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events > Monday 3rd December 6.30 - 9pm (doors open at 6pm)

Frodo Is Great, Who Is That??! (Figwit) (NZ)

Australian Premiere Screening, with Film-maker Q+A

Perth Town Hall Main Hall, $19/$9.50 +bf

Green Carpet Screening* - to celebrate the Australian Premiere of Figwit, attendees are encouraged to dress in LOTR costume, and the best seats in the house will go to those most appropriately dressed.

How did a non-speaking extra in Lord of the Rings become a cult star in his own right? If you've heard the story of Figwit (Frodo is Great... Who Is That?), now you can see the documentary and hear from the film-maker Stan Alley in this tongue-in-cheek exploration of online fandom.

Oh, and the actor who played Figwit happens to be Bret McKenzie, half of Flight of the Conchords - so a cult icon in a variety of roles. Unfortunately I don't think we can get Bret. Or Jemaine. But Stan knows them, so perhaps you can just touch him. Or maybe he has a photo of Jemaine's lips you can touch?

* the 'Green Carpet" will be metaphorical only, as it would add over $5 per person to the ticket price just to get a green carpet. So, use your imagination!

LICENCED EVENT - under 18s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian; photo ID must be shown for entry.

Brief Synopsis

The extraordinary phenomenon of the rise to celebrity status of NZ actor and musician Bret McKenzie whose 3 second, non-speaking role in “The Lord of the Rings” sparked a huge internet fan-base dedicated to his “brooding pout” and “elvish good looks”.

Key Personnel

Directors/Producers: Stan Alley; Hannah Clarke; Nick Booth

Executive Producer: Sue Rogers

Editor: Jonathan Woodford-Robinson

Featuring: Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement and Taika Cohen.

IMDB entry for Figwit documentary

Stan Alley will be conducting a Film-maker Q+A after the screening. He will also be making appearances in the Interface space to talk about his work at Weta Digital.

Thanks very much to New Line Cinema for granting screening rights.

Synopsis

The documentary looks at the rise to celebrity status of NZ actor and musician Bret McKenzie, who appeared for 3 seconds in “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”, during the Council of Elrond scene.

His brief, non-speaking, role has sparked a huge internet fan-base dedicated to his “brooding pout” and “elvish good looks”. Yet Bret McKenzie has had very little to do with the name or the fame of the character, dubbed “Figwit”, that has evolved from his role as an elf extra.

The origins of the name ‘Figwit’ lie with Israeli woman, Iris Hadad and English woman, Sherry de Andres. The women met on internet message boards and together they coined the name “Figwit”, an acronym of “Frodo is Great…. Who is That!!?”. They went on to create the website www.figwitlives.net.

The documentary records Iris and Sherry, with other fans from around the world, as they gathered in Edinburgh to meet each other for the first time. They were also to meet McKenzie and see him perform at the Edinburgh Festival, as part of the comedy duo, “The Flight of The Conchords”.

The documentary features interviews with director Peter Jackson, producer Barry Osborne and New Line Cinema executive producer Mark Ordesky. The film also includes lighted-hearted responses from “The Lord of the Rings” cast members.

The film not only looks at the role of the internet as a powerhouse of LOTR fandom, but also sheds some light on the real Bret McKenzie and his life as a local performer.

Green Carpet Screening

Those dressed in Lord of the Rings costume get the best seats in the house :)

Discounted tickets for all Byte Me! events are available to a wide range of community groups and those involved in education.

Ticketing Info can be found HERE

... the geek shall inherit the earth <