The Insatiable Moon by Mike Riddell
The insatiable moon, starring Sarah Wiseman, Ian Mune, and Rawiri Paratene, is in fact an ongoing event and has been going for the last seven years. Mike Riddell, a family friend and minister took a risk and wrote the somewhat controversial novel “insatiable moon” about a psychiatric character Arthur, who believes that he is the second son of God. Mike had, from the start always known that the book would be made into film eventually and after the film “the cake tin” directed and produced by him and his wife rosemary won the Sandcastle Best Short Film award at the Moondance festival in 2007 he turned his vision closer to the Insatiable Moon.
Mike has been through a lot to see his dream of this movie coming to life be fulfilled. In 2009 the New Zealand Film commission refused to fund the movie, despite the fact that Mike had brought Scottish Director Gillies Mackinnon on board and had crew from england lined up for the film. With a tiny budget to make a full length feature film and without the money to pay for Gillies Mackinnon and other members of the crew, Mike didn’t hesitate to keep going and continued the film, making wife Rosemary, who had directed “the cake tin”, the movie’s new director.
In the later part of 2009 the Movie was filmed in just 5 weeks, with the help of many generous donations and the willingness and motivation of the crew to see the movie through (on such a low budget). I was an extra in the film in December 2009 and witnessed the dedication and collaboration of the cast and crew that makes movie making so incredible. There are so many roles and considerations in film making and is far from a simple process. While it was Mikes dedication to his dream that saw the movie through there were so many other people who he couldn’t have done it without.
The Insatiable Moon is now in Final Post-Production and should be finished by Sept. 2010. Mike’s motivation and his ability to keep pushing despite obstacles is a real eye opener- confidence in your own work and dreams is really important. Taking that risk, and putting your ideas on the line may not always be easy- but in the end its worth it.
Follow the movies progress and check it out at : www.theinsatiablemoon.com
