Latest news with #Torrie
NZ Herald
28-04-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Gisborne arborist new curator at national arboretum Eastwoodhill
'If we don't have the right person with the right skillset looking after the collection, then we are not doing it justice.' The curator's role goes beyond plant health and taxonomy. It encompasses acquisition, documentation, preservation, education and collaborative research. Torrie says Kluiters will help transform Eastwoodhill's tree space and contribute strongly to realising its long-term vision of becoming a living repository and refuge for endangered tree species. His arrival also supports Eastwoodhill's 100-year master plan, which is entering its 15th year. Kluiters and his family will reside in the historic Eastwoodhill homestead. A self-confessed 'tree geek', Kluiters brings 25 years of experience as an arborist to the role. 'This collection of trees is complex and requires very careful management and manipulation, and care. 'I'm looking forward to living onsite amongst the collection, meeting the team and helping take on that responsibility.' Kluiters begins his new role in May. Later this year, he will be one of two New Zealanders to present at the International Society of Arboriculture conference in Christchurch. Last year, Kluiters was asked to speak at the International Dendrology Society annual general meeting in England on post-cyclone tree failure patterns in New Zealand. Eastwoodhill's renewed scientific leadership coincides with a reinvigorated board chaired by Torrie, with Anna Roberts deputy chair. Newly appointed board member Max Matenga (Te Whānau-a-Kai) will lead Eastwoodhill's cultural journey, weaving iwi and the arboretum's history into a combined narrative. Torrie said the board was focused on action. 'Eastwoodhill is a self-sufficient charity organisation. Despite being the national arboretum, we currently receive no central or local government funding. Our revenue comes from members, visitors and new ventures we create.' Among those are projects set to enhance visitor experiences and increase membership. Premium visitor packages — including transport, accommodation, catering and guided tours — will cater to families, retirees and international guests seeking immersive, all-inclusive experiences. Eastwoodhill general manager Garrett Blair said with a passionate team of horticulturists, groundspeople and support staff — praised for their commitment in restoring the arboretum after Cyclone Gabrielle — Eastwoodhill was poised to expand its reach. A major push is under way to expand the Friends of Eastwoodhill membership beyond its 750 members. Friends are entitled to unlimited access to the arboretum and other benefits such as half-price discounts for up to five guests. 'Being a Friend provides you with the opportunity to be part of a legacy,' Blair said. 'Eastwoodhill is one of those places that is truly special. We invite people to be part of that vision.' The Friends also play an integral role in preserving Eastwoodhill's future. Friends can volunteer in the visitor's centre, gift shop, garden, and help with catering, fundraising events and holiday programmes. This November marks a special milestone with a public commemoration of the Millennial Wood. Planted in 2000, it comprises over 1000 trees, many donated and hand-planted in honour of loved ones. Nearly 25 years on, it is a memorial and a celebration of enduring connections to Eastwoodhill. Meanwhile, Eastwoodhill's Tree Cathedral, designed in the shape of Westminster Abbey, is continuing to grow into a striking botanical structure. In the future, visitors will walk through living columns and vaults formed by trees with contrasting textures and seasonal hues.
CBC
22-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Controversial '80s holiday horror gets (another) Winnipeg reboot
For the second time in 15 years, a controversial 1984 horror film is getting a made-in-Manitoba reboot. Casting is currently underway for Silent Night, Deadly Night, currently in pre-production from Cineverse, the company that produced the hard-core horror franchise Terrifier, with StudioCanal handling global sales outside North America under their new genre label Sixth Dimension. In Winnipeg, it will be produced under the auspices of new production company Bear Paw Studio, a partnership between local producer/filmmaker Jeremy Torrie and Erik Bernard. The original film of the same title created a wave of mass consternation in the '80s with its advertising campaign, which depicted a demented axe-wielding Santa climbing down a chimney. At the time, the image of Santa Claus tended to be more sacrosanct in film. The reaction to the film was perhaps best exemplified by Gene Siskel. On an episode of Siskel & Ebert at the Movies, the Chicago critic pointedly named the film's distributors, writer and director to shame them. Of course, the effort to tarnish the film made it more successful than it might have otherwise been. Upon its release, it out-grossed the more revered horror film from the same year, Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street. (Silent Night, Deadly Night has a major fan in no less than Quentin Tarantino, who called it "the only [holiday horror film] that truly bears a discussion.… I'm a big fan.") The film was rebooted in 2012 with a shortened title — Silent Night. It was filmed mainly in Winnipeg and Selkirk and produced by Los Angeles-based Richard Saperstein's the Genre Company, in conjunction with local production company Buffalo Gal Pictures, under its in-house genre imprint Insidious Pictures. That film altered the plot, focusing on a traumatized small town cop (Jaime King) and an unhinged police chief (Malcolm McDowell) attempting to track a psycho in a Santa suit during a seasonal festival in which half the town is wearing Santa costumes. (Winnipeg actor-stuntman Rick Skene played the killer in an unnerving Santa mask.) The new reboot will be directed by genre up-and-comer Mike P. Nelson (V/H/S/85 and the 2021 reboot Wrong Turn) and will follow the original more closely — no surprise, since it is being produced by Scott Schneid and Dennis Whitehead, executive producers of the original film, said Torrie, who also highlights producer Jamie R. Thompson. "He was the one who put it all together," Torrie said. "We had the director and the U.S. producers in town a couple weeks ago scouting, so we're forging ahead on that." Scouting locations included Selkirk, Carman, Stonewall and Steinbach, Torrie said. The plan for the film is that it will be turned around for a release in late 2025, just in time for the holiday season. Torrie said he hopes Cineverse follows the release pattern for last year's Terrifier 3. "They released it in 2,500 theatres and made $90 million US," Torrie said. "That would be huge for us." Busy spring It may prove to be a busy spring for film production in Winnipeg. A previously announced film, purporting to tell the inside story of the assassination of U.S. president John F. Kennedy, is likely heading to Winnipeg in May, with an impressive cast that includes John Travolta (Pulp Fiction), Mandy Patinkin (The Princess Bride) and Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend's Wedding). November 1963: The Killing of a President will be directed by Roland Joffe, who was twice nominated for Oscars, for his work on The Killing Fields (1985) and The Mission (1987). November 1963 's screenwriter is Nicholas Celozzi, the nephew of notorious Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana. The story is based on the eyewitness account of Giancana's brother Joseph (Pepe) Giancana, who was with Sam during the two days preceding the 1963 assassination. Later in 2025, Winnipeg may expect to see yet another blood-stained Santa with the planned sequel to Violent Night (2022), which starred David Harbour (Stranger Things) as the real St. Nick, obliged to return to his bloodthirsty ways when defending a wealthy family from a gang of murderous thieves.
