Film Fanatic

Written by Francesca Emms | Photography by Anna Briggs

Jude McLaren balances her fast-paced job with a slow-living philosophy.

Catching up with Jude McLaren is pretty easy. She walks everywhere so she’s not moving too quickly. ‘I’m into slow living,’ she explains, ‘I don’t have a car. Everything I need is within blocks of where I live. I look up when I walk. I take in the architecture, the people, the fauna. I don’t like to rush, I like to meander and day dream. That’s often at odds with my job.’

Jude is part of the Talent Development team at the New Zealand Film Commission and says, ‘I unashamedly love my work and feel fortunate to be in that position.’ She works with short filmmakers, supporting them to progress to feature films, manages the funding process for short films and runs development labs. Her team funds 14 films a year and puts about 48 groups through development labs. ‘It’s quite busy!’

Even though she watches films and reads scripts all the time for work, Jude finds going to the cinema the best way to unwind. ‘Heaven is going to two or three movies in a row.’ So it comes as no surprise that Jude loves film festivals. ‘I take holidays to go to them. Along with NZIFF one of my favourites is Māoriland up the coast in Otaki.’ Jude says the town comes alive, ‘it’s like a mini Sundance. I spend the whole weekend wandering from venue to venue, immersed in film from diverse cultures, and in between scarf down great kai.’

Jude McLaren is a part of the Talent Development team at the New Zealand Film Commission, balancing her job with a philosophy of slow living.

Another favourite pastime for Jude is finding and reading non-fiction. She’s often at the library, Unity Books or any of Wellington’s second-hand bookshops. The best book she’s read lately is Tools of Titans by Timothy Ferriss, which shares the tactics, routines, and habits of billionaires, icons, and world-class performers. ‘For a non-fiction fanatic like myself it’s been a lolly scramble of new reads from widely read people.’ Jude’s favourite works of fiction include The Shipping News by Annie Proulx and Orlando by Virginia Woolf. ‘I’ve reread them over time and I love both films that were made too.’

Jude laughs at the idea of cooking at home, food being one part of slow living that she doesn’t adhere to. ‘But I’m happy to eat other people’s careful creations,’ she says. ‘I like to say I’m an assembler. If something takes more than 20 minutes it’s not in my life.’ Jude’s more likely to be in one of her favourite cafes. Her local is Sweet Mother’s, and KC Café is her go-to for cheap eats – ‘Best curry laksa in town,’ she claims.

There’s nothing that Jude particularly covets. ‘I’m pretty content,’ she says. ‘It’s great to be healthy and alive in a city I love.’ But there is one thing she’d like. ‘If I lived in a place that allowed pets – a dog. I love dogs and pine for them. I often stop dog-walkers in the street and ask if I can pat their dogs. I trained as a health masseuse many years ago and I give the dogs a little massage. I enjoy the goofy look they get as they bliss out.’

Māoriland Film Festival. Ōtaki. 21–25 March