'S A freezing cold Thursday morning in Berlin, and cultures are colliding head on in an inner-city movie theatre.Overwhelmed by a New Zealand-made documentary she's just seen, a wealthy middle-aged German woman walksup to speak to a young Ngati Maniapoto woman who appeared in the film. Her face is wet with tears.

"I know our lives are very different," says the woman. "I live here, in the middle of Berlin. I have a lot of money. ButI've had my share of trouble, and I cried through most of your film. I just wanted to tell you that I share your pain veryclosely."

This kind of thing has been happening after every screening. "People are really moved by this film," says BarbaraSumner Burstyn, who made the documentary with her husband, Tom Burstyn. "It's amazing. We realised abouthalfway through making it that we were telling a small story that touched on universal themes. Whatever yourexperiences and wherever you may be from, there are things going on here that everyone can connect with their ownlives."

A quietly profound, deeply poetic film about a Maori family from Hawke's Bay, This Way of Life was the only NewZealand documentary chosen to compete at this year's Berlin Film Festival. The festival is unique in that there's noseparate documentary section, so this little self-funded independent release is up against feature films with hugebudgets. But a meagre budget does not translate into poor attendences or a lack of visual and emotional impact. Oneach of its three Berlin screenings, This Way of Life sold out a 1000-seat theatre. As the credits rolled, some viewerswere moved to tears while others stood up whooping and hollering, whistling and stamping their feet. Afterwards, theaudience queued up to talk to two of the family featured in the film, 12-year-old narrator Llewelyn Karena-Otley andhis mother Colleen, who have been flown in from rural Hawke's Bay by the festival organisers to support the opening."People ask them questions, like, is it really true?" says Sumner Burstyn. "Did it all happen this way? Can you reallyride a horse like that? And they say, 'Yes – this is my life."'

The film finished the festival with a coveted Jury Prize. The judges described This Way of Life as "a window openingto a wonderful different kind of world: A happy family living freely in nature. Respect for life and joy of being are whatcount in this film".

This Way of Life was shot over four years in and around the rugged Ruahine mountains and Waimarama Beach. Itfollows the lives of Peter and Colleen Karena as they try to build a happy, stable life for their six children and 50horses while engaging as little as possible with a consumer capitalist world they see as soul-sapping and corrupt.

"We used to see this guy riding a horse along the side of the road near where we lived in Hawke's Bay, looking veryromantic and handsome and mysterious," says Sumner Burstyn. "Eventually we met him and discovered he wasamazingly articulate, with a very profound philosophy about his life, and he had a beautiful wife and six amazingchildren, all of whom were also unusually intelligent and articulate. So we started filming, thinking we'd spend fourweeks making a documentary on how to break a wild horse. Four years later we thought – we've filmed enoughnow!"

In those four years, the film-makers captured documentary gold. This film has it all: beauty, drama, wisdom, pain andtriumph, all set against a backdrop of remote bush cabins and ramshackle rural hamlets, deep green rivers andbeaches as empty as they are endless. Tiny six-year-old tots gallop bareback through golden hayfields, moresure-footed on a hurtling horse than many of us are on our own two feet. When the family needs food, father Petershoots a deer or a wild pig, speaking solemnly to his children as he cuts it up about how they must respect thisanimal that has given up its life so they may eat. Pleasures are simple, abundant, and unreliant on the national grid.The kids have no TV, and are stangers to iPods and PlayStations, cellphones and laptops. When they crave fun, theyclimb trees, build huts, dam creeks, swim in the river with the horses. When they want to strengthen their feeling ofconnection to the past and to each other, they spend hours looking through family photos, delighting in the sight ofcousins and uncles, nanas and long-dead dogs, most of the images depicting seven generations of relatives bornand raised in the old house they now live in themselves. If the kids wander outside, many of these same people havecarved their initials in the verandah post, a concrete reminder of family whakapapa.

This Way of Life - features - sunday-star-times | Stuff.co.nz http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/features/3379848/M...

1 of 3 15/11/10 1:32 PM

Marae Investigates, 9th May 2010URL: http://tvnz.co.nz/marae/s2009-s2010-e29-video-3531809


Idealog Magazine July/August 2009


Take MagazineWinter, 2009


18 CLOUD SOUTH FILMS R E V I E W S

R E V I E W S

NINE TO NOON - RADIO NZhttp://static.radionz.net.nz/assets/audio_item/0007/2234077/ntn-20100310-1147-Film_reviews-m048.asx

95 BFM RADIOhttp://www.95bfm.com/assets/sm/195094/3/fabian_100310.mp3

RADIO WAMMOhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85T3MzZzmgE

Email this article Print this article Text size + - Share on TwitterShare on Facebook

This Way Of Life: Movie ReviewThis Way Of Life: Movie Review

By tvnz.co.nz's Darren Bevan

Published: 4:15PM Tuesday March 02, 2010

Related

Remember Me: Movie Review

From Paris With Love: Movie Review

Crazy Heart: Movie Review

Advertisement

Email this article Print this article Text size + - more...Share on TwitterShare on Facebook

This Way Of Life

Rating: 8/10

Cast: The Karena Family, The great NZ outdoors,

horses

Director: Tom Burstyn

A New Zealand doco about a family who live life to

the full in the wilds of the countryside may not

sound like a riveting watch but This Way of Life sure

as hell is.

