The Navigator

Name: New Zealand Film Commission
Price range: $

A young boy is afflicted by apocalyptic visions in medieval Cumbria. Believing he is divinely inspired to save his village from the Black Death, he persuades a group of men to follow him into a tunnel. They dig deep into the earth and emerge ......

New Zealand Production

Feature 1988 Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy 90.00 minutes

A visionary boy leads five men from the 14th Century into a 20th Century city. Their quest: to save their village before sunrise. It is Cumbria 1348, the year of the Black Death. A medieval mining village lives in fear of the advancing plague. Griffin's older brother Connor returns from the outside world in a state of despair, until Griffin tells of his dream - and reveals the only hope of survival. Make a tribute to God. Place a spire on a distant cathedral. Do it before dawn or the village is lost. Griffin sets out on a bizarre journey with Connor, Searly the pragmatist, Searle's naive brother Ulf, Martin the philosopher and Arno the one-handed ferryman. They reach a pit, which is rumoured to be a shaft through to the far side of the earth. It's just as Griffin dreamed it, and the medieval expedition demands more detail fo Griffin's prophetic dream. They tunnel through the earth, to a new world - New Zealand, the Antipodes, 1988. Surrounded by echoes of the fear which haunted medieval England, they pursue their dogged goal, but Griffin has a chilling premonition. One of them will die at the cathedral.

'Best Film' Australian Film Institute Awards

'Best Director: Vincent Ward' Australian Film Institute Awards

'Achievement in Cinematography: Geoffrey Simpson' Australian Film Institute Awards

'Achievement in Production Design: Sally Campbell' Australian Film Institute Awards

'Achievement in Costume Design: Glenys Jackson' Australian Film Institute Awards

'Achievement in Editing: John Scott' Australian Film Institute Awards

1989 - Listener Film and Television Awards 'Best Film'

1989 - Listener Film and Television Awards 'Best Director: Vincent Ward'

1989 - Listener Film and Television Awards 'Best Original Screenplay: Kely Lyons, Geoff Chapple and Vincent Ward'

1989 - Listener Film and Television Awards 'Best Male Performance: Hamish McFarlane'

1989 - Listener Film and Television Awards 'Best Female Performance in a Supporting Role: Sarah Peirse'

1989 - Listener Film and Television Awards 'Best Male Performance in a Supporting Role: Noel Appleby'