Review – The Big Bike Film Night

Nga Taonga Sound and Vision, Wellington, Saturday 1 April 2017

Bikes and movies. Two of my favourite things in this world. Put them together and I know I’m probably going to enjoy the evening. And I was not disappointed with the short film compilation currently travelling the country as The Big Bike Film Night.

Curator Brett Cotter and his team received hundreds of submissions from film makers around the world wanting to be included in the programme. Using the criteria that the final selection must be educational, entertaining and original, Brett picked 12 (assuming that I counted correctly while I was enjoying myself) amazing cinematic creations, all of which brought a smile to my face at some point.

Each half focused on a broad theme––Evolution for the first, and Revolution for the second––with a 15 minute intermission to shoot the breeze and stock up on refreshments. While I couldn’t always tell how the themes were adhered to with each film, this certainly didn’t reduce my enjoyment. The selection flowed together well, with each film clearly telling its own story, and no assumption of prior in-depth cycling knowledge on behalf of the audience.

Two films really stood out for me. The first was a short profile on Georgena Terry, one of the few female framebuilders to have made their mark in the American hand-built bicycle world. She came across as a fiesty maverick, who puts scientific care and attention into her designs, rather than just making them pretty. I got the feeling that anyone uttering “shrink it and pink it” in her vicinity would be met with a punch to the face!

The second was the amazing story of the creation of the Old Ghost Road cycle trail. Most Kiwi cyclists will already be familiar with this trail, and probably view it with some degree of admiration. But to see the story told right from the start left me in awe of the achievement of this amazing team of volunteers. A Q&A session afterwards with OGR board chairman Phil Rossiter was the icing on an already delicious cake.

I totally enjoyed my evening, and judging by the smiles and chatter afterwards, so did the rest of the audience.

*There are more screenings happening around the country, see Big Bike Film Night‘s website for more details and tickets.