It's the story of the Karena family - husband Peter

and wife Colleen and their six children, and their

horses.

But it's also about more than that - it's about a

simplicity of life and a recognition of one's place in

the world.

Peter works as a horse whisperer and lives off the land - when we first meet him, he's skinning a deer in

front of his son Malachi and educating him on how the animal died so they can live.

Although Peter appears to have a philosophy about the world, it's clear not everyone shares his views -

within moments of meeting them, we learn that Peter's father is evicting them from the family home

because he's selling up. Things get worse for the ever growing Karena family - but over the course of 85

minutes you won't find your spirit crushed at all.

In fact it's just the opposite.

Simply shot and presented in a restrained way,

This Way Of Life will stun you with its subtlety,

honesty and heart.

As Peter continues to face problems, it's his

philosophy and attitude which he's trying to instill

in his children which will shine out - Peter's a

glass half full kind of guy - and while he's honest

about the issues he faces with his father, there's

never any doubt that he won't let adversity crush

both him and his loved ones. It's hard not to look

upto Peter and learn from him - clearly this is a

man whose life attitude is beneficial and

infectious to all those around him.

And the kids clearly soar because of this attitude

- I've never seen such a brood of children so happy in their simple life; there's no sign of any mod cons

and yet there's not one single complaint as these kids are overjoyed by the simplicity of nature (either on

horse back or jumping on the roof of their truck)

It's the Karena family way - the respect for nature, the chance to live off the land and the lack of fear

which will inspire you - whether it's living in a shed after the house is burned down or bareback horse

riding without helmets, you can't help but admire their way of life (and even eye it up a little jealously).

This Way Of Life is a celebration of the family codes and morals; beautifully shot, it shows what's great

about the New Zealand countryside and showcases a side of life - and an attitude - which makes your

heart sing.

While some of the story's narrative leaves you wanting more information and you may get a little

frustrated with a lack of context over family rows, overall it's easy to see why the film has been so

lauded abroad in Berlin and deserves to do well over here.

However - you may get a little jealous and be tempted to quit the rat race after seeing the simpler life the

Karenas live..

Entertainment News Video

Entertainment News

Spears keeps slim with motherhood

Baby girl for R&B singer Ne-Yo

James Blunt 'refused order to start WWIII'

Legal battle over Chopper iPhone app

Jessica Simpson engaged to NFL star

Travolta's wife goes into labour

Australia celebrates Steve Irwin's life

Most Popular

1. James Blunt 'refused order to start WWIII'

2. Paul Henry tells all to women's mag New Id

3. Police warn they will watch Facebook events

4. Pregnant woman killed after Gin Wigmore c

5. Man attacked defending his car

Latest News

14:30 Jets snatch late win, Bills win first ga

14:28 Bypass patients can benefit from a f

drinks

14:21 AOS callout in Botany Downs

14:10 Uncertainty shown in Australian Ash

UPDATED Pregnant woman killed after Gin

Wigmore concert

Sponsored Links

AKL to WGTN from $49* special condition

CLICK TO CATCH THE TRAIN

End nearing for

Harry Potter

series (1:47)

ONE News

Extra: Harry

Potter's

Weasley twins

(1:23)

ONE News

Extra: Harry

Potter's Ralph

Fiennes (0:52)

Advertisement

watch

This Way Of Life: Movie Review | ENTERTAINMENT News http://tvnz.co.nz/entertainment-news/way-life-movie-review-...

1 of 2 15/11/10 2:39 PM

TVNZ online, 2nd March 2010URL: http://tvnz.co.nz/entertainment-news/way-life-movie-review-3388956

CLOUD SOUTH FILMS R E V I E W S 19

Print

This Way of Life review12-Mar 14:54

Reviewed by Kate Rodger

When the lead in a film says: “What do I do

for a living? I live for a living”, you know

you’re in for a treat.

Fresh from a special mention at the Berlin

Film Festival, New Zealand documentary

This Way of Life is an open window into the

heart of what it means to be a family, and a

stunningly shot postcard sent from the

wilderness of our beautiful country and the

people who inhabit it.

This doco surprised me with its gentle emotion and engaging characters, I was transported

entirely into another way of life, This Way of Life.

Four and half stars.

