Meathead

Short Film (Full Length) – 2011

Mature

In this award-winning short film Michael is a 17-year-old who gets the abattoir blues during his first day at 'the works'. Fitting in turns out to be the least of Michael’s worries as young blood is welcomed on the line in the old fashioned way, and rite of passage is interpreted literally to meaty effect. Meathead was filmed at the Wallace Meat plant in Waitoa. Based on the true story of a mate of his, director Sam Holst’s debut short was selected for Cannes and won the Crystal Bear in the Generation (14plus) section of the 2012 Berlin Film Festival.

I was interested in the theme of belonging — what we must sometimes go through personally, give up or participate in collectively to achieve and sustain that. Also the idea that there’s more to things than meets the eye and how the film could explore some sense of perception.
– Director Sam Holst