The 90-minute feature film ‘Taking Back our Beach' will be screened at Mount Maunganui from October 5, the 12^th anniversary of the Rena grounding on Astrolabe reef.

In the audience on opening night will be more than 200 people who have been directly involved with the retelling of this unique piece of Tauranga's history, from interviewees to production crew to the many supporters.

The film has already made its debut at the Doc Edge Film Festival in June.

'It was fantastic to see the audience respond to not only the tragedy but also the humour and triumph of the story,” says the film's director Anton Steel.

'This is a film celebrating the power of individuals to collectively make change for good and I was stoked to finally share it with an audience who enjoyed it so much.”

Comments following the two festival screenings reflected this, with many saying how much it resonated with them.

'I loved seeing the little blue penguins,” says one audience member.

'I had forgotten how much oil there was on the beach,” says another. 'When I was watching the film I remembered the smell from the oil, it all came back to me.”

The film has been made possible due to the support of the community that were originally involved in taking back their beach following the oil and debris. 'It's like Mad Max” is how interviewee and Sun Media owner Brian Rogers described the chaos on the coast.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Holland Beckett Law, Priority One, Bay Conservation Alliance, Western Bay Wildlife Trust, Sun Media, Tauranga Marine Charters, Te Matai Investments and many individuals have all contributed to helping bring the film to the screen.

In order to release the film into cinemas in October though, the producers are running a crowdfunding campaign on Givealittle as they still need to pay a licence fee for use of stock television footage.

'Anyone who can help us with this will receive an invitation to the opening night on October 5,” says producer Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

'We have to pay a Getty licence fee in order to show the film in NZ cinemas and internationally, as we are using some TVNZ footage.”

Previously in November 2021, the producers went out to the community with a crowdfunding campaign to ask for help.

'It was so successful. And also resulted in many more stories as well as photos and footage coming out of the woodwork which we were able to incorporate into the film,” says Rosalie.

'We're so grateful to everyone who contributes and supports this. It's fantastic to have the community get behind it.”

Rosalie says they are working on providing educational resources around themes raised in the film for clubs, organisations, churches, schools, businesses and groups to use.

'They will be able to come and watch the film, then use topic modules for activities and a discussion point around community engagement, volunteerism, responding during disaster, liaising with iwi, the power of reconciliation and forgiveness, neighbourhoods coming together, and community resilience.

When the film is released in October Rosalie says there will be an opportunity for organisations to have their own fundraiser screening at United Cinemas Bayfair with a guest – either producer, director, or interviewee from the film – for a Q&A following the screening.

‘Taking Back our Beach' is currently viewable online until July 9 as part of the Doc Edge Festival Virtual Cinema here - https://docedge.nz/films/taking-back-our-beach

To help with the Givealittle campaign please click here

For more information go to www.takingbackourbeach.com

Anyone wanting to book group screenings or a fundraiser event in October please email info@takingbackourbeach.com

On October 5, the Bay of Plenty premiere of the film will be held at United Cinemas at Mount Maunganui, coinciding with the 12th anniversary of the Rena grounding on the Astrolabe Reef.