PRESS KIT | Pulling Up Stumps

Starring Ian Mune & Mark Mitchinson, PULLING UP STUMPS is a 13-minute comic drama that’s set in the Central Otago area—a place of hard farming, stalwart neighbours, and dry as dust humour. It’s a Kiwi short film full of pathos, understanding, and laughter. Watch the teaser. Get the key facts. Read the synopsis. Explore useful links & press coverage. Or download the film stills.

TEASER

KEY FACTS

TITLE: Pulling Up Stumps
LENGTH: 13 Minutes
GENRE: Comic Drama
COMPLETION DATE: June 1, 2023
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Aotearoa New Zealand
TEAM STUMPS: View Cast Bios and Team Bios
CAST: Ian Mune, Mark Mitchinson & Giovanni
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Elinor Teele
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Alun Bollinger NZCS (AlBol)
CO-PRODUCERS: Phillida Perry & Emma Martini
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Brett Mills & Elinor Teele
TEAM STUMPS: View Cast Bios and Team Bios

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TECHNICAL SPECS

FORMAT: Digital
ASPECT RATIO: 1.85:1
SOUND MIX: 5.1 Theatrical
SHOT ON: Arri Alexa Mini
AVAILABLE SCREENING FORMATS: DCP; H.264; Pro Res

DOWNLOAD THE PRESS KIT (PDF)

STORY

LOGLINE: Amidst the dust & shadows of a Central Otago woolshed, a grumpy old man is obliged to listen to a humorous tale from a meddlesome stranger.

SYNOPSIS: On a dusty day in Central Otago, a man in his 80s enters his workshop. His mission? To fix a broken kitchen appliance.

His task is interrupted by the arrival of a chatty stranger and an irksome rooster. After several attempts to get rid of distractions, the old man is forced to listen to the tales of his visitor, including the saga of an obstinate stump.

Gradually, it becomes clear that the stranger may not be so strange. And the story may have more meaning than first meets the ear.

READ THE DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

The setting of an Otago woolshed is inspired by my father’s workshop in Arrowtown. The tale of the stump is based on a true event that happened to my grandfather. And the film itself is an echo of times gone by.

In 2021, I moved back to Otago after a long stint in the States. It was a wonderful choice, but it was bittersweet to see how much the Lakes District and Central areas had changed.

Sheep stations had vanished. Adventure tourism, golf courses, and sprawling housing developments were now the order of the day.

You can’t stop progress, but you can honour the past. So I decided to write a story about people I knew. Through my parents, I have been privileged to meet men & women who remember Central as it was—a place of hard farming, stalwart neighbours, and dry as dust humour.

PULLING UP STUMPS is a tribute to these Southerners. Through this short film, I hope to preserve a family story and the character of a world that’s fading fast.

Elinor Teele (Writer/Director)