This Way of Life

:: Director: Thomas Burstyn

:: Running Time: 84 mins

:: Rating: (Exempt)

:: Release Date: March 11, 2010

3 News - http://www.3news.co.nz/defaultStrip.aspx?tabid=213&articleID=146065

This Way of Life review - Print Story - Home - 3 News http://www.3news.co.nz/defaultStrip.aspx?tabid=213&articl...

1 of 1 15/11/10 2:36 PM

TV3’s Kate Rodger – Film3 onlineURL:http://www.3news.co.nz/This-Way-of-Life-r eview/tabid/418/arti -cleID/146065/Default.aspx


ABOUT CONTACT US

An organ of student opinion

since 1938.

search hereHOME FEATURES COLUMNS ARTS NEWS BLOG free

Skip to comments

T

Print

You are here > Home / Arts / Film / This Way of Life

This Way of Lifeby Jessie Davis, Mon, 26 Apr 2010. 2

he Ottley-Karena family may not always wear clothes, shoes or saddles, but their lives are

anything but bare. Wild but civilised, passionate yet humble, uncomplicated and intelligent, the Ottley-Karena

family are, despite their limited livelihood, abundant in complementing contradictions—a family so far

removed from the comforts of our own lives, and yet a family who, throughout this film, creeps closer to our conscience

and emotions. They are the family that give This Way of Life its value. Rich in story, cinematography and character,

this documentary film possesses a wealth of beautiful essentials, and exposes a genuine New Zealand humanity like no

other.

The film tracks the lives of the Ottley-Karena family over a four-year period as they embrace their free-spirited, horse-

rearing lifestyle and confront the inevitable capitalist complications that accompany it. Capturing complex family

dynamics, beautiful landscapes, and the loss of child, home, and income, this film is four years of reality—a dream

premise for a director, an engrossing slice of life for an audience, and one hell of a home video for the family.

The cinematography is effortlessly beautiful—a series of perfectly timed shots that captures the environment and

people as they naturally occur. Deliberate orchestration plays no part in this film and the presence of cameras, lighting

and wires appear almost absent in some of the shots of the children and their surroundings.

Negativity and conflict are realities that seem to unfairly follow the Ottley-Karena family no matter where they

relocate. Yet, every complication is dealt with incredible humility and mildness—gentle reactions that in no way

undermine the resolute foundations that make up this tight family. From gutting a pig, to appreciating their ancestors’

photos, the family’s essential bond is increasingly palpable in this documentary, and awe and empathy are unavoidably

evoked as the audience watches the growth of the children, the growth of the family, and essentially, the growth of a

movie so obviously devoted to the strength of its subjects. For a beautiful, emotional and engaging experience with

New Zealand humanity, catch this gem of a film at Paramount before it ends.

THIS WAY OF LIFE

Directed by: Tom Burstyn

2 Comments

Submit your comment

ADVERTISEMENT

Advertise with us

The student magazine of Victoria University, Wellington

Tom Burstyn26 Apr, 2010 at 6:42 pm

Wow! What a beautiful review – I’m just commenting to say thanks for

appreciating our hard work. What a feeling to be understood! Thanks!

adonis30 Apr, 2010 at 10:50 am

I am waiting this movie, its story is so real, i don’t like unreal stories such as

sciencefiction movies.

A U T H O R I N F O

Jessie Davis

Other articles by Jessie Davis

Related articles

Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve PartsGlass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts

by by Ian HarrisIan Harris. . 00

Former Vic Student Loses Battle with LeukaemiaFormer Vic Student Loses Battle with Leukaemia

by by Ta’ase VaogaTa’ase Vaoga. . 00

This Way of LifeThis Way of Life

by by Peta KirikiriPeta Kirikiri. . 00

The White RibbonThe White Ribbon

by by Ian HarrisIan Harris. . 00

ShustakShustak

by by Costas ThrasyvoulouCostas Thrasyvoulou. . 11

This Way of Life | Salient http://www.salient.org.nz/arts/film/this-way-of-life

1 of 2 15/11/10 2:49 PM

Salient Magazine, April 2010URL: http://www.salient.org.nz/arts/film/this-way-of-life

CLOUD SOUTH FILMS R E V I E W S 21

BY GRAEME TUCKETT - The Dominion Post

Film review: This Way of Life

Last updated 05:00 13/03/2010

Florian Habicht's Kaikohe Demolition and Land of the Long White Cloud, and Juliette Veber's Trouble is myBusiness, have set a benchmark over the last couple of years that equivalent budget documentaries from anywherein the world would find hard to match.

Now you can add This Way of Life to that list of fine Kiwi films.

Shot over four years in and around the rural communities of the east coast, the film follows the precarious existenceof the Ottley-Karena family as they raise their children as far away as possible from the noise and pollution that citykids take for granted.

