Into the River feature film development
13 July 2021
I have acquired the first option rights on the award winning young adults novel 'Into the River' by Ted Dawe. This book won the 'Book of the Year' award in the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards in 2013.
The book is a wonderful story of a young Maori boy from the East Coast who wins a scholarship to Barwell's School, an old style boarding school for boys in Auckland. There he experiences the pressures to succeed in his studies and on the sports field, but is also subjected to the bullying condoned by the hierarchies of power in the school. It is essentially the story of one boy's struggle to assert his identity and to secure loyal friendships in an unfriendly world.
Use of funds
The funds will go to Penguin Random House to secure the first option rights on 'Into the River' for a further 18 months. Due to covid I am overdue with these funds but I have negotiated a delayed payment agreement before the next renewal date.