What the Folk!

Romcom Love Birds starts Production In Auckland
Tuesday, 30 March, 2010 - 07:34


Rhys Darby: Love bird

Icon Entertainment International is proud to announce the romantic comedy "Love Birds" began principal photography on Sunday March 28, 2010 on location in Auckland, New Zealand.

"Love Birds", a feature film starring acclaimed comedian and actor Rhys Darby and Golden Globe Award winning British actress Sally Hawkins, is a charming, bitter-sweet romantic comedy about what it is to have friends and find true love.

The project is financed by Silver Reel, Icon, the New Zealand Film Commission, New Zealand on Air, TVNZ, DigiFilm and Eyeworks. International sales will be handled by Icon Entertainment International. "Love Birds" will be released in 2011 by Icon Film Distribution in the UK and Icon Film Distribution Pty Ltd in Australia & New Zealand. Icon Entertainment International (IEI) has established itself as one of the leading suppliers of theatrical feature films to the independent film market establishing strong relationships with the best distributors in each territory.

Forthcoming productions include "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" by Adrian Grunberg, starring and co-written by Mel Gibson, "4.3.2.1." by multi award winning British actor/director Noel Clarke, "The Way" from the director of Bobby Emilio Estevez and starring Martin Sheen, "West is West" from the makers of East Is East, Julie Taymor's "The Tempest" starring Helen Mirren and Ralph Fiennes' directorial debut "Coriolanus" in which he will play the title role alongside Gerard Butler and Vanessa Redgrave.

In "Love Birds" Rhys Darby ("Yes Man", "Flight of the Conchords") stars as Doug, an ordinary bloke who finds himself suddenly single and lost, and Golden Globe Award-winning-actress Sally Hawkins ("Happy go Lucky", "An Education", "Made in Dagenham") stars as Holly, the sassy animal specialist.

Doug (Rhys Darby) is a man who's life has fallen apart after Susan (Faye Smythe) his long-term girlfriend leaves him. Pierre, an injured "shelduck' (native to New Zealand) - literally crash lands into his life, igniting a much needed spark and adventure as he's forced to nurse it back to health. Through Pierre, Doug discovers his own true place in the world and the belief in himself that will allow true love to blossom with Holly (Sally Hawkins) - as she shows him how to care for Pierre and see the errors of his own approach to life.

Rhys Darby, best known as nerdy talent manager Murray Hewitt in the international hit HBO series "Flight of the Conchords", is currently fronting a USD $80m rebranding campaign "Let's do Amazing..", for Hewlett Packard in a series of commercials featuring hip hop producer Dr Dre, legendary portrait photographer to the stars Annie Liebovitz , and others - the campaign has quickly become a huge hit on You Tube. Visit http://www.awesomenesscomedy.com/rhys-darby for more about Rhys.

Sally Hawkins is a graduate of RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts). She loves to act and write (especially comedy). Her feature film debut was in Mike Leigh's "All or Nothing" in 2002. In 2008 Sally won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, beating fellow nominees Meryl Streep, Frances McDormand, Rebecca Hall and Emma Thompson for her role as the irrepressibly cheerful Poppy in Mike Leigh's "Happy Go Lucky". Since then Hawkins has gone on to star in several films including the upcoming features "Made in Dagenham" and "Jane Eyre". Visit http://www.sally-hawkins.com for more about Sally.

"Love Birds" stellar ensemble cast of 12 actors, includes multi-award winning actor and film producer Bryan Brown ("Dean Spanley", "Town like Alice") as the vet Dr Buster; Emily Barclay as Holly's best friend Brenda (Barclay is a winner of Most Promising Newcomer at the 2005 British Independent Film Awards, NZ Film Award for Best Actress "In My Father's Den" and more recently an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress for the black comedy "Suburban Mayhem "; Craig Hall ("World's Fastest Indian", "Outrageous Fortune") and Dave Fane ("Sione's Wedding", "Eagle Vs Shark") as Doug's work-mates.

"Love Birds" brings together again the successful team of Director Paul Murphy and original screenwriter Nick Ward, following their first collaboration "Second Hand Wedding" which is New Zealand's 7th highest grossing film.