Dad Peter has a life-long struggle to get out from under the shadow of his own step-father, while mum Colleen is thequiet centre holding the family together through some pretty remarkable travails. Raising horses, hunting, andphilosophically going about the business of giving his kids a better childhood than he had; Peter is very much the starof the film. But it'll be Colleen and the six gorgeous kids that you find yourself thinking about after.

The film is maddeningly elusive about the exact nature of the falling out between Peter and his dad, and it may bethat there is another, less flattering, story to be told, but This Way of Life still rings a succession of loud and truenotes as it unfussily tells a story that really could only happen here. Bravo.

THIS WAY OF LIFE(85 mins)(exempt from classification)Directed by Tom Burstyn.

0 commentsPost a commentExpand AllOldest First

Post comment

Name:Required

Email:Required. Will not be published.

Registration is not required to post a comment but if yousign in, you will not have to enter your details each time youcomment. Registered members also have access to extrafeatures. Create an account now.

I have read and accepted the terms and conditions

These comments are moderated. Your comment, if approved, may not appear immediately. Please direct any queriesabout comment moderation to the Opinion Editor at [email protected]

Post Comment

Film review: This Way of Life | Stuff.co.nz http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/entertainment/reviews/...

1 of 1 15/11/10 2:43 PM

Dominion Post, 13th March 2010URL: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/entertainment/reviews/3441663/Film-review-This-Way-of-Life


This Way of LifeDir: Thomas BurstynNew Zealand

Absolutely stunning family portrait of The Karenas in New Zealand a family whom choose to raise their children off the land, sometimes living in less than traditional housing but often amongst horses. Sadly, they face numerous challenges and oddly this is primarily not with how they are living or the environment but from people that head-on challenge them or more covertly stir up trouble. It’s an amazing portrayal of persistence and resistance for them the keep things together and live their lives. My heart really went out to the family as they certainly never did anything to deserve any of this active negativity and in face they were always shown as a beautiful, caring family unit. My heart goes out to them. What really got me here is that even though the challenges you can feel the love in the family, in how well they know each other and how much they trust each other. The kids are so cute as they run around and also help out with daily life. Inspirational, loving and gently stubborn, it was a joy to watch the film and spend time with The Karena family which makes This Way of Life is easily one of my favourite films of the festival so far.

The screening was completely sold out (down to every seat in the front row taken!) and the audience loved it.

See introduction from the screening of This Way of Life here

Movie MoxieURL: http://moviemoxie.blogspot.com/

CLOUD SOUTH FILMS I N T E R N A T I O N A L 23

Variety Online, August 2010URL: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117943274.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&nid=2562&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+variety%2Fheadlines+%28Variety+-+Latest+News#ixzz0vaXZCsli

24 CLOUD SOUTH FILMS I N T E R N A T I O N A L

William Avery HudsonMay 1st, 2010


London International Documentary Festival

This Way of Life (New Zealand 2009)Director: Thomas Burstyn Produced by Barbara Sumner BurstynBarbican Cinema 125 April 2010 A review by James Buxton for EXTRA! EXTRA!

This Way of Life is a documentary about the Karena family and their struggle to live a harmo-nious life at one with nature, outside of society and the pressures of the modern world. Set in the Ruahine mountains of New Zealand, Peter and Colleen Karena raise their six children in a re-laxed life, fully immersed in the golden fields, mountains ranges and deserted beaches. Peter, originally adopted by Maori’s, trains wild horses and hunts to feed his family as they attempt to live off the land, however all their efforts to live a simple life are impeded by Peter’s stepfather, a malicious man who attempts to hinder them from enjoying the peaceful life they desperately pursue.

Burstyn’s film gradually unfolds in a relaxed, pensive way allowing Peter, Colleen and their six children to express themselves in a manner that is natural and unforced. The lack of any nar-ration also allows the family to speak entirely for themselves which creates a disarmingly honest and emotionally intimate style. No questions are posed to the family on film, instead Burstyn al-lows time for the Karena family to slowly feel comfortable with the documentary. Peter and Colleen talk individually to the camera, expound-ing their concerns and reasons for following their chosen lifestyle while their children freely run around in the background, enjoying the outdoor life to its fullest.

The cinematography is magnificent, from the sweeping shots of mountain ranges and the wide expanses of fields, to the horses struggling up a rocky path or the children swimming naked in a river; there is a real sense of a family living har-moniously with nature in all her splendour. The unhurried atmosphere of the film allows you to soak up small details as the camera lingers on a fly buzzing in a window pane; the shots contrib-ute to creating an effect of familiarity and allow you to become absorbed by showing without ex-plaining.

The relationship between the family and the horses, really demonstrates how close man can becometo animals, especially when they are his liveli-hood, and it also shows us a way of life that has been superseded by the invention of cars. The film shows an age old bond which has been ne-glected and almost forgotten so that when we see it on the big screen it becomes fresh and invigor-ating: a possible way of life that is based on self reliance and respect for nature. As Peter cuts up the meat from his latest hunt, he explains how before freezers it would have had to be smoked and cured and even this one modern invention has made an age old tradition redundant. His children’s knowledge of how to handle horses is evident as his eldest, only eleven, leads a stallion up a steep path and through fast flowing rivers.

