June 7, 2025 • 7 mins
Last night, some families of Pike River mine victims, along with members of the cast and crew, attended the world premiere of Pike River at the Sydney Film Festival.
The feature film tells the story of the Pike River mine tragedy that took the lives of 29 men back in November 2010.
Told from the perspective of the families, the story centres on close friends Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse, who both lost a family member in the explosion.
Director Rob Sarkies says it was a 'special' experience seeing a packed audience engage with the film.
"There's so many reasons why it's important to me - it's clearly an enormous and very resonant New Zealand story. Those two words - Pike River - mean so much."
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks edb Right.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Last night, some families of Pike River Mind victims, along
with members of the cast and crew, attended the world
premiere of Pike River at the Sydney Film Festival. The
feature film tells the story of the Pike rivermind tradedy
that took the lives of twenty nine men back in
November twenty ten. Told from the perspective of the families,
the story centers on close friends and Osborne and Sonya
rock House, who both lost a family member and the explosion.
(00:35):
Director of Pike River is Rob Saki's and he joins
me now from Sydney.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Good morning, Good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
How was it to see the premiere on the big
screen last night?
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Well, I, of course have seen the film probably about
one hundred times, but.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
With a crowd, with an audience and with family and crew.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Yeah, it was beautiful, to be honest, it was a
really really special screening. It was a very full house
and people were very clearly so engaged with the film.
I mean there were a lot of tears. You could
literally hear the tissues coming out, which was appropriate for
(01:18):
the subject. But what I loved about it was there
was also a lot of laughter throughout because the film,
as you know, is about this terrible thing, but it
is also about this beautiful relationship between Sonya or friendship
I should say, between Sonya and Anna, and they're you know,
they're real, you know, they're coasters. There's how Islanders they
(01:41):
and there's actually you know, little little pockets were appropriate
of humor throughout the film, and there were actually actually
a lot of laughs. I think people found found that
quite a relief, you know that they weren't just sort
of sitting in this horrible space for two hours.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Sonya and Anna were there last night. I know that
they have seen the film before. What was their reaction
when they first saw the film.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
They watched the film actually at my place, and I
sat behind them watching them watching the film, and they
were often mirroring the action going on in front on
the screen, on the screen beyond like literally.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
What a compliment to you?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Yeah, well, it's when Robin Malcolm would at times reach
out to hold you, to hold the hand of Melanie Lynsky,
I would see in front of me and shadow the
real Sonya and Anna reaching out to hold each other's hands.
They were not conscious of that at all. They were
so in it. And at the end of that screening,
(02:49):
it was the film wasn't quite completed then, but at
the end of that screening they just sat there in
silence and Anna said out loud, very quietly, I'm just
so proud. Yeah, she wasn't talking about the film as
what was interesting. You know, they for the first for
(03:09):
the very first time, they saw their own journey and
that's a pretty rare experience.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
And I love the way that you have centered this
film around their journey. You know, the film never goes
into the mind, and I know that that was a
deliberate decision for you. Really, we're looking at this impact
on the families, on the community, the long long impact. Rob.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Yeah, well you're looking at the impact, but you're also
looking at the fight. You know, they've had to fight
for almost fifteen years now to achieve justice and accountability,
and that fight is ongoing. They have. It's not a cheat.
The film is. There might be another film in five
years when we find out what actually happens. But you know,
(03:54):
the tragedy of Pike is they shouldn't have had to
fight the correct I believe the correct processes, justice processes
particularly should have should have just happened, And whether people
went to jail as a result of it or not,
that's for the justice system to decide. The problem with
Pike is the justice system never really got a chance
(04:16):
to decide, because those who I think should have been
standing up in court should have been held accountable, weren't
they just they just walked away with with with no
repercussions at all and no chance of justice. That's what
the families want?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Is that why this project is so important to you?
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Oh? I mean I think it's I think it's yes,
But I mean, there's so many reasons why it's important
to me. But I think it's I you know, I
think it's it's clearly enormous and very resonant New Zealand story.
