"Awesome, unpretentious and down to earth (excuse the pun!). Sound track brilliant. Must watch local flick of the year."
Arsel

"Congratulations on such a fine film, you had potentially the most critical audience last night and got universal approval, not a negative word was heard. It had a powerful effect on those that were active in the early days, validating their actions and celebrating the community spirit that still exists. So thank you very much, Watchdog will never forget the effort you have made and the long term benefits Z-Nail Gang will have in keeping Coromandel the beautiful place we all love."
Gordon, Coromandel Watchdog

We went and watched this movie last night in Howick. Really enjoyed it on so many levels! Truly an awesome achievement to write and produce. Thanks for all the hard work- so worth it!!
Louise

"this movie is an absolute gem - da bomb!"
Kim

"Please thank the community in the Bay for honoring our community in the Coromandel, we were thrilled with the film. "
Whitianga resident

"Just been to see the Z-Nail Gang with a group of people and LOVED it!! Well done to your family I say.  Love the humour all the way through."  Thames resident

"Holy s**t mate that was one awesome movie. Much respect bro to you and all the team who put together such an awesome movie."
Known Activist

"It really captures the spirit of how a community can make a difference when confronted by greed and the resulting ecocide."
Sea Shepherd

Graham (Auckland Actors) took his hat off to you that you have achieved so much in such a short time span. He thought it was a solid performance from everyone, and hopes that people go and see it.

"A film that proves on and off screen that when people get together and stand together anything is possible!"
Creative Tauranga


"Just watched this arvo with the family at Rialto Tga. Great job guys! The filming, scenery shots and acting was of a very high standard. Special mentions to "Auntie" and "Dave" characters who probably stole the show among a very strong ensemble. All the best with it."
Marc Dalton

"Awesome movie guys, tino pai o koutou mahi! Thanks very much for coming to Whakatane today and talking to the audience about the movie. It deserves to get good reviews and audiences around the country. A great advertisement for what communities can do to act together."  Barrie

"Yahooooooooooo want to see it again"  Mark

"I saw it at Rialto, Tauranga and was really impressed. Loved the writing and felt the movie was entertaining and had some poignant moments. To get to this standard on such a minute budget is a credit to those involved."
TGA Girl

"The first thing that stood out was that this film doesn't look like it was done on a budget... if you're wanting a feel good comedy sprinkled with some drama then watch this movie. Forget the low budget pull, get some ice-cream, take your beloved and enjoy it. Thank you for making a funny emotive and incredibly relevant movie."
Lilly Kinder

"Just been to see a brilliant independent film called the Z Nail Gang. A beautiful story about community, surfing, pottery, fishing, secret horticulture, police brutality and Parliamentary Ministers overstepping the bounds. Featuring Errolls underpants and Cobens fake mustache and Stuarts motorcycling skills. See it if you can. It's a beautifully shot piece of New Zealand"
Ian

"I just wanted to say what a wonderful film!  It is completely unbelievable how it was done on nearly no budget and turned in to a beautifully fine tuned stunning piece of work.  A HUGE compliment to you both and all you set out to achieve.  Congratulations, I hope you both feel really really proud and the film deserves to do incredibly well."
Belinda, B&M Creative Artists

Awesome, unpretentious and down to earth (excuse the pun!). Sound track brilliant. Must watch local flick of the year.  Arsel

"This film celebrates our highly successful and creative campaign in the 1980s and 1990's to protect the Coromandel from multinational gold mining. It is a fast paced and funny fictionalised account of community resistance to the destruction of the environment. The organising and activism which it portrays will resonate with everyone who stood up for the protection of Schedule 4 land in 2010 and everyone who believes we have a better future than letting big companies dig holes in our country and create toxic waste. As a Green MP I am proud to have been part of the inspiration for this story and to be a member of a political party dedicated to both the environment and the power of communities to manifest solidarity and sustainability. Enjoy the film and join the campaigns to love and protect Aotearoa"
Catherine Delahunty, Green MP

"I am still buzzing after seeing the movie on Thurs. I am very impressed and have been talking it up around town."  Lois

