THE HOUSE WITHIN: Trailer & Release Date Revealed For Acclaimed Dame Fiona Kidman Documentary
Directed by Joshua Prendeville, The House Within is the first-ever documentary to explore the personal and literary legacy of Dame Fiona Kidman - one of New Zealand's most respected and influential writers. At 84, Kidman remains a towering figure in the country's literary and cultural history.
' The House Within is a project very close to my heart, ' says Prendeville. 'I t's one that I feel was really important to do now, given Fiona's immense contribution to the arts, and social causes over her lifetime. Fiona has spent her life standing up for the rights of others and carving out a space for herself in industries where she was often the only woman in the room. '
' The film is more than a portrait of a literary icon,' the director adds. 'It's about the courage to speak one's truths, and the personal toll of doing so. '
The House Within shines a light on a truly maverick writer who overcame innumerable obstacles to establish her voice and place in the world of literature, and the cost of standing by those values over a lifetime.
THE HOUSE WITHIN, A PORTRAIT OF DAME FIONA KIDMAN,
IN CINEMAS ACROSS NEW ZEALAND FROM THURSDAY JULY 17, 2025
Written & Directed by Joshua Prendeville
Produced by Kerry Prendeville, Victoire Maderou & Joshua Prendeville
Vendetta Films is managing the NZ distribution
About the Film
The House Within is a documentary on the internationally celebrated New Zealand writer Dame Fiona Kidman (Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour). The film explores the profound ways in which life and fiction become inextricably braided over time, tracing the deeply personal experiences that have shaped her voice and vision. Offering an intimate window into Kidman's fascinating and often tumultuous journey, the film captures her reflections on private losses, formative struggles, and the fire that drove her to tell stories that have resonated with readers around the world. It's a portrait of a literary maverick - and the emotional truths that made her fiction unforgettable.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- NZ Herald
Inaugural Northland literary festival to highlight region's talent
There will be panels and discussions with acclaimed writers such as Dame Fiona Kidman, a novelist, poet, scriptwriter and short story writer who grew up in Northland, along with poet, academic and editor Robert Sullivan of Ngāpuhi descent. Dr Monty Soutar, whose body of work has covered much of Northland history, will be speaking, and performance poet, classical vocalist and musician Cadence Chung will perform and lead a poetry workshop. Martins said the idea for the festival came about during the launch of the New Zealand Poetry Society's new anthology paint me in Kerikeri last November. 'As result of that launch we realised there hasn't been a festival here for Northland writers and poets,' she said. 'We realised the need for a literary festival that would bring the voices of writing and poetry to the community. 'To have Dame Fiona Kidman here and read from her collection and Robert Sullivan here as well is exciting. 'We've done a good job of bringing together the literary talent of Northland.' Martins said the festival was also for readers, and there was a number of librarians involved to introduce bookworms to trends, genres and 'what's coming next'. Far North District Council Mayor Moko Tepania will open the festival on August 29 at Cornerstone Church. Sunday will be dedicated to poetry and will be held at Kingston House on Hone Heke Rd. Dr Monty Soutar, whose body of work has covered much of Northland history, will be speaking at the festival. Another highlight will be a screening of a documentary about Fiona Kidman called The House Within at Cathay Cinema in Kerikeri on August 30, where Kidman will be hosting a Q&A session. There will also be a short story award presentation for Year 13 students across the region. Over $500 of prizemoney is up for grabs, with the winning entry to be published in the Northern Advocate. 'It's going to be three days of amazing exposure of literary talent and learning,' Martins said. 'The festival is dedicated to bringing the voices of our local writers, poets, librarians and publishers to the forefront.' Meanwhile, the Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day on August 22 will involve several events being held around Northland starting from August 20. These include: The launch of Fast Fibres Poetry 12 , Northland's own poetry anthology on August 20 at OneOneSix in Whangārei. , Northland's own poetry anthology on August 20 at OneOneSix in Whangārei. Let's Talk Poetry, a live poetry night with some of Northland's finest poets at the Central Library in Whangārei on August 22. Jazz and Dub Poetry, with live poetry performances at Brewed As Collective in Mangawhai Heads on August 21. Pub Poems, Michael Botur's Bad Behaviour Poetry at the Phat House Brewery in Haruru on August 23. National co-ordinator Gill Hughes said this year's regional organisers had pulled out all the stops. 'We invited event hosts to go bold – and they absolutely have. 'It's especially exciting to see so many first-time organisers joining us this year, with events stretching from Kerikeri to Invercargill and everything in between.' There would also be the Great NZ Poetry Display-Off Challenge, with dozens of libraries and bookshops signing up to create dazzling poetry displays, Hughes said. To find out more about National Poetry Day visit: To find out more about the Northland Writers Readers and Poets Festival visit: Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and animal welfare issues.