Throughout the film, one questions whether the freedom that the children enjoy as a result of living in nature is undermined by their lack of education, social engagement with other chil-dren and if perhaps they run the risk of being too isolated. These concerns are also raised by their mother, Colleen but she worries in the reverse - that they will lose their freedom when they grow older and have to take on the responsibilities of living in the modern world. The picture you get from the film however is of an exception-ally happy group of children who have benefited enormously from an outdoor life. Untainted by a consumerist desire for toys and possessions, the children instead know how to ride and look after horses, how to work the land and are able to treat nature with great respect. Throughout the film they appear well balanced, with an amazing confidence and a truly carefree attitude to life.

Peter and Colleen however voice their real con-cerns of living such a life based on a natural,

sustainable ethic as their problems unravel as the film progresses and they confess to their fears in-dividually before the camera. Their life is always unstable as they are hounded by Peter’s stepfather, who is even implicated in setting fire to their fam-ily home. At the only point you see him on film, he comments, “He’s not my son, he’s my wife’s son”. Until the bad blood between them is resolved, it seems the family must always live in the shadow of this malevolent man. Money is also is an issue that they cannot escape. Peter makes just enough to get by but with the advent of more children, he finds it increasingly difficult to support his family.

This Way of Life makes you aware of how we are conditioned to see things in a certain way; from the time we are born. We learn from our parents and the society we are brought up in how to perceive and interpret the world. This Way of Life shows us a family who attempt to live a life apart from the external pressures and influences that modern society places upon us and yet with all its apparent simplicity, their life is a struggle that their children are unable to comprehend. Constantly pursued by problems, as though society cannot let them go, Peter attempts to continue an ancient Maori way of life, living off the land and training wild horses. The spirit of Rousseau infuses Peter’s frustration as he explains how even if he were to buy the land, it would still not be his but he would be renting it from the Crown, who could seize it at any moment. Unable to reconcile his way of life with the laws of property and ownership, he is the victim of a cruel paradox: that even to live outside of society one must be subject to its’ laws.

It appears that this way of life is only possible for the brave few, who are willing to risk everything in order to escape from the bonds of society and a steady job, who have no second thoughts about whether this is the right thing to do, but firmly be-lieve that a life at one with nature is the best life for themselves and their children. Burstyn’s film sen-sitively documents a family who ironically wish to be left alone, but he allows a sense of scale to emerge through dramatic shots of the landscape, and a personal level of involvement through close up shots with the family. The viewer feels privi-leged to share such a level of emotional intimacy with a truly unique family who uphold their noble principles without any concessions. This Way of Life inspires us to spurn the commercialised and regulated life we live in society and seek a more harmonious way of living with nature.

Extra! Extra!URL: http://www.extraextra.org/Review_F_This_Way_of_Life_2010.html


Georgia Straight, April 2010URL: http://www.straight.com/article-319977/vancouver/way-life


Canadian Society of Cinematographers: Nov 2009URL: http://www.csc.ca/news/default.asp?aID=1399


Eyeweekly.com: May 2010URL: http://www.eyeweekly.com/film/hotdocs/article/91516


HOT DOCS

This Way of LifeBY DAVE MORRIS May 03, 2010 09:05

Granola porn alert: if you’re excited by the prospect of watching a swarthy, long-haired New

Zealander hunting deer and riding horses around his native land with no shirt on and a brood of

adorable kids in tow, do not miss This Way Of Life. A sensitive, moving portrait of a remarkable

family, director Thomas Burstyn and producer Barbara Sumner Burstyn capture Peter and Colleen

Karena’s admirable quest to raise their children honourably and close to nature. The villain is

Peter’s stepfather, who drives them from their home, though the real suspect being raked over the

coals is modernity — when Peter grapples with the contradictions of land ownership and enclosure

or explains his nominally Christian hunter-gatherer belief system, even the horses’ eyes are rolling

back in their heads. But neither the couple nor the filmmakers are particularly preachy (the latter

pair wisely let the New Zealand countryside seduce the camera), and though their wilful naïvete

can be wearying, the Karenas’ story and the stunning visuals are compelling enough to draw in

even the most nature-agnostic viewer.

Email us at: [email protected] or send your questions to EYEWEEKLY.COM

1 Yonge Street, 2nd Floor, Toronto Ontario, M5E 1E6

EYE WEEKLY http://www.eyeweekly.com/print/article/91516

1 of 1 19/11/10 11:06 AM

This Way of Life (Documentary) by Thomas Burstyn, New Zealand

Who hasn’t entertained this fantasy?

