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• A film about the 2010 Pike River Mine tragedy is set to premiere in Sydney next month.
• Director Rob Sarkies announced Pike River families will attend the Sydney Film Festival screening.
• The movie, written by Fiona Samuel, was filmed in Greymouth, Auckland and Wellington.

A feature film based on the November 2010 Pike River Mine tragedy will premiere overseas, film-makers have announced.

Pike River follows the aftermath of the Pike River mine explosion on November 19, 2010, which killed 29 men.

Today, the team behind the movie announced the film would premiere in Sydney next month, before a nationwide cinematic release in New Zealand later in 2025.

Pike River, the film based on the November 2010 Pike River Mine tragedy that took the lives of 29 men underground, will premiere at the Sydney Film Festival on June 7. Photo / Matt Grace

Director Rob Sarkies confirmed Pike River families will be in attendance when Pike River premieres during the Sydney Film Festival’s opening weekend, joining cast and crew to watch the film in Sydney’s 2000-seat State Theatre.

“This is a huge honour that demonstrates the significance of the story in New Zealand and Australia,” Sarkies said.

“It feels particularly special that several Pike River families will be attending the Sydney premiere after years of working so closely with them to bring their story to the big screen.”

Pike River depicts the true story of Anna Osborne (played by Melanie Lynskey) and Sonya Rockhouse (played by Robyn Malcolm), and their fight for justice alongside other Pike families following one of the worst mining disasters in Aotearoa’s history.

Sonya Rockhouse, mother of Pike River victim Ben Rockhouse, said having a film made about this experience has, in some part, helped Pike River families heal.

“Anna and I have found it to be an incredibly humbling experience to be involved in the film with a crew of people who felt strongly about the injustices we suffered, and wanted to tell our story. We feel extremely honoured to be invited to attend the world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival.”

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The film marks the return home to New Zealand of three-time Emmy nominee Melanie Lynskey, working alongside Bafta-nominated NZ actor Robyn Malcolm. Photo / Matt Grace

Rockhouse and Osborne were made Members of the Order of New Zealand in 2022 for their health and safety campaigning.

Production of the feature film, written by Fiona Samuel, began in Māwhera, Greymouth, in late 2023. Scenes were also filmed in Auckland and Wellington. According to IMDB, the feature has a run time of two hours and 18 minutes.

The film was made in association with the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, Three, the New Zealand Screen Production Grant and Park Road Post Production.