Scoop
27-07-2025
- Scoop
Mārama To Premiere At Toronto International Film Festival
The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) is proud to announce that Mārama, will have its world premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) as part of the 2025 Discovery programme, one of the world's leading showcases for emerging cinematic voices. This striking Māori gothic film is the debut feature from Māori filmmaker Taratoa Stappard (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa). Set in North Yorkshire, England, Mārama tells the story of a young Māori woman's fight to reclaim her identity and indigenous culture in Victorian-era Britain. With its striking visual style and emotionally resonant narrative, the film marks a significant moment for New Zealand cinema on the world stage. 'To share my first feature with international audiences in the Discovery programme at TIFF is a huge honour. Mārama is my Māori gothic love letter to our whenua, our tīpuna and the stories that live in the shadows.' says Stappard. Mārama returns to TIFF after being developed, with support from the NZFC, through the festival's industry initiatives, alongside imagineNATIVE, The Black List, the Zurich Film Festival, and the Berlinale Co-Production Market. Its selection for the Discovery programme marks a full-circle moment for the film and its creative team. TIFF's Discovery programme is internationally renowned for spotlighting bold new voices in global cinema. Mārama joins a powerful lineup of debut and sophomore features from over 30 countries, offering audiences a first look at the filmmakers shaping the future of storytelling. 'Mārama 's selection for TIFF's Discovery programme is a clear reflection of the NZFC's kaupapa to champion bold and authentic storytelling. Taratoa's vision, deeply grounded in te ao Māori, is the kind of work that resonates globally while retaining a distinctly New Zealand voice. We're proud to see this story take its place on the world stage,' says Annie Murray, NZFC CEO Mārama is one of 23 world premieres in the Discovery programme, which holds a legacy of championing some of the world's most acclaimed filmmakers, such as Alfonso Cuarón, Julie Dash, Barry Jenkins, and Yorgos Lanthimos. The 50th edition of TIFF runs from September 4–14, 2025, in Toronto, Canada. The film has been made in association with the NZFC, NZ On Air, Whakaata Māori, and Images & Sound. Vendetta Films will distribute the film in Australia and New Zealand. MPI International will manage global rights sales. Produced for The Sweetshop by Sharlene George, Rickylee Russell-Waipuka, and Rouzie Hassanova, Mārama features Paraone Gloyne as Pou Tiaki Reo and Tikanga. Executive producers include Victoria Dabbs and Gal Greenspan for Sweetshop Entertainment, Jill Macnab and Phil Bremner for Vendetta Films, and Badie Ali, Hamza Ali, and Greg Newman for MPI Media.
Newsroom
15-07-2025
- Newsroom
A love letter to Fiona
I met Fiona Kidman for the first twice. Firstly, fittingly, through her words on paper and secondly, gratefully and intimately, through her words spoken out loud in her light-filled living room. My documentary portrait of her, The House Within, explores my desire to collate these two experiences. Although I'm hesitant to labour that idea for fear of painting a portrait of Fiona that feels somewhat schizophrenic. I guess she's simply double, rather than split in two. She's an author of the highest calibre, a true humanist in every sense of the word, and she's written extensively about her own life in a manner that's both directly biographical, and not so directly. I remember her jokingly telling me that she wrote her memoirs so that someone else didn't. I'm enamoured by the contradictory nature of writers. Many have a thin veil of deception and reveal. A tentative tipping from one to the other. Fiona is no different. Critics have discussed the merits of Fiona's razor-sharp writing and her piercingly tender gaze into the lives of her characters. But as a film-maker I wanted illuminate her kindness, and the generosity of, to use a big word, her soul. I first wrote to Fiona after being floored by her novel This Mortal Boy. I tracked down her email and wrote her a lengthy essay on what I loved and connected with in the book, and how it touched me. I went on to explain how I felt it had immense potential as a film, and if that was an idea that she was open to then I'd love to discuss it further. I sent it off thinking I had little chance of getting a reply. Two days later, one arrived. A beautiful message in which she wrote that my responses to the novel were everything she had aimed for and yes, she had had offers from people wanting to adapt the novel. But, on the basis of what I had written, she promised she wouldn't move forwards with any of them until we had had the chance to speak. Speak we did. I flew down to Wellington the following week and started a conversation that has continued, daily, ever since. She didn't owe me anything and I had little to offer. But she believed in me; saw me for all the things I was rather than the things I wasn't. Shortly after this initial meeting in her Hataitai home I dived deeper into her work and found myself more and more fascinated by the way in which her stories and her life intertwined and intersected; how they collided and coagulated. The pieces of a very different film than the one I originally proposed began to take shape in my mind. One that was something of a portrait both of Fiona the person and Fiona the writer. Being rightfully cautious, and of a more humble disposition than I, she said 'no' when I suggested it to her. But the next day she said 'maybe', and then day after she said 'we could talk more about it'. As I went about trying to capture, on film, the feeling of that first meeting and the fragmentary fascination of meeting someone for the first time, our friendship deepened. The film became both a portrait of something fixed, like a painting, as well as a living, continuing testament to the connection we were in the process of building. The final film became a love letter to a lot of things; one being the simple pleasure of meeting someone new, and the peculiar, but essential, friendships that life can bring you if you allow the secret corners of yourself to stay ajar and flutter in the breeze of someone else's company. And it all started because Fiona is someone whose heart and door is always open. She takes the time, makes the time, finds the time, for others. She's someone who has a porous relationship to the world. There's a dialogue, endlessly, with those around her. She has a gaze that looks without bias. A gaze that's tender and compassionate, but also fiery and unapologetic. I feel very grateful to have found my way into her orbit. I wish it had happened earlier, but given the more than 50 years that separate us the window was, admittedly, pretty thin to begin with. I love her. The world is a better place for her being in it. The House Within, a documentary portrait of Fiona Kidman by film-maker Joshua Prendeville, is screening throughout New Zealand from Thursday, July 17. * [Editorial note: The filming of the documentary inspired Fiona Kidman to write a poem which is included in her new collection published by Otago University Press, The Midnight Plane. It appears below with kind permission.] Pink washbasin The young director loves my pink washbasin standing in the bathroom beside the pink bath. He is so attracted to it that he has filmed this pitted antique Shanks porcelain vessel that should be replaced like so much in this house, the ancient match-lining, the out-of-fashion lamp shades, a too-small dining room that would be better open plan or so I am told although there is something about small rooms that makes me feel safe, an intimacy that matches the idea of where I wash my face and hands several times each day, in a bowl where layers of skin must have been shed over years, knickers rinsed, toothpaste spat, the extremities of my body immersed, cleansed, some days a conspirator's sly wink, caught while I'm glancing towards the mirror.
