No. 2
Encyclopedia
No. 2, released as Naming Number Two in North America
, is a 2006 New Zealand film
written and directed by Toa Fraser
in his feature film debut. It was released 16 February 2006 in New Zealand
and 3 August 2007 in the U.S.
It was adapted from British
-Fijian
playwright
Fraser's 2000 play
.
extended family living in a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, feels that the heart and passion has gone out of her clan. One morning, she demands that her grown grandchildren put on a big pig-roast at which she will name her successor. The grandchildren — Soul, Charlene, Hibiscus, Erasmus, and her favorite, Tyson — reluctantly turn up, Tyson with his English girlfriend, Maria (called Danish Maria in the end-credits, but not in the film itself). Family conflicts play out as the difficult day progresses, but in the end the grandchildren—and eventually Nanna's children too—join with cousins and others in a traditional celebration.
. Post Production was completed in Wellington, at Park Road Post.
Soon after the arrival of Ruby Dee
in New Zealand, the film was put on hold after the news that her husband Ossie Davis
had died in the U.S. Dee flew back to attend the funeral. However, before she left New Zealand, she vowed to return and complete the film. The crew were stood down for a 3 week period, and principal photography commenced at the beginning of March 2005.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, is a 2006 New Zealand film
Cinema of New Zealand
New Zealand cinema, can refer to films made by New Zealand-based production companies in New Zealand. However, it may also refer to films made about New Zealand by filmmakers from other countries...
written and directed by Toa Fraser
Toa Fraser
Toa Fraser, born in Britain in 1975, of a Fijian father and a British mother, is a playwright and film director. His second feature film, Dean Spanley, starring Sam Neill, Jeremy Northam and Peter O'Toole, premiered in September 2008.-Life:...
in his feature film debut. It was released 16 February 2006 in 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...
and 3 August 2007 in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
It was adapted from British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-Fijian
Fijian people
Fijian people are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live in an area informally called Melanesia. The Fijian people are believed to have arrived in Fiji from western Melanesia approximately 3,500 years ago, though the exact origins of the Fijian people are unknown...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Fraser's 2000 play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
.
Plot
Nanna Maria, the matriarch of a FijianFijian people
Fijian people are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live in an area informally called Melanesia. The Fijian people are believed to have arrived in Fiji from western Melanesia approximately 3,500 years ago, though the exact origins of the Fijian people are unknown...
extended family living in a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, feels that the heart and passion has gone out of her clan. One morning, she demands that her grown grandchildren put on a big pig-roast at which she will name her successor. The grandchildren — Soul, Charlene, Hibiscus, Erasmus, and her favorite, Tyson — reluctantly turn up, Tyson with his English girlfriend, Maria (called Danish Maria in the end-credits, but not in the film itself). Family conflicts play out as the difficult day progresses, but in the end the grandchildren—and eventually Nanna's children too—join with cousins and others in a traditional celebration.
Production & Trivia
The film was shot in the Auckland, New Zealand suburb of Mount Roskill during the latter part of summer 2005, with interior scenes of Nanna Maria's house taking place on a soundstage at Henderson Valley StudiosHenderson Valley Studios
Henderson Valley Studios is New Zealand's largest film studio complex, located in Henderson, West Auckland. Entrances to the complex are on on Hickory Ave, Henderson Valley Road and Rabone Street, Henderson....
. Post Production was completed in Wellington, at Park Road Post.
Soon after the arrival of Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee is an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist, perhaps best known for co-starring in the film A Raisin in the Sun and the film American Gangster for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.-Early years:Dee was born Ruby...
in New Zealand, the film was put on hold after the news that her husband Ossie Davis
Ossie Davis
Ossie Davis was an American film actor, director, poet, playwright, writer, and social activist.-Early years:...
had died in the U.S. Dee flew back to attend the funeral. However, before she left New Zealand, she vowed to return and complete the film. The crew were stood down for a 3 week period, and principal photography commenced at the beginning of March 2005.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Ruby Dee Ruby Dee Ruby Dee is an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist, perhaps best known for co-starring in the film A Raisin in the Sun and the film American Gangster for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.-Early years:Dee was born Ruby... |
Nanna Maria |
| Taungaroa Emile | Soul |
| Rene Naufahu Rene Naufahu Rene Naufahu is a New Zealand-born actor, screen writer and director of Tongan and Samoan heritage. He is perhaps best known for being an original cast member of the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, playing paramedic Sam Aleni for the show's first four years... |
Erasmus |
| Tuva Novotny Tuva Novotny Tuva Moa Matilda Karolina Novotny Hedström , simply known as Tuva Novotny, is a Swedish actress and singer. She was born in Stockholm but grew up in Åmot outside Arvika. Tuva is the daughter of Czech movie director David Novotny and actress Barbro Hedström. She is currently living in Copenhagen in... |
Danish Maria |
| Mia Blake | Charlene |
| Xavier Horan | Tyson |
| Miriama McDowell | Hibiscus |
| Nathaniel Lees Nathaniel Lees Nathaniel Lees is a New Zealand born actor and theatre director of Samoan descent. He is known for his role as Captain Mifune in The Matrix trilogy and his role as "Uglúk" in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. He has also had roles on the TV series Young Hercules, Hercules: The Legendary... |
Uncle John |
| Tanea Heke | Aunty Cat |
| Pio Terei Pio Terei Pio Terei is a Māori actor, singer and comedian on New Zealand TV.-Career:A former Auckland Toyota car salesman, he came to notice in 1995 when he headlined his own TV3 show Pete and Pio with fellow comedian Peter Rowley. After the success of Pete and Pio, Terei led his own show called Pio!,... |
Uncle Percy |
| Te Paki Cherrington | Father Francis |
| Antony Starr Antony Starr Antony Starr is a New Zealand television actor best known for his dual role as twins Jethro and Van West in New Zealand's hit comedy/drama Outrageous Fortune.-Career:... |
Shelly |
Awards
- 2006 Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic - Nomination, 2006 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize