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I

N FEBRUARY

,

a

casting call went

out on Gold FM and

Thames community

Facebook groups. They were in search of 200

extras to play the crowd of Kiwis welcoming

famed NZ aviator Jean Batten, the first person

to make a solo flight from England to NZ, as

she landed from that 11 day flight in 1936.

The Thames area shoots for the telemovie

“Jean” were filmed outside the A&G Price

Foundry and at the Thames Aero Club airfield, a

close match, visually, for the Mangere grass-cut

strip in Auckland where Batten actually landed.

WWW.COROMANDELLIFE.CO.NZ

47

starts!

Where

the

fun

SALES • REPAIRS • BIKE HIRES

535 Pollen St, Thames • 07 867 9026

pakipaki@xtra.co.nz • www.pakipakibikeshop.co.nz

.

The C

Thames locals

‘star’ as

extras in

historic film

“Jean”

The movie crew filmed over three days, March

6-8, with one large crowd scene, then smaller

groups on the final two days.

The citizens of Thames are well acquainted

with dressing in period for events ranging from

Heritage Days to funky Steampunk. But here, the

extras were outfitted in 1930s garb – dresses,

gloves, purses and tight-curl hairstyles for

women... fedoras, suspenders and wide ties for

the men. The prop department provided vintage

cameras to capture the newsworthy event.

Lippy Pictures casting director Viv Kernick

says, “It was a good day with lots of cheering,

everyone was dressed beautifully!”

Over 6000 welcomed

Jean Batten when she

landed at Auckand’s

Mangere airstrip in 1936.

Kiwi born Jean

Batten made

headlines with her

beauty and her

record breaking

flight.

Kate Elliott plays the

famed Kiwi aviatrix

Jean Batten in

“Jean,” set in 1936.

Kiwi actress Kate Elliott plays the fascinating

aviatrix, nicknamed the “Garbo of the Skies.”

Besides taking many flying lessons in a single

engine biplane like Jean originally flew, a Gypsy

Moth, Elliot learned to catch and gut fish and to

ballroom dance – just a few of Batten’s skills.

The film’s writers/producers Paula Boock and

Donna Malane praise Elliott for “looking spookily

like Jean” and her “astonishing” talent. They

expect the film to air later this year on TVOne’s

Sunday Theatre; an early cut might be available

for viewing by cast and crew in August.

For more info see

www.lippypictures.com/#!jean/

bczfi and

www.facebook.com/jeantvfilm.

Photos by www.kirstygriffin.com