5 Aug 2016

What happens when your best mate becomes a woman?

3:13 pm on 5 August 2016

Loading Docs is a launching pad for ten short New Zealand documentaries. This year RNZ is proud to present three of the three-minute shorts - each inspired by the theme of 'change'.

Same but Different

Byron Skinner (right) tramping with his best friend, Neil.

Byron Skinner (right) tramping with his best friend, Neil. Photo: Kirk Pflaum

Louise Leitch tells the true story of her husband Neil's best friend Byron, who transitioned from a man to a woman at age 50, after a marriage and three children.

Byron and Neil share a passion for alpine mountaineering and have placed their lives in each others' hands on countless occasions. But now they face the biggest test ... Can their friendship transition, too?

Director/Producer: Louise Leitch, Co-Producer: Susan Ruffell

Street Smart

Portrait of Regina Tito standing against a wall

Regina Tito Photo: Supplied

Regina Tito looks back at her experience living on the streets of Wellington - how she saw herself and how she believed the public saw her.

Regina expresses a unique and largely ignored perspective on homelessness in Aotearoa, offering an insight into a community growing at an alarming rate. Street Smart is one woman's perspective of a very real issue which gets largely ignored by the general public.

Director: Leigh Minarapa, Producer: Nathaniel Lees

Bludgeon

Martainn with a stern expression on a beach

Martainn Photo: Supplied

Ex-infantryman Martainn brings a passion and commitment normally only found in professional athletes to his beloved sport of full-contact medieval combat.

Bludgeon follows Martainn and his team the Steel Thorns to the bone-crunchingly brutal New Zealand National Championship. Three years of training have led Martainn to this moment in which everything can be decided in the swing of a poleaxe. Will he manage to step up as a leader amongst the team and help guide the Steel Thorns to victory?

Director/Producer: Ryan Heron and Andy Deere

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Loading Docs 2016 is funded by NZ On Air and with support from The New Zealand Film Commission.

Watch all of the 2016 films on the Loading Docs website.