Mister Pip Premieres

New Zealand-born writer-director Adam Adamson’s film adaption of Lloyd Jones’ prize-winning novel Mister Pip, starring Hugh Laurie, has premiered at the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto as part of the city’s annual film festival. Laurie plays the last white man living on the island of Bougainville during the Papua New Guinea civil war of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Adamson lived in Papua New Guinea until the age of about 18, setting off on his career as a visual effects supervisor and later a filmmaker. “I can’t say I went looking for a film to make in Papua New Guinea,” Adamson said. “A lot of it was certainly recognizing the characters; there’s so many people in the story I felt I knew. For most of the movie, Laurie is the only person onscreen with acting experience. Every other part is played by local islanders. “It meant at times we were shooting something in between a documentary and a drama,” he said.