NZIFF Q&A - Jack Nicol, She Shears

NZIFF Q&A - Jack Nicol, She Shears

My film is....
A film about female sheep shearers: In the gruelling world of competitive sheep shearing there is no women’s section. Women and men compete together. She Shears is the story of passion, purpose and determination and five women for whom shearing is not just a job.

The moment I'm most proud of is....
The crescendo of the film – it’s a real emotional roller coaster, with moments of sacrifice and loss, but balanced with triumph and celebration. I don’t want to ruin it for you, but you’re guaranteed to walk out with a smile on your face. It’s a crowd pleasing, life affirming film.

The reason I carried on with this film when it got tough is.....
I was surrounded by women who can shear over 500 sheep in a day – making a movie is a piece of cake compared to that! There were times when we were filming them and we’d stop for a break, and they’d keep working. It’s hard not be tenacious when you’re surround by inspiring, hard working people.

The one moment that will resonate with an audience is.......
There’s a beautiful little scene where Cath (one of the subjects in our movie) hand feeds some lambs whose mother has mastitis. It’s really heart warming and refreshing to show that rural people have a real affinity with their animals, and are animal lovers.

The hardest thing I had to cut from this film is........
There were so many great scenes! It’s tough cutting a film, you get so attached to things. There’s so many interesting, intelligent and articulate people in the shearing world, it’s so hard honing the film down just to the key characters.

The thing I want people to take from this film is ......
Be who you are. Do what you love. It’s a positive film that a kid could watch and feel good about, but it’s also a film you can take your Gran to. I hope people walk out enthusiastic and encouraged to pursue their dreams.

The reason I love the NZIFF is.......
It’s a festival that’s put together with love – the programmers genuinely love cinema, and you know if you’re seeing a film at the NZIFF it’s worth it. 

What the 50th NZIFF means to me is......

To be included in the line up this year is a huge honour and privilege. The NZIFF has shown so many great kiwi films and has been instrumental in developing so much of our local talent. It’s fantastic to be part of that legacy. Like I said before, the NZIFF programmers are top notch: all the films they choose are always worth the price of admission. So for She Shears to be chosen by them is really satisfying and humbling.