Something for everyone at MTG

The New Zealand International Film Festival is in its very last days at MTG Hawke’s Bay Tai Ahuriri, with the final four screenings happening on Sunday 27 August. Having watched Close to Vermeer earlier in the week I can recommend this as a great film (screening again tomorrow at 1pm). I’ll definitely be watching Kidnapped at 2:45pm. Based on the true 19th century story of a six-year old Jewish boy abducted by the Catholic Church in Italy, I’m really looking forward to this. Rounding out the film festival is The New Boy at 5:15pm and Fallen Leaves at 7:45pm. Hopefully you managed to get to your picks of the festival and have taken away some great experiences and memories.

It’s been lovely seeing the theatre bustling during the festival and we’ll certainly be doing that again next year, along with the French Film Festival. We offer a number of regular cinema programmes at the Century Theatre throughout the year. These include the National Theatre Live screenings, Art Beats, Met Opera and our Sunday Cinema. The upcoming schedule can be found on our website under What’s On, or come in and get information from one of our friendly Customer Service team. We’re always reviewing our cinema offering and may make some adjustments based on the level of interest shown by our audiences, budgets and/or to meet overall objectives for the museum. Please do keep letting us know what you think of what we offer.

Looking ahead we have some events coming up that are worth mentioning. If you haven’t managed to catch one of the free lunchtime concerts with Project Prima Volta, the last concert is on Wednesday 30 August from 12:15 – 12:45pm – come along to enjoy this free concert and show your support for Project Prima Volta. Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori runs from 11 – 17 September and we’ll offer some guided tours in te reo during this week, children’s activities and more to encourage and support this nationally important week. At the museum we’re aware that we need to do more in this space and actively focus on becoming more bilingual.

For J.R.R. Tolkien or Peter Jackson fans, we’re screening all three Lord of the Rings films on Sunday 17 September. This coincides (almost) with National Hobbit Day on the 22nd and acknowledges nearly 20 years since the release of Return of the King (the anniversary being in December this year). We’ll be holding a costume competition in association with this triple screening – details of this will be announced online, on our website and in various retailers around the region in the near future. As the films are all rated M, the competition will be run accordingly, and competitors must be at the screenings and in their costumes to win a prize. We’re working with local businesses to sponsor some great prizes and hope lots of you will enter, making it a fun day for everyone involved. This will be a marathon event, starting at 9:30am with an opportunity for those in costume to strut their stuff, and running through until 9:30pm. Accordingly there will be plenty of snacks available at the Century Theatre Bar and if possible we’re hoping to have some food vendors between the films.

There’s plenty to do and see at the museum – we hope to see you here sometime soon.

Published in the Hawke’s Bay Today newspaper 26 August 2023 and written by Laura Vodanovich, Director at MTG Hawke’s Bay.

28 August 2023

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