Down by the Riverside (film)
Encyclopedia
Down by the Riverside is a 2007 New Zealand
independent
film noir
horror film
produced and directed by Brad Davison and Marama Killen, and written by Davison and Killen with Joe Hitchcock.
in the Waikato Region, New Zealand
. There were production problems that prevented completion until July 2007, when the film was picked up for distribution by Siren Visual Entertainment. The film had its New Zealand premiere on November 7, 2007.
in New York.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
produced and directed by Brad Davison and Marama Killen, and written by Davison and Killen with Joe Hitchcock.
Synopsis
The film relates a mystery story of multiple murders over a period of 20 years. It begins in the early twentieth century when several pregnant girls meet in a country house for unwed mothers where they have been sent to give birth and have their children adopted. The girls are never seen by outsiders again, and after lengthy investigation, the police file is left unclosed. Nearly twenty years pass and professor Owen Smith (Toby Sharpe) and his assistant Amelia Laird (Rebecca Trelease) return to the house to investigate and document the now mythical murder case. They explore the house and quickly discover the secret.Production
Down by the Riverside went into production in October 2005, and filming began January 2006 in Te ArohaTe Aroha
Te Aroha is a rural town in the Waikato region of New Zealand with a population of 3,768 . It is 53 km northeast of Hamilton and 50 km south of Thames. It sits at the foot of 952-metre Mount Te Aroha, the highest point in the Kaimai Range....
in the Waikato Region, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. There were production problems that prevented completion until July 2007, when the film was picked up for distribution by Siren Visual Entertainment. The film had its New Zealand premiere on November 7, 2007.
Reception
The film was nominated for "Best Foreign Feature" and Rebecca Trelease for "Best Actress" at the 2007 B-Movie Film FestivalB-Movie Film Festival
The B-Movie Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Syracuse, United States.The festival was founded in 1999 by local filmmaker Ron Bonk to promote the art of B-movie making. It was canceled in its third year due to the effects of September 11 attacks...
in New York.