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Upgrade Productions has acquired worldwide sales rights outside Australia and New Zealand to actor Rachel House’s directorial debut The Mountain ahead of its North American premiere at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Jonathan Kier and Matt Brodlie’s Upgrade Productions will launch sales talks at the festival next month on the adventure story from Piki Films and Sandy Lane Productions about three children on a secret mission to climb Taranaki Mountain in New Zealand.

The film is currently the number one New Zealand film across New Zealand and Australia and has earned close to $600,000 in the two countries, releasing...

When Rolling Stone asked me to take photos of my experience at the Tribeca Film Festival, where I was releasing my directorial debut Shadow Brother Sunday, I expected to come back to them with lots of behind-the-scenes shots from the point of view of a filmmaker in the middle of the festival circus.

When I got my rolls developed, I found that almost all my photos were of the people in my life who had come out to celebrate the film (and a few they took of me).

That is,...

Exclusive: Production has wrapped on the Piki Films and Sandy Lane Productions (Bad Behaviour) family drama The Mountain from Kiwi filmmaker Rachel House.

The film marks House’s directorial debut. Producers are Desray Armstrong for Sandy Lane Productions and Morgan Waru for Piki Films with Carthew Neal, Taika Waititi, and Paul Wiegard serving as Executive Producers. The film was shot on location around Taranaki on New Zealand’s west coast, with support from the local Māori tribes.

Billed as a “heartfelt drama,” the pic follows three children on a mission to find healing under the watchful eye of the Taranaki mountain and discover friendship in the spirit of adventure. House co-wrote the screenplay with comedian Tom Furniss.

House is best known for her performances in Waititi’s 2016 comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Boy (2010), and Niki Caro’s Whale Rider. She also had lead roles...