2020 New Zealand film
| GURL | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Mika X |
| Written by | Mika X |
| Produced by | Mika X Georgina Allison Conder Philippa Campbell |
| Starring | Jay Tewake Brady Peeti Jackie Clarke Regan Taylor Aaron Ward |
| Cinematography | Darryl Ward |
| Edited by | Anastasia Doniants |
| Music by | Mika Haka |
| Production company | Mika Haka Foundation |
| Distributed by | Independent |
| Release date |
|
| Running time | 20 minutes |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $380,000 |
GURL is a 2020 New Zealand short film directed, written and produced by Mika X. The film premiered at the New Zealand International Film Festival as part of the "Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts 2020" selection curated by Leo Koziol and Craig Fasi. GURL tells a story of Carmen Rupe experience in the context of being both Maori and LGBT: "The infamous Māori Drag Queen Carmen 'Gurl' finally accepts her-true-self when she falls in love with a fading rugby star on an ill-fated night in New Zealand 1975." This short film is a prequel to the feature film "The Book of Carmen" which has been in pre-production since the release of GURL.
Plot
GURL is about night of the life of Carmen Rupe. While she is working the streets in the evening of K road, Carmen lives in a fantasy as a younger transgender woman "Gurl", working as a sex worker, waiting for her White Knight to take her away. When the white knight isn't what he makes out to be, Gurl escapes a violent. While she collects herself, an unexpected person comes to her aid, A dying All Black. The two spend an evening together as they fall in love.
Cast
- Jay Tewake as Gurl / Young Carmen
- Jackie Clarke as Sapphire
- Brady Peeti as Gypsy
- Regan Taylor as Ed
- Aaron Ward as White Knight
- Mika X as Carmen
- Rosanna Raymond as Mystik Maiden
- Ramon Te Wake as Mystik Ra
- Amanaki Prescott as Mystik Ama
- Amanduh La Hoare as Lofty Queen
- Danielle Hayes as Terracotta Blade
- Whetu Fala as Whaea
- Richie Cattell as Rugby Lad
Credits
- Director
- Directed and Written by: Mika X
- Producers
- Executive Producer: Mika X
- Consulting Producer: Georgina Allison Conder
- Consulting Producer: Philippa Campbell
- Line Producer: Lance Loughlin
- Associate Producer: Alex Plumb
- Music department
- Music Composers: Mark Dennison
- Music Composers: Penny Dodd
- Music Producer and Mastered by: Alan Jansson
- Music Manager: Benjamin Thomas Watt
- Design
- Production Design: Shaun Dooley
- Sound Department
- Sound Recordists: Tipene Rogers
- Sound Recordists: Mark Storie
- Editing
- Editor: Anastasia Doniants
- Editing Studio: Department of post
Releases
The film premiered at the New Zealand International Film Festival at ASB Waterfront Theatre on 26 July 2020. The film was also available to watch online until 2 August. The film was screened in the first weekend of August at Rialto Cinema Tauranga, Monterey Howick Cinemas in Auckland, Regent cinema in Dunedin, Len Lye Centre in New Plymouth and Roxy Cinema in Wellington.
