Synopsis

Sione is getting married. But there’s a problem. Well actually, there are four problems. Sione’s brother Michael and his three best mates Albert, Stanley and Sefa. The ladies’ man, the good boy, the weird one and the party boy. They’re thirty something, but they still act as if they’re sixteen. They get drunk, they chase the wrong women and they have a remarkable record of causing chaos at every wedding they attend. But when Sione bans the boys from his wedding, they know something has to change. The boys have one last chance; find girlfriends to take to the wedding or be left out in the cold. Their lives are about to get turned upside down. How hard can it be finding a girl in the world’s biggest Polynesian city when you’re young, gifted and brown?

What The Critics Say

"Sione's Wedding" may have its flaws, but it provides a refreshing balance of comedy and stupidity, making it 97 minutes of compulsive viewing." "This is a wonderful, joyful film from beginning to end. Well written, well acted, well crafted all round." "Great acting. Technically it is a little rough around the edges - just like the key characters in the film. Very suave script! Check it out!" OUR BRISBANE REVIEWS "Infectiously energetic, so drenched in joy and so bloody funny that to give it less than a top rating would be churlish. a comedy with characters we care about." NEW ZEALAND HERALD "Infectious humour and a cracking pace make Sione's Wedding a cheerful, earthy and unpretentious movie with a big party spirit." OPTUS MOVIE REVIEWS

"Wedding comedies have a happy tradition, whether fat and Greek or even adjoining a funeral, and Sione's Wedding adds a new ethnic flavour with its Samoan characters living in New Zealand. The film begins with urban streetscapes and American street music by way of hip hop, providing a cultural crossover that is later parlayed into some cross ethnic comedy between silly white guys and the Samoan brotherhood known as the Duckrockers." Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE "This movie was hilarious, with its memorable characters and equally memorable lines... "Don't be a hater, be a playa congratulator"... The naked samoans showed just how versitle they can be. The characters were believable and all the sole's I know could relate to it in some way or another." UWS MOVIE REVIEWS "Probably the most engaging sub-plot centres on Albert's problem in finding the right girl when the audience knows far earlier than him that she's his work colleague. Director Chris Graham, who didn't have a lot of money to work with, gives Sione's Wedding the look of many US movies that cost 10 times as much as this distinctive South Pacific charmer. There aren't many date movies around and this is a good one." Des Partridge DAILY TELEGRAPH