You tell society to shove it, you take off for the hinterlands with your partner, you find an idyllic spot where you learn to live by your wits and your brawn, and you start producing children who will romp the open spaces with gleeful abandon when they aren’t gathering at your knee for marathon sessions of mutual love and affection.

That’s more or less the fantasy that the Maori couple, Peter and Colleen Karena, have realized for themselves at a remote spot somewhere on the North Island of New Zealand. Peter, a guy in his mid-to-late thirties, talks about trying to find a way to make a living that doesn’t impugn his integrity. For a while, it’s not clear how he does that. (Because of the thick accents and the jumpy structure of the movie, it can take quite a while to make sense of the various scenarios.) Eventually, we learn that he raises horses in the wild, then trains them just enough to sell them as work horses.

The couple’s kids join with their parents in just about everything. At the opening of the movie, there are five young-uns (three girls and two boys) but, during the course of it, Colleen gives birth to another girl. By the end of the movie, the oldest kid is eleven. The older kids are proficient at skills like bare-back horse-riding and standing on a horses’s back to pluck fruit from a tree. When chores aren’t too pressing, Peter joins the kids in carefree skinny-dipping at a scenic swimming hole. Not much is said about their schooling, but they’re bright and well-informed. So Colleen and Peter seem to be providing everything that society expects kids to receive in more conventional ways.

But the movie turns out to be about much more than thumbing your nose at society. It’s about the most fundamental decisions people make about the way they want to live. By extension, it makes you think about how all of us make choices that create meaning for ourselves in our own lives.

Because the movie focuses mostly on Peter, though, it becomes a study of one remarkable man. You’d have to look long and hard – in real life or fiction – to find a guy who shows such a remarkable combination of rugged strength and tender sensitivity. He hunts for food (deer, wild pig) but he teaches his kids to respect the animals whose lives have been sacrificed so that the family can eat. To see him rounding up wild horses with his whip, or lassoing one that’s running away, makes you gasp at the guy’s prowess. In the next minute, though, he’ll have you melting as he rescues a baby rabbit from a burrow where it’s been cornered by the family’s dog. Pocketing the quivering bunny, Peter tells it, “The kids are gonna love you!”

Over the time that the documentary was being filmed, the family suffered several setbacks. (In keeping with the policy of Dilettante’s Diary regarding plot, we won’t reveal any details.) Ultimately, the main point of the movie is how Peter and his wife deal with misfortune. When the family survives one disaster, Colleen remarks: “My children are all fine. We have our health. That’s what matters.”* Clearly, religion is some help to them. Colleen mentions that she prays about problems. And one scene shows the family getting dressed up for church on Sunday. But it’s not stated what sort of church is involved. The emphasis is more on character. When Peter seems nearly overwhelmed by the malice of others, we catch him stopping and asking himself, almost whimsically: “What is the lesson to be learned? Am I supposed to be meek? Is that what I’m supposed to be?”

We don’t get much sense of Peter’s education, apart from the considerable skills he has acquired for living on the land. While he may not be the most sophisticated guy around, he’s intelligent and well-spoken. If he hasn’t had any formal post-secondary education, he must have been doing some good reading. When it comes to parenting, Peter’s troubled history with his stepfather leads him to say that his only guideline is to try to raise kids the way he would like to have been raised.

The guy makes such a good impression that you have to start trying to spot his flaws. Surely, somebody like this would be a bit redneck, not very tolerant of other’s opinions? But no, that rap won’t stick, because Peter turns out to be open-minded. When reflecting on his own moral sense, for instance, he expresses the hope that his oldest son will have the same values. But Peter concedes that the kid might turn out to see life differently from the way his dad does. That will be ok with him, Peter says, as long as the kid is happy.

For me, this documentary offers more drama, character development and thought-provoking stuff than you’d find in many a fictional film. In my opinion, then, it’s documentary-making at one of the highest levels of the art. Unlike The Steam of Life (see review above), it doesn’t raise questions about candour. In this case, the subjects acknowledge the camera. There’s no pretense, no subterfuge. In fact, one of the key elements of the movie has Peter, perched in the crotch of a tree, speaking directly to us. Musing on some of the bad things that have happened to the family lately, he marvels at the fact that the new baby’s arrival in the midst of it all cheered him up considerably. He chokes up at that thought. Then he asks: “How can people say there isn’t a God?”

Rating: B+ (Where B = “Better than most”)

*Not exact quotes. As you know, I don’t carry a tape recorder.