You know that those two words Pike River mean so much,
(04:58):
you know, they mean, they're not that that doesn't that
those two words don't just represent a mine in the
West Coast. They don't just represent the violence of an
explode that really sort of exploded that small town of
Graymouth and it surrounds, But they it represents I think
a sort of a stain on New Zealand's good name
(05:19):
right as stain on. I think our process of justice
and our sense of fairness. You know, when I grew
up in New Zealand, I thought it was a fair place.
I thought it was a just place. And usually it is.
But sometimes when events like this happened, and Pike River
is not the only one, the people who we should
(05:41):
be treating with the most care but the most fairness.
You know, we should be wrapping them in bubble wrap
and and guiding them through a process of justice that
that is fair, you know, fair to them also, you know,
fair to to those who may be brought to justice.
You know, it's not about if I when I explored
(06:03):
the story, I discovered that that fairness just didn't exist
in relation to Pipe River. It was I think some
of it is quite disgusting, and I think people will
be really shocked when they see it all put together
in the film form. I was, and that's what motivated
me to make this film.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Rob congratulations on an amazing cast. Melanie Lynsky, Robin Malcolm,
Lucy Lawless, all of them absolutely brilliant in this film.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I mean, we're so lucky, aren't we. But The reason
they're there is because of Sonya Rokas and Osborne and
the other Pipe families. You know, these are these are
actors that care about telling this story and that's the
only reason they're there. This is not a huge budget
film and we've got Melanie Lynsky in it. We can't
afford Melanie Lynsky. That's ridiculous, but no, no, she she
(06:53):
wanted to come back and tell the story. And absolutely
the same for the others. The generosit I mean the
general the generosity of For example, Lucy Lawless, who plays
Halen Kelly in the film, was a normal as she
had one she was shooting another project and she had
one day off Sunday while she was shooting, and she
(07:14):
for I think three Sundays in a row. She took
that day off and she came to set with us
so that she could play Helen Kelly in The Pipe
River fell.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Oh, Rob, really appreciate your time this morning. Thank you
so much. I have seen the film, but I'm terrified
I'm going to break the embargo that I have because
it's not out here in New Zealand until October. It's
going to be making its New Zealand premiere in October.
But I've got to say this film linkered with me
for days. It is incredibly moving. I can't wait for
you all to enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
For more from the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks edb Right.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Last night, some families of Pike River Mind victims, along
with members of the cast and crew, attended the world
premiere of Pike River at the Sydney Film Festival. The
feature film tells the story of the Pike rivermind tradedy
that took the lives of twenty nine men back in
November twenty ten. Told from the perspective of the families,
the story centers on close friends and Osborne and Sonya
rock House, who both lost a family member and the explosion.
(00:35):
Director of Pike River is Rob Saki's and he joins
me now from Sydney.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Good morning, Good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
How was it to see the premiere on the big
screen last night?
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Well, I, of course have seen the film probably about
one hundred times, but.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
With a crowd, with an audience and with family and crew.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Yeah, it was beautiful, to be honest, it was a
really really special screening. It was a very full house
and people were very clearly so engaged with the film.
I mean there were a lot of tears. You could
literally hear the tissues coming out, which was appropriate for
(01:18):
the subject. But what I loved about it was there
was also a lot of laughter throughout because the film,
as you know, is about this terrible thing, but it
is also about this beautiful relationship between Sonya or friendship
I should say, between Sonya and Anna, and they're you know,
they're real, you know, they're coasters. There's how Islanders they
(01:41):
and there's actually you know, little little pockets were appropriate
of humor throughout the film, and there were actually actually
a lot of laughs. I think people found found that
quite a relief, you know that they weren't just sort
of sitting in this horrible space for two hours.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Sonya and Anna were there last night. I know that
they have seen the film before. What was their reaction
when they first saw the film.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
They watched the film actually at my place, and I
sat behind them watching them watching the film, and they
were often mirroring the action going on in front on
the screen, on the screen beyond like literally.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
What a compliment to you?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Yeah, well, it's when Robin Malcolm would at times reach
out to hold you, to hold the hand of Melanie Lynsky,
I would see in front of me and shadow the
real Sonya and Anna reaching out to hold each other's hands.
