When architecture makes it t the big screen. The independent documentary framed around two of New Zealand’s most famous architects and founders of Warren and Mahoney, Sir Miles Warren and Maurice Mahoney is hitting 30 cinemas across Aotearoa New Zealand on September 5, following rave reviews and extended theatre runs in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
MAURICE AND I is a richly told story that unveils the personal dynamic between Miles Warren and his architectural partner, Maurice Mahoney.
Sir Miles Warren and Maurice Mahoney, 2018. Image: WAM
“MAURICE AND I is a triumph. It has it all - drama, humour, heroes and villains, sadness and suspense. It has all the depth, insight and sophistication a viewer could hope for,” says Julia Gatley, Architectural Historian and Academic.
MAURICE AND I was co-directed by Christchurch-based filmmakers Rick Harvie and Jane Mahoney.
For Mahoney’s daughter, Jane, the film is a love letter from a daughter to her father, a celebration of community, a tribute to the loss and trauma that a city lived through, and a cautionary tale of the social and environmental cost of a government-led imperative.
“MAURICE AND I explores the universal themes of respect, love and loss. It's a story of the creative power of true partnership, of craft, passion and innovation, and the transformative power of architecture,” she says.
“On a personal level, it has been incredibly satisfying to shine a light on my father Maurice and his essential contribution to the Warren and Mahoney partnership.
“Although in life he was content to work away in the shadows, more than happy for Miles to be the frontman and take the accolades. Dear Maurice would be quite perplexed by all this fuss I’m sure.”
Filmmakers Rick Harvie and Jane Mahoney. Image: WAM
Leveraging Warren’s charisma and flair alongside Mahoney’s understated attention to detail, the pair brought modernism to Christchurch and brutalism to New Zealand.
Of the thousands of homes and commercial buildings they designed, one changed the world.
With the acoustic innovations of Sir Harold Marshall, the Christchurch Town Hall revolutionised the design approach to performance spaces and acoustic engineering and became a favourite venue for some of the globe’s biggest stars.
“MAURICE AND I is just a terrific film. There is a slew of New Zealand social history here, as well as a neatly condensed and focused history of architecture in the 20th century, all wrapped around a love letter to the city of Christchurch and a few of the people who have made it the place that it is,” says Graeme Tuckett, Journalist, Writer and Filmmaker.
The Christchurch Town Hall was regarded by many, including the architects themselves, as their finest work. Internationally renowned for its elegant, brutalist form and sophisticated interiors, and world-leading acoustics.
When the government’s post-quake plan threatened to demolish this icon, Warren and Mahoney (then in their 80s) joined hundreds of others to fight for its survival.
On 22 Feb 2011, the people of Christchurch had their lives turned upside down, when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck at 12.53pm on a Tuesday. It was shallow, incredibly powerful and centred close to the city's CBD. Almost the entire built legacy of Warren and Mahoney was destroyed in less than 40 seconds.
Years later, in 2018, Jane popped into the studio to let Rick know that Maurice had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was expected to only last a few months.
“This was our cue to stop talking and get started,” says Harvie.
“Wasting no time, we launched into filming interviews with Maurice at his home, and with Sir Miles and Maurice together at Miles’ home Ohinetahi. It was to be their final interview together - Maurice died only a couple of months later in October 2018.”
Through rare archival footage and exclusive interviews, including their final conversation together, MAURICE AND I reflects on the legacy of Warren and Mahoney, the community impact of their bold architectural vision, and the enduring importance of architecture in shaping and enriching lives.
The film enjoyed a successful, limited release as part of the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival in May 2024. It has been running in Christchurch theatres since then - smashing box office records to become the highest grossing film ever at the Deluxe Cinemas.
In October, the directors will take it international to show at the Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam - one of the world’s most prestigious architecture film festivals.
Audiences at home have been captivated by the documentary from day one. Directors Rick Harvie and Jane Mahoney have had their inboxes flooded with response from cinema-goers.