The Inside Story "Sione's Wedding is a contemporary, urban story set in the Polynesian world," says writer James Griffin. "It’s a story that every culture can relate to because it’s a kind of romantic comedy for guys. It’s about universal themes of love and respect and friendship, but what makes it really interesting is that it’s told from a young Polynesian perspective." The setting for "Sione's Wedding" is Auckland, New Zealand, the city with the world’s biggest Polynesian population (bigger than Los Angeles or Honolulu). Pacific humour and romance drives the heart of the movie. "It’s a story that every culture can relate to because it’s a kind of romantic comedy for guys,"says Griffin who co-wrote the script with Oscar Kightley. "It’s about universal themes of love and respect and friendship, but what makes it really interesting is that it’s told from a young Polynesian perspective." Much like "Whale Rider", the movie features a cast which, while well known in New Zealand, is largely unrecognizable to most cinemagoers, with the possible exception of Nathaniel Lees (who plays Minister) and Maryjane McKibbin-Schwenke (former Miss Suva). What makes the movie so much fun is a likeable bunch of guys who play the lead characters known as the 'Duckmasters'. One of those is Oscar Knightley who plays the character of Albert. "I love that we’re making a film about people I know and things I know and understand. We're making a New Zealand movie that is true and funny and I think that the Pacific Island community is going to love it," Knightley said, adding "and so is everyone else." The film is set in the inner city Aukland suburb of Grey Lynn home to both Kightley and Griffin and many of Polynesian descent who settled there after WW2. "We wanted to create a visual portrait of Auckland as an incredibly varied city; metropolitan, multicultural and international, which it is," says director Chris Graham. "The film is about creating a window into the Samoan culture within Auckland city, which population wise, is the Polynesian capital." A big part of creating the right image for the films setting went to another Grey Lynn resident, cinematographer Aaron Morton. "I live in Grey Lynn and it felt like a movie about my neighbourhood," says Morton. "It was something we talked about in terms of the neighbourhood being another character. It’s where these guys grew up and it informs who they are." And it's fair to say that the 'Duckmasters', Albert, Michael, Sefa and Stanley, reflect much of the lifestyle of young Polynesians today. "many Polynesian youth still live with their families but stay in sleep-outs (converted garages or annexes to the family home); they attend church but they also wile away their nights on the dance floors of hip hop clubs. They are a generation whose music, storytelling, dance, sporting prowess, fashion and attitude are fast becoming a major influence on our society, from the hit animated TV series "bro’Town" to Scribe’s top-selling hip hop albums." Oscar Kightley, Dave Fane, Shimpal Lelisi, and Mario Gaoa are the original 'Naked Samoans', a comedy theatre troupe featuring New Zealand-raised Pacific Islanders who combine brilliant physical humour with razor-sharp Polynesian satire. Robbie Magasiva and Iaheto Ah Hi joined the group shortly after its inception. The 'Naked Samoans' shows include: Naked Samoans Talk About Their Knives; Naked Samoans Go To Hollywood; Naked Samoans: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go; and Naked Samoans: The Trilogy, which not only played in in Auckland, Wellington, and Hamilton New Zealand but also at the acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2002. The groups success spawned the animated, primetime hit TV series "bro'Town". Written by and starring members of the Naked Samoans (including Oscar Kightley, David Fane, Shimpal Lelisi and Mario Gaoa) the series, dubbed the 'Simpsons of the South Pacific' has received numerous accolades including awards for Best Comedy and for Best Script at the 2005 New Zealand Screen Awards and Best Comedy at the 2005 Qantas Television Awards. In "Sione's Wedding" the guys play these lovable characters known as the 'Duckmasters'. So who are the 'Duckmasters'? "They’re all studs through Michael, they’re all happily settled through Sefa, they’ve all got good jobs like Albert and they all get to be carefree and broke through Stan," says Oscar Knightley, adding "even though they always have to pay for Stan’s lunch." Knightley's character is Albert, "the sensible one of the four, the good boy with the good job. Albert fulfils that function for the boys; they don’t have to go and get good jobs because Albert’s got one, where he has to wear a tie to work. He does the right thing, takes his job seriously respects his mum (who looks after him), and is the most inexperienced of the four when it comes to alcohol and women." Kightley says "he and co-writer James Griffin had no idea who would be cast as Albert when they created the character. If I knew I would be playing him I would’ve made Albert much cooler," he notes. Was there anything else he would have changed? "I would have definitely given him better clothes." And what of his hopes for the film? "I love that it’s about things I know and understand, and people I know," he said. "I want New Zealanders to go see it and think 'wow, I know those boys.' And overseas I want audiences to see it and realise that New Zealand has different cultures that are Kiwi but have different flavours. I’d love to hear what Jamaicans in London think of it and what Puerto Ricans in Brooklyn think of it. It’s a true story about real people – and it’s also very funny. I think the Island community’s really going to love it, and so will everyone else." Let's hope Oscar Knightley gets his wish because this is a very funny romantic comedy, that while a little rough around the edges in part (mainly due to the inexperience of much of the cast and crew) is never the less a lot of fun to watch. What They Had To Say Shimpal Lelisi: "When I read the script I went ‘whoa.’ A lot of the stories in the script; that’s us, the stuff we did, being stupid. Or situations we knew of. So I said ‘Oscar, have you asked the boys if you can use this?’"