Soundtrack
Single
| "What Kind Of Coffee Do You Like?" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Jay Te Wake, Jackie Clarke & Brady Peeti | |
| from the album GURL Original Short Film Soundtrack | |
| Released | 17 July 2020 (2020-07-17) |
| Recorded | 2019–2020 |
| Studio | Uptown Studio |
| Genre | Soundtrack Musical |
| Length | 2:26 |
| Label | Patangaroa Entertainment Ltd |
| Composer(s) | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison |
| Lyricist(s) | Mika Haka |
| Producer(s) | Alan Jansson |
| GURL Original Short Film Soundtrack track listing | |
| 12 What Kind of Coffe Do You Like? | |
Track listing
- Digital download
- "What Kind Of Coffee Do You Like?" – 2:26
Album
| GURL Original Short Film Soundtrack | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Mika Haka & The cast of GURL | |
| Released | 24 July 2020 (2020-07-24) |
| Recorded | 2019–2020 |
| Studio | Uptown Studios |
| Genre | Soundtrack Musical |
| Length | 46:37 |
| Label | Patangaroa Entertainment Ltd |
| Producer | Alan Jansson |
All tracks are written by Mika Haka
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Te Wa" | Mika Haka | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | Brady Peeti & The cast | 1:29 |
| 2. | "The Lonely All Black" | Mika Haka | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | Regan Taylor | 1:28 |
| 3. | "MELANCOLY" | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | 1:35 | ||
| 4. | "Mirror Mirror on the wall" | Mika Haka | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | Jackie Clarke & Gail Tipene | 4:59 |
| 5. | "Room 1334" | Mika Haka | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | Rosanna Raymond feat. Jackie Clarke & Gail Tipene | 4:14 |
| 6. | "Himi Hendrix" | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | Neil Watson | 1:00 | |
| 7. | "Eggs, Baked Beans, Rainbow" | Mika Haka | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | Frankie Stevens feat. Jackie Clarke & Gail Tipene | 0:47 |
| 8. | "Shake it up baby" | Mika Haka | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | Gail Tipene | 4:03 |
| 9. | "Mambo Fantasy" | Mika Haka | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | Mika Haka | 1:24 |
| 10. | "Hawaiian Love Duet" | Mika Haka | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | Jay Te Wake & Regan Taylor | 0:38 |
| 11. | "In The Morning" | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | 0:49 | ||
| 12. | "What Kind of Coffe Do You Like?" | Mika Haka | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | Jay Te Wake, Jackie Clarke & Brady Peeti feat. The Cast | 2:26 |
| 13. | "I Ta Wa (Instrumental)" | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | 1:29 | ||
| 14. | "The Lonely All Black (Instrumental)" | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | 1:28 | ||
| 15. | "Mirror Mirror on the Wall (Instrumental)" | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | 4:59 | ||
| 16. | "Room 1334 (Instrumental)" | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | 4:13 | ||
| 17. | "Eggs, Baked Beans, Rainbow (Instrumental)" | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | 0:48 | ||
| 18. | "Shake it up baby (Instrumental)" | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | 4:04 | ||
| 19. | "Mambo Fantasy" | Mika Haka | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | Jackie Clarke | 1:29 |
| 20. | "Hawaiian Love Duet (Instrumental)" | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | 0:37 | ||
| 21. | "What Kind Of Coffee Do You Like? (Instrumental)" | Penny Dodd and Mark Dennison | 2:26 |
Reception
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZIFF | 2 August 2020 | Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts Best Film Award | Mika X | Nominated | |
| Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts CineMāori Audience Award | Won | ||||
| Wairoa Māori Film Festival | 25 October 2020 | Whenua Jury - Best Māori Director (Short Film) | Won | ||
| Calcutta International Cult Film Festival (Films of the Month – Jan-Feb 2021) |
17 March 2021 | Best LGBT | Won | ||
| Outstanding Achievement Award | Won | ||||
| Brazil International Monthly Film Festival | September 2021 | Best Actor For Median Length Film | Jay Tewake | Won | |
| California Indies Film and Script Awards | January 2022 | Best LGBTQ Film | Mika X | Won |
References
- "GURL". Kiriata. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "World Premiere Of GURL, A New Film By Mika X In Whānau Mārama: NZ International Film Festival". Scoop. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "DWC Mika Haka Artist". Waatea News. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "GURL teaser for Carmen biopic". Waatea News. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "Spy: The legendary drag queen and the mystery All Black". Stuff NZ. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "GURL new film directed by Mika X to World Premiere in Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival". The Big Idea. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "MIKA HAKA'S GURL TO PREMIERE AT NZ INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL NEXT WEEK". Gay Express. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "New Short Film "Gurl"". Te Hiku Media. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "New Zealand International Film Festival program" (PDF). New Zealand International Film Festival. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts 2020". Eventfinda. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- "What Kind of coffee do you like". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "GURL". Muzic. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "GURL SOUNDTRACK". Soundtrack Tracklist. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- "GURL Wins Audience Award". Big Idea. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- "Films of the Month – Jan-Feb 2021". CICFF. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- "Brazil International Monthly Film Festival September winners". Brazil International Monthly Film Festival. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- "First Edition Winners". California Indies Film and Script Awards. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
External links
- Official website Archived 2020-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
- GURL at IMDb
- New Zealand International Film Festival Website
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