"We just wanting to say a Big Thank you for the invite to last night's Premiere. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and we thought you all did an amazing job with the film. There was definitely a lot of laughter in the room last night. We wish you all the best for the big night in Auckland and thank you for approaching us and giving us the opportunity to feature in your film."
Neville Marsh

"The movie is fantastic!"  Ruby

"Sensational film. 10/10 from this Coromandel resident! Thank god real life super heroes still exist!"  Christian

"Last night, we were invited to the premiere screening of The Z-Nail Gang movie, starring one of our BaseFM DJs, Paul Ballard – wow, a man of many talents and a movie that inspires! 'From communities for communities' – we can identify with that ay? Big ups to the cast and all crew involved! What a great and meaningful story you have brought back to life!"
Jasmin, BaseFM

"I saw this in Whitianga along with many that were involved in the original story. Loved it. I think they have done a wonderful job at portraying the what went on in those bygone days. We can only hope that we do not have to go through all that again. Congratulations to all that were part of the movie and the original story, both did a marvellous job."
Jakikua

Such an exciting and humbling night last night, offering the people of Coromandel the first opportunity to see The Z-Nail Gang on the silver screen.  We knew this was the evening that really counted in the films release - because it is not just a story or a film to many people here - it was and is their life.  It was great to see this point was really acknowledged & celebrated last night.  The atmosphere after the film was neat to just be able to absorb, to see people moved, recounting their own stories and memories and feeling their story was honoured. 

It was a full house, in fact people were on a wait list for a ticket.  The audience was a mix of original anti-mining protestors, present day environmentalists & genuinely interested locals.  Being a comedic eco-drama, the film had everyone both laughing and crying and coming away from it in excited conversation. 

Coromandel Watchdog and their supporters, who were seeing the film for the first time, were thrilled with the depiction of their historical struggle and the portrayal of the strength and power within unified communities.  Gordon Jackman, Chair of Watchdog commented “you had the potentially most critical audience last night and got universal approval, not a negative word was heard. It had a powerful effect on those that were active in the early days, validating their actions and celebrating the community spirit that still exists”.

Got some great pics of the evening - my favourite is the ticketing box - no digital here!


 

A key component of any community is the kids.  They're the one's that we work for, the one's that we lay foundations for, the one's that pick up the mantel and carry our hopes and dreams into the future. 

And it's the children who live with the consequences of the way we live our lives and how we treat the environment around us. The Native Americans have an ecological concept called "seven generation sustainability" which holds appropriate to think seven generations ahead (about 140 years into the future) and decide whether the decisions they make today would benefit their children seven generations into the future.  This is a key message in the film - "let me tell you about the next generation".

And in this film, that's who Malachi and Jojo represent; our future and the future we choose for NZ children.

What's very special about these two characters,
is that they represent two brothers who did fight alongside their parents in the anti-mining protests of the 80's.  In fact it's one of these brothers who inspired the whole movie (on a couple of snowboarding trips with Anton).  Hilarious and true stories such as breaking into prospectors cars and eating their shrewsberry biscuits (so 80's) have been incorporated into the film. 

What impressed Anton was that it was the young ones who at the start, actually get off their bums and do something to stop the mining, rather than just sit round arguing like the adults. 

Two special boys acted these roles - Malachi and Jojo White.  Both completely new to the screen and to acting, we cast them because we've known them for years and know that their personalities were perfect for the parts of these two on-screen characters.  Brothers in life, their bond, their cheek, their zest for life and their energy is so natural and completely engaging.  They were focused, sincere and committed to the whole filming process.  They were a great reminder to us during filming of why we were doing it – for our community and for the future.  

As all the cast and crew did on-set, you'll fall in love with these guys. 

SPREADING THE WORD 
A few suggestions on how we can get others to join our 'gang':
-  Get your friends to 'Like' us on Facebook
-  Share our trailer on their Facebook pages and encourage them to share it further
-  Share a link to our website and help grow the community as a whole
-  Add an Email footer to your communications with links to The Z-Nail website
-  Organise pre-screenings or a special screening as a fundraiser / corporate evening! We can either use cinemas or they could even hold their own events which is a great way to support community groups, or thank employees with a fun night out
-   Lastly, help us put up posters in and around your local community