They were not conscious of that at all. They were
so in it. And at the end of that screening,
(02:49):
it was the film wasn't quite completed then, but at
the end of that screening they just sat there in
silence and Anna said out loud, very quietly, I'm just
so proud. Yeah, she wasn't talking about the film as
what was interesting. You know, they for the first for
(03:09):
the very first time, they saw their own journey and
that's a pretty rare experience.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
And I love the way that you have centered this
film around their journey. You know, the film never goes
into the mind, and I know that that was a
deliberate decision for you. Really, we're looking at this impact
on the families, on the community, the long long impact. Rob.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Yeah, well you're looking at the impact, but you're also
looking at the fight. You know, they've had to fight
for almost fifteen years now to achieve justice and accountability,
and that fight is ongoing. They have. It's not a cheat.
The film is. There might be another film in five
years when we find out what actually happens. But you know,
(03:54):
the tragedy of Pike is they shouldn't have had to
fight the correct I believe the correct processes, justice processes
particularly should have should have just happened, And whether people
went to jail as a result of it or not,
that's for the justice system to decide. The problem with
Pike is the justice system never really got a chance
(04:16):
to decide, because those who I think should have been
standing up in court should have been held accountable, weren't
they just they just walked away with with with no
repercussions at all and no chance of justice. That's what
the families want?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Is that why this project is so important to you?
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Oh? I mean I think it's I think it's yes,
But I mean, there's so many reasons why it's important
to me. But I think it's I you know, I
think it's it's clearly enormous and very resonant New Zealand story.
You know that those two words Pike River mean so much,
(04:58):
you know, they mean, they're not that that doesn't that
those two words don't just represent a mine in the
West Coast. They don't just represent the violence of an
explode that really sort of exploded that small town of
Graymouth and it surrounds, But they it represents I think
a sort of a stain on New Zealand's good name
(05:19):
right as stain on. I think our process of justice
and our sense of fairness. You know, when I grew
up in New Zealand, I thought it was a fair place.
I thought it was a just place. And usually it is.
But sometimes when events like this happened, and Pike River
is not the only one, the people who we should
(05:41):
be treating with the most care but the most fairness.
You know, we should be wrapping them in bubble wrap
and and guiding them through a process of justice that
that is fair, you know, fair to them also, you know,
fair to to those who may be brought to justice.
You know, it's not about if I when I explored
(06:03):
the story, I discovered that that fairness just didn't exist
in relation to Pipe River. It was I think some
of it is quite disgusting, and I think people will
be really shocked when they see it all put together
in the film form. I was, and that's what motivated
me to make this film.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Rob congratulations on an amazing cast. Melanie Lynsky, Robin Malcolm,
Lucy Lawless, all of them absolutely brilliant in this film.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I mean, we're so lucky, aren't we. But The reason
they're there is because of Sonya Rokas and Osborne and
the other Pipe families. You know, these are these are
actors that care about telling this story and that's the
only reason they're there. This is not a huge budget
film and we've got Melanie Lynsky in it. We can't
afford Melanie Lynsky. That's ridiculous, but no, no, she she
(06:53):
wanted to come back and tell the story. And absolutely
the same for the others. The generosit I mean the
general the generosity of For example, Lucy Lawless, who plays
Halen Kelly in the film, was a normal as she
had one she was shooting another project and she had
one day off Sunday while she was shooting, and she
(07:14):
for I think three Sundays in a row. She took
that day off and she came to set with us
so that she could play Helen Kelly in The Pipe
River fell.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Oh, Rob, really appreciate your time this morning. Thank you
so much. I have seen the film, but I'm terrified
I'm going to break the embargo that I have because
it's not out here in New Zealand until October. It's
going to be making its New Zealand premiere in October.
But I've got to say this film linkered with me
for days. It is incredibly moving. I can't wait for
you all to enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
For more from the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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