Posted on Tuesday, 31st May 2011 by Aidan Bayly
LAST PARADISE is a brilliantly interesting story behind New Zealand’s well-deserved reputation as the adventure sports capital of the world. This eco-adventure classic captures the mind-set, challenges and antics of a team of pioneers pushing the boundaries of what was to become today’s extreme sports. In 45 years of stunning original footage from the world’s best extreme cinematographers, we relive their journey on the roads less travelled. We share their action-packed escapades from growing up as post-war children on a remote New Zealand sheep farm, to adults who are now trying to save what’s left. A wild cast of characters, including Mr Adventure himself, AJ Hackett, show how they learnt to create their own fun and pushed themselves to the limit. “When we began we were considered oddballs but now extreme sports are considered mainstream activities and is one of New Zealand’s biggest industries today,” says the director, Clive Neeson Amongst other things, the film documents the birth of surfing in NZ, the earliest attempts at windsurfing, snowboarding and skurfing plus includes vintage footage of AJ Hackett’s historic first bungy jump off the Eiffel Tower. The cast, including scientists and adventurers, also provide a balanced and alarming insight into how our world has changed over the last four and a half decades, both culturally, environmentally and technologically. In a dramatic twist, we witness over the course of a generation the most compelling evidence of global warming ever filmed, and discover how the fruits of this journey offer hope that we can restore the planet. The most watched New Zealand film at last year’s NZ International Film Festival, LAST PARADISE is currently screening in boutique cinemas around the country and opens in Auckland today. For more information visit www.lastparadisefilm.com
Tags: Last Paradise, Paradise
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