SNAKESKIN International Feature Competition

Gillian Ashurst’s brazen portrait of contemporary teenage angst is an homage to the great American Western. Separated by a century and a couple of continents, SNAKESKIN is part cowboy mythology, part THELMA & LOUISE and part EASY RIDER.

Two Kiwi kids, Alice and Johnny, are looking for a fast trip out of mundane suburbia. After cutting the roof off an old Valiant, they cruise the New Zealand highways searching for adventure. When they meet a cowboy with snakeskin boots-a walking myth-Alice is immediately drawn to him, while Johnny tries to keep her feet on the ground. Against its stylistic surrealism and comedic moments, SNAKESKIN evokes a profound realism as it traces a day in the life of Alice. She lives in suburban New Zealand. She’d like to live on Route 66. Her ordinary life can’t compare with her celluloid dreams.

With a fresh intelligence and sharp wit, first-time feature director Ashurst carves a symbolic infectious tale.