Dilettante’s Diary, May 2010URL: http://www.dilettantesdiary.com/id147.html


Creative Cow, Jan 2010URL: http://magazine.creativecow.net/article/this-way-of-life


Seattle International Film Festival: June 2010URL: http://www.siff.net/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=39468&FID=166


Sunday, June 13, 2010

SIFF SIGHTING: THIS WAY OF LIFE (documentary;

New Zealand)

Peter and Colleen Karena had very

different upbringings: Colleen was

part of a family that listened to her

opinions, valued her perspectives

and taught her to talk things

through; Peter was raised in a sort of

dictatorship with his resentful

stepfather at the helm. Now as a

married couple in rural New Zealand,

they resolve to offer their many

children a utopian childhood,

complete with wild horses (the family

business), church on Sundays and

two parents completely devoted to them.

This Way of Life offers a glimpse of modern people who have chosen to live

simply as our great-great-great grandparents may have. They live off the

land, kill their food (strictly for nourishment; not for sport) and pitch in

collectively to complete the cooking and cleaning chores. Dad also works to

make money to pay their taxes. Respect for one another, the land and the

animals they share the space with is emphasized and quite frankly, they just

seem like really, really good people.

But Peter's stepfather, the owner of the home and land they live upon

(though they've paid the mortgage for years, apparently) thinks otherwise.

Bitter because Peter challenged his authority as a youth, this old

curmudgeon sells the house out from underneath them (they didn't make it

to the auction house in time to bid) and then makes their lives a living hell in

the months that follow. All of this is captured brilliantly and beautifully by

director Thomas Burstyn.

During this tumultuous time, Colleen has another baby (a daughter, Salem)

and the family becomes technically homeless. But do they let it break their

spirit? Absolutely not. And that's why this film is so inspiring—though I may

never desire to live life as primitively as this family chooses to, I have a

great admiration for the values they're teaching their children.

They lead by example: they do good things by being good people and

sticking by one another no matter what life throws their way. If only

everyone had this presence and peace of mind, the world would be a better

place.

THIS WAY OF LIFE screened at the 36th Annual Seattle International Film

Festival.

Cinebanter

Average Matt

MichaelVox

MichaelVox

Tassoula

Cinebanter

The official Web site of the

Cinebanter movie podcast.

Contributors

Your donations pay for:

• Web hosting fees

• Audio equipment

• Backup accessories/storage

• Production costs

• Travel (when applicable)

• Advertising

Previous Posts

Report Abuse Next Blog» Create Blog Sign In

Cinebanter: SIFF SIGHTING: THIS WAY OF LIFE (docume... http://cinebanter.blogspot.com/2010/06/siff-sighting-this-way-...

1 of 3 19/11/10 3:29 PM

Cinebanter: June, 2010URL: http://cinebanter.blogspot.com/2010/06/siff-sighting-this-way-of-life.html


City Arts Magazine: June 2010URL: http://www.cityartsmagazine.com/blog/2010/06/siff-review-way-life


Login or Sign-upAbout Us Advertise Subscribe Get Your Copy

SIFF Review: This Way of LifeJune 14, 2010 at 7:05 AM | by KIRK MICHAEL

A White Tank Top Movie Review

Not all of us know our fathers from the distant sound of his gun going

off, but Llewellyn Karena says, “that’s Dad!” after hearing the crack of a rifle in

the first scene of This Way of Life.

When Peter Karena arrives back home it’s hard to know where to look — there’s

the pile of deer with, in the words of another child, “their faces cut off,” and Peter

himself, who is laughably good-looking (the closest comparison I can come up

with is Val Kilmer as Madmartigan in Willow). Peter quickly dispenses what has

to be the tagline for the film: “What do I do for a living? I live for a living.”

Read the full review after the jump.

Peter lives with his indomitable wife Colleen and their six children, all under the

age of 11, in the Ruahine region of New Zealand (the screensaver scenery

includes jungly mountains, pure blue rivers, wide grasslands and white sand

beaches). They find the hardships of rural life are superseded by its freedoms,

like allowing their toddlers to ride bareback through the country.

Colleen’s words, “we’ve always talked to them about safety,” are accompanied by

a shot of fearless 7-year-old Aurora galloping on a massive stallion and audience

gasps. Also, living in the Karena clan involves far more nude cliff diving than we

have in my family.

Filmmakers Thomas and Barbara Burstyn do well to let their subjects’ story tell

itself. They avoid White Tank Top documentary pitfall #1 by having no

over-explanative narrator or inter-titling. There’s blessedly little voiceover except

by Llewellyn, who pithily keeps things to a sentence or two.

SEATTLE EASTSIDE TACOMA CITY ARTS BLOG EVENTS AMPERSAND MULTIMEDIA ARCHIVES

More Film + SIFF

Blogs

EMP|SFM to Partner with

James Cameron

New Documentary Picks Up

Where Inconvenient Truth

Left Off?

Recent Comments

BY DEBORAH G

in Full Steam Ahead

I'm loving how much discussion

this article is generating! So, I

just stopped by and saw Ferdous

at Capitol Hill Vaudeville. Ferdous

was/is the original Seattle

"steampunk". My favorite

memory of...

