NZ
Richard Turner made Squeeze to break the "conspiracy of silence" about homosexuality. A pioneering early portrait of Auckland's LGBT scene, Squeeze centres on the relationship between a young man (Paul Eady) and the confident executive (Robert Shannon) who romances him, then mentions he has a fiancée. The film was discussed in Parliament after Patricia Bartlett campaigned against the possibility it might get NZ Film Commission funding (it didn't). Kevin Thomas in The LA Times praised Squeeze's integrity and the "steadfast compassion with which it views its hero".
Oct 1980
Samson Peabody-Jones sets out to conquer the untamed west in 1881, in this remarkable film featuring a cast and crew of 100 talented school children. You'll enjoy the escapades of Peabody-Jones as he braves the frontier in search of adventure and finds a life of danger as well as rewards. It takes a miner's ghost, a mysterious parcel and finally the U.S. Cavalry to bring the story to a happy ending. A recommended featurette, with an excellent and original soundtrack score, but very difficult to find.
Jan 1980