MARK IN MEMORIAM
We sadly lost our director Mark Willis in May 2023.
Fortunately, Mark signed off a cut of the film before his passing. Blind Panic was a huge undertaking for Mark, being his first feature film. We know it took a toll on him in different ways, but by the end, he shared his pride in the film with us.
Mark was, ironically, a victim of violence himself. We were very happy with this piece written by Erin Cox:
Matthew Mawkes, a longtime friend of Mr. Willis, spoke to the Otago Daily Times detailing the loss felt by the New Zealand film community.
“Mark was eccentric. He was very loving, gentle and had a wicked sense of humour. He was a movie buff and much loved by everyone who knew him ... much more so than I ever think he realised.”
Born and raised in Dunedin, Mr. Willis worked alongside well-known filmmaker Robert Sarkies, becoming a “really strong, close collaborator” and friend for over 30 years.
“There was a real gentleness to Mark, which I find highly ironic, considering the way his life ended ... which has been very difficult for all of his many friends throughout the country,” Mr. Sarkies said.
Mr. Willis contributed his love for storytelling and special effects to Mr. Sarkies’ well-known production, Scarfies.
“You could really rely on him to create extraordinary things.”
He moved to Wellington in 2000 where he spent 23 years honing his craft, directing his first short film, Splinter, in 2004.
We would like to share Splinter here, so you can see Mark’s talents shine:
Splinter showcases Mark’s storytelling abilities, sense of humour, and filmmaking prowess, which you will see fully evolved in Blind Panic.
We believe that Mark’s loss is also a devastating loss to the arts and in particular to New Zealand’s filmmaking community. But we choose to remember the great man that he was.
