FROM THE FIELD TO THE SCREEN - BOWHUNTER DOCUMENTARY
A Kaipara Hills farmer, a record-breaking achievement sixty years in the making, and two filmmakers compelled to share it with the world – Bowhunter is a documentary about what happens when someone refuses to accept limits.
Sarah Thoroughgood grew up on a farm in the Kaipara Hills with her parents and three sisters, homeschooled and deeply connected to the land from an early age. By twelve she was already out with an air rifle, taking care of the farm's rabbit population. By fourteen, too young for a gun licence but certain she wanted to get serious about hunting, everything changed when a family friend arrived with a compound bow. She was immediately hooked. With a beginner's bow and aluminium arrows, she killed her first goat at fifteen.
In 2016, after travelling the length of the country, overcoming torn tendons in her hand the previous year and relentlessly pursuing her goal, Sarah won the New Zealand Bowhunter of the Year Award – becoming the first woman in the sixty-year history of the society to do so. She then won it again. And again. Three consecutive championships, three years in a row.
"Winning the title proved that if I put my mind to something that seemed pretty unlikely, I could succeed," Sarah reflects. "Being the first woman to achieve it was pretty special. I knew I could be an inspiration to others."
Today Sarah runs a small-scale farm of her own and works across multiple properties in the area as a contractor – and it was on one of those farms that the documentary found her. George Maunsell, already working in the film industry as an actor under directors including Taika Waititi and Michael Hurst, knew immediately that Sarah's story deserved to be shared. "I was immediately inspired by her incredible energy and perseverance, her character and determination."
That conversation became Bowhunter – a feature documentary from debut director George Maunsell and producer Matthew Holden of Raroa Productions. The two have known each other since high school, each finding their own path into the industry. Matthew brings three years of post-production experience across New Zealand film and television, with credits including The Brokenwood Mysteries, Uproar, and M3GAN 2.0, alongside a law background that has helped shape Raroa Productions as a company. Before long, the pair were deep in the Hokianga filming Sarah hunting wild goats across some of New Zealand's most remote and striking wilderness.
A Kickstarter campaign was launched to fund a small crew to follow Sarah into the field and bring her story to a wider audience. Once post-production is complete, Bowhunter will be submitted to film festivals worldwide – further extending the reach of Sarah’s inspiring story.
The film's message is straightforward – that the only thing standing between most people and their goals is the belief that those goals are out of reach. "With hard work and dedication, big things are possible," she says.
From the Kaipara Hills to the world stage – this is a story worth supporting.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/raroa/bowhunter | www.facebook.com/bowhunter.documentary