"Having just finished directing writer Nick Ward's "Second Hand Wedding", said Director Paul Murphy, "and having the pleasure of watching this small film about family, enjoy not only remarkable NZ box office success but also it's heart warming affect on the public, I am once again excited to bring another story of Nick's to the big screen."

"Love Birds" also reunites the successful producer team Matthew Metcalfe and Alan Harris who last worked together producing the acclaimed feature film "Dean Spanley", starring Peter O'Toole.

"Dean Spanley" swept the Qantas NZ Film and TV Awards in 2009 winning a record 7 awards including Best Picture, Best Director (Toa Fraser), Best Supporting Actor (Peter O'Toole) and Best Screenplay (Alan Sharp). "Love Birds" talented team of filmmakers also include award-winning : Cinematographer Alun Bollinger ("Heavenly Creatures" "Oyster Farmer"), Production Designer Andrew McAlpine ("The Piano", "Dean Spanley"), Editor Chris Plummer ("Dean Spanley", "Black Sheep"), Costume Designer Kirsty Cameron ("In my Father's Den"). Co-Producer is Karl Zohrab ("Dean Spanley", "The Devil Dared Me To"), Judith Trye ("No. 2" , "Rain") is Line Producer and Make-up Designer is Denise Kum ("The Vintner's Luck", "North Country").

"Love Birds" will film on several locations around Auckland.

Production will conclude in mid May 2010.

Darby wings it as all-round Kiwi guy
By Jacqueline Smith
4:00 AM Friday Apr 23, 2010


Rhys Darby (centre) with co-actors Bryan Brown and Emily Barclay on location for his new film Love Birds at Bastion Point. Photo / Natalie Slade

Rhys Darby looked a far cry from his Flight of the Conchords character Murray Hewitt as he strode across Bastion Point towards a make-shift hot air balloon yesterday.

No longer sporting shaggy, reddish "lego hair" and a dated suit, he has been turned - by way of a slick hair-do and personal trainer - into quite the chiselled romantic lead.

His feature film Love Birds, a romantic comedy directed by Paul Murphy (Second Hand Wedding), is a chance for Darby to paint himself as a character very different to awkward Murray or as the comic face of various advertising campaigns.

He plays Doug, a heartbroken city maintenance worker, who comes across a duck he names Pierre.

The feathered friend leads him to overcome his fear of flying, and also into the arms of a woman.

Though Darby said he was not looking to be the next Hugh Grant - "but I was well aware that New Zealand needed one" - it has been nice to flex his drama muscles in a shift from nerdy awkward boss to a more all-round Kiwi guy.

Producer Matthew Metcalfe said Darby was always lined up for the role.

His love interest, British actress Sally Hawkins, was also hunted down after Murphy saw her Golden Globe winning comedic performance in Happy Go Lucky.

She leaves Auckland at the end of the week to work on Jane Eyre, due for release next year.

Love Birds is set at iconic locations around Auckland - the Harbour Bridge, the zoo, Devonport - and is quite the picture-perfect tourism postcard for New Zealand.

Producer Matthew Metcalfe said he was trying to move away from the Ponsonby Rd cafe-culture that often appeared as the backdrop of films set in Auckland.

"When we were developing the film and talking about Auckland the way we wanted to present it, we often described it as the way Aucklanders would talk about Auckland if they were in a London pub in the middle of a London winter, trying to explain to their English friends what it's like to live in Auckland," he said.

Darby and Hawkins are joined by Australian actor and producer Bryan Brown (Dean Spanley, A Town Like Alice) as vet Dr Buster.

Local talent includes Emily Barclay (Under the Mountain, Suburban Mayhem), Dave Fane (Sione's Wedding, Eagle Vs Shark) and Craig Hall (World's Fastest Indian, Outrageous Fortune).

Twenty-seven 27 trained ducks also star in the film.

"Some are great at sitting still, some are great at walking, some can't really fly, some can fly but aren't really into it ... one of them is really good at flapping," Darby said.

Filming is due to end by mid-May and the film is due for local and international release early next year.