River of Freedom

We invite you to the Christchurch Premiere of RIVER OF FREEDOM - a feature documentary film sharing the inside story of NZ Convoy and the Parliament protest in Wellington during February & March 2022. Captured by professional filmmakers, this film clearly lays out the reasons behind the protest, who the people were, and what happened.

Please arrive from 5.30pm to be seated by 6pm. There will be a Q&A with the Director, Producers, and filmmakers afterwards.

Runtime 154 minutes

SYNOPSIS
Fed up with Covid-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates, thousands of people convoy to Wellington from all over the country, demanding change and expecting democratic representation.
Without a government-issued ‘vaccine passport’ many are refused access to hotels, cafes, churches, marae's and community amenities. Arriving at parliament lawn they are welcomed by tangata whenua, and set up their own facilities—together co-creating a ‘Freedom Village’.
An assault by police fails to remove the protestors; rather it shocks the nation and attracts thousands more. Tactics approved by the Speaker of the House during a cyclone fails to suppress the peoples’ determination to “end the mandates!”
A High Court win is cause for celebration, however, under Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's leadership, the protestors are ignored; all 120 parliamentarians collectively agree not to communicate with them.
After 23 days, the New Zealand Police ambush the protestors in a dawn raid, forcibly clearing everyone using brute force and methods never seen before in Aotearoa.

“The Wellington protest was that light, it gave me that faith back, that maybe we don’t have to go down that dark road.” - Rachael, Humanities Teacher, NZTSOS