Oscar Kightley: "The parts we play, they’re not us, but we channel different versions of ourselves to make them real. They’re composite characters of all the boys that James and I have ever met and hung out with. But there are little scenes all throughout the film that are taken from real moments, and the weird thing about that was how they involved people in the cast. Its really strange because you think ‘I remember the funny time we got kicked out of the club and someone was break-dancing in front of the bouncer to make a point’ and then a version of it ends up in the film."
Shimpal Lelisi: "So Oscar went ‘No, it’s not about the boys, it’s just an interesting story.’ I really loved the story, I thought it was really funny, and I thought it was a good time for that type of story to be told. It happens to everybody, this sort of stuff."
Iaheto Ah Hi: "We’ve all joked about how the characters are similar to us in real life. They’re facets of our own personalities that have been blown up. The more I read the script, the more I thought; hmmm this sounds an awful lot like us."
Madeleine Sami: "The main characters remind me of a lot of the boys I grew up with. Most of my friends aren’t as dysfunctional, but we all have shades of those people in ourselves. I can be a bit like those boys at times. On set it was a really relaxed vibe. It was nice to slot in with the boys. They’re very generous and protective which was lovely – having these big Island guys looking out for you. I tried to be part of their gang."
David Fane: "Capricorn. That’s all you need to know."
Teuila Blakely: "There are a lot of interesting similarities between the actors and the characters they play, even though they would all deny it. But they really are über-versions of themselves. Maybe even the truest versions - which could be why they had so much fun playing them. They’ve been training for this for the past decade. That’s how dedicated they are. It was all research."
Oscar Kightley: "I didn’t have any expectations of how it was going to be. I saw the people who were responsible for what they were responsible for and only ever looked forward to seeing what they came up with. It was about discovering how great it could be at different stages. You never know what to expect, you just take it all as it happens. It takes a village to make a movie."
Robbie Magasiva: "When I met the crew, I said ‘Man, the crew is flasher than the cast! These guys have done mega stuff. If helped a lot to have such a talented crew. We’ve all had our sleep-outs. I know one guy, he had a sleep-out and he spent twenty thousand on doing it up. Twenty thousand to renovate his sleep-out, and his parents lived in front.
Iaheto Ah Hi: "There are certain things that make people, and what defines them as characters in real life. I know I’m an Islander, but hip hop is in my blood and my hip hop roots are very important to me along with being a Pacific Islander and a New Zealander."
Teuila Blakely: "As flawed as the main characters are, I think Sione’s Wedding is a celebration of men and how they are. You get to see into the secret boy’s club; learn the secrets of the code. And you know what? It’s kind of fabulous that that’s how they are. That’s why you love your man!" The Verdict "It's refreshing to see something that is so honestly down to earth as "Sione's Wedding" the latest bigscreener from the 'Land Of The Long White Cloud'. Oscar Kightley, Robbie Magasiva, Shimpal Lelisi, and Iaheto Ah Hi are impressive as the 'Duckrockets', four friends who have never manged to grow-up. While "Sione's Wedding" lacks the polish of 'The Whale Rider' and more recently 'The World's Fastest Indian" (due to its limited budget) it exudes plenty of charm. This is one Polynesian experience many cinemagoers will find quite enjoyable. 3 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "SIMONE'S WEDDING" stars .......
Oscar Kightley [TV'S "Snatch Our Booty", "Telly Laughs" and "Bro'Town"]; Robbie Magasiva ["Stickmen", "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and "Perfect Creature"]; Shimpal Lelisi ["Topless Women Talk About Their Lives" and "The Nightmare Man"]; Iaheto (Heto) Ah Hi [TV'S "Market Forces", "Plain Tastes" and "The Market"]; Madeleine Sami ["Perfect Strangers"], Pua Magasiva ["Crime Story" and "Other Side Of Heaven"] and Nathaniel Lees ["Bonjour Timothy", "Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers", "The Matrix Revolutions" and "The Matrix Reloaded"] as Minister.
"SIMONE'S WEDDING" was .......
directed by Chris Graham [short films: "Bus Stop", "Water" and "Life Before Me"]; written by James Griffin [TV Series: "Outrageous Fortune, "Mercy Peak" and "Serial Killers"]; production design by Iain Aitken ["He Died With A Felafel In His Hand" and "Sylvia"]; cinematography by Aaron Morton ["Boogeyman" and "Nemesis Game"]; original music composed by Andy Morton ["Dimmer" and "Tha Feelstyle"]; edited by Paul Maxwell ["Rain"]; costume design by Jane Holland ["Boogeman", "Soft Fruit" and "The World’s Fastest Indian"]; produced by Chloe Smith ["The Piano", "Came A Hot Friday", "The Last Samurai", "Crush", "Shaker Run" and "Boogeyman"] and John Barnett ["Beyond Reasonable Doubt", "Race for the Yankee Zephyr", "Jubilee" and "Whale Rider"]. Run Time 107 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2006 - Buena Vista International - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2006 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved