Getting to know... Douglas Brooks

Actor, insect expert, tuba player and outdoor survivalist, Douglas Brooks is a man of many talents. One of which is directing the Top of the South Film Festival happening on 28 October in Blenheim and 3-4 November in Nelson.

At the weekend you’ll find me...
Hanging out with my two lovely tweenagers, Nate and Alice, trying to coax them into doing something character-building like clearing gorse.

I will never shut up about...
The importance of storytelling to humanity and yet how commercially undervalued and exploited it can be. The Hollywood writers’ strike demonstrates that the people creating our entertainment can suffer precarious and dehumanising working conditions.

I’m a real nerd about...
Insects and forests. I wrote my science honours thesis on using beetles as an indicator species for forest disturbance. I still love turning over logs to find shiny carabid beetles.

As a child, I was really into...
Outdoor survival. The SAS Survival Handbook was my obsession and Wakefield’s Faulkner Bush my training ground. When the apocalypse comes, I can collect water from the air, make a deadfall trap and set rodent snares. We might not eat but we’ll stay busy.

My useless skill is...
Playing tuba and euphonium. My father was a top national brass player and still plays regularly. My brother and I also competed – the high point of my music career was winning bronze in the E flat tuba at Junior Nationals, although I should mention there were only four people in the competition.

My real-life superpower is...
Digging. I’m hand-carving a 1km bush track for my wife Naomi’s 40th birthday, which we’ll plant up. She’s nearly 42, so it’s taking a wee while.

My simple pleasures are...
I love getting a new script and working with actors. I am happiest when in costume, ever since I was a six-year-old directing and acting in plays for my class at Wakefield School.

I get myself out of a funk by...
Tramping, running, and weightlifting – non-negotiables for mental health.

I hope in ten years Nelson will...
Still be embracing its arts, including the Top of the South Film Festival. It’s now in its ninth year and is entirely volunteer-run with all income supporting local filmmakers. When Aaron Falvey and I co-founded Top of the South Filmmakers in 2014 we could only dream of the film community network we have now. It’s a privilege to showcase local creativity in our own festival and connect our filmmakers with their national colleagues.