BY COREY KAHLER

in EMP|SFM to Partner with

James Cameron

I would much prefer to see

through the eyes of a T-800.

BY BOND HUBERMAN

in What I'm Listening To:

Portable Morla

Hi Mike, I've looked also and can't

find any info related to an

upcoming show. I'll keep and eye

out however - and definitely let

you know if I hear anything.

Bond, online editor

BY MIKE

in What I'm Listening To:

Portable Morla

I love this music, and I'm totally

bummed I missed her show last

weekend at Piecorla's. When is

her next show? I've looked

around everywhere on the net

Search

Connect with City Arts

Twitter | Facebook

YouTube | RSS

Join our Mailing List!

SIFF Review: This Way of Life | the CAB - City Arts Magazine http://www.cityartsmagazine.com/blog/2010/06/siff-review-w...

1 of 2 19/11/10 3:57 PM

While Peter’s adoptive father is malevolently bent on ruining his son, This Way of Life does not spend much time dwelling on misfortune — significant challenges pass through like New Zealand’s torrential downpours. While offering heaps of practical advice to his kids (I should now be able to sharpen a knife and skin a deer just from watching), Peter is also deeply focused on how to be a good parent. He says wisely, “You can’t take back how you’ve treated people.” We can’t know if Peter is always fair with his children but he certainly is in every moment of this film.

Subjects that might normally warrant an entire nar-rative or reality TV series (miscarriage, devastating house fire, mass horse theft, having six young kids) flow together in 84 quick minutes. The Karenas are always soldiering on with smiles on their faces (I noticed Peter and Colleen smile even when angry). When Llewellyn mentions, “Dad found us a shed to live in,” the group is happy to be camping out. Later, after moving into a larger house with many rooms, Colleen recalls the shed almost wistfully. All the doors in the new place hurt family togetherness, she explains, breaking into surprising tears.

As much as he has a profession, Peter is a horse trader. In one tense sequence, he and Llewellyn are transfer-ring a line of horses along a narrow trail on the edge of a cliff. When one mare loses her footing, Peter is forced to cut it out of the line and send the animal over the cliff. Where I would need to be helicoptered out and put in hospice care for months from the stress, Peter steps forward. He carefully cuts and reties the ropes to secure the surviving horses in a quiet meta-phor of moving on that’s worthy of Cormac McCarthy.

The filmmakers also had some fortuitous combina-tions where the action on screen complimented Peter’s speeches perfectly. As he discusses his reluctant re-lationship with capitalism and land “ownership,” his dog Coco begins to furiously dig up a rabbit hole. Pe-ter interrupts his impromptu analysis of Adam Smith to call off the dog and save the bunny (which puts in his large coat pocket and later presents to his kids).

In my favorite sequence, Peter sits on a hillside, next to Llewellyn, telling a long story of his own father’s assholishness when the boy spots a missing horse. For a moment, Peter can’t believe it and grabs the binocu-lars. When he sees the bay with his own eyes and realizes his son was right, the joy is palpable. They go down and get the horse together.

323 Sixth Avenue at West Third Street | (212) 924-7771 | E-mail Us | Map & Directions

NOW PLAYING | COMING SOON | MEMBERSHIP | MERCHANDISE | ABOUT US

This Way of Life

Directed by: Thomas Burstyn

Friday, July 30 - Thursday, August 5, 2010

Set against the imposing mountains and isolated beaches in a remote part of North Island, New Zealand, THIS

WAY OF LIFE is an intimate portrait of a Maori family — Peter and Colleen Karina and their six children, ages

2 through 11 — and their relationship with each other, nature and horses. THIS WAY OF LIFE is a blueprint for

how to live with little. It is a modern parable of one family’s unconventional and incredibly positive response to

the questions that confront many families in these anxious times.

NR, 87 Minutes

New Zealand, 2009

Official Website: http://www.thiswayoflifemovie.com/

Search IFC Center

Thursday, November 18

Enter the Void

11:20 AM | 1:55 PM | 9:40 PM

Friday Night (Vendredi Soir)

6:30 PM | 8:15 PM

Inspector Bellamy

11:45 AM | 1:50 PM | 4:10 PM | 7:40 PM |

This Way of Life – IFC Center http://www.ifccenter.com/films/this-way-of-life/

1 of 3 19/11/10 4:03 PM

IFC Centre: July, 2010URL: http://www.ifccenter.com/films/this-way-of-life/


Creative Cow, Cinematography tutorialsURL: http://library.creativecow.net/tutorials/cinematography/1


The Fan Carpet: Sept 2010URL: http://www.thefancarpet.com/NewsPage.aspx?n_id=1773


cloud south films media book

Documents

i n f o

n t e r v

o u d s o u t h f i

b o o kc

way of life

e w skim hill radio

story of family life

independent lm