Former Wānaka resident Hank Bilous has made his directorial debut with ‘The War On Style’, which will tour around New Zealand as well as Sydney and Torquay in Australia. 

One of New Zealand’s top freeskiers, Hank finished the 2020 Freeride World Tour with multiple podium finishes. 

He took a hiatus from skiing to finish his nursing degree and more recently he has been working as a registered nurse in the emergency department of a small North Island community.

Hank said ‘The War on Style’ is inspired by his love of skiing, nursing and other interests like surfing, but it’s not specifically about any of those things.

“It is really about the idea that any technical skill gives you the opportunity to express yourself and that self-expression part, really, is worth striving for,” he said.

“I hope the audience can apply that concept to their own life.”

Watch the trailer:

Creating the film was “a real test of the concepts explored in the film in my life personally”, Hank said. 

“Writing a script, co-producing and directing were all new skills to me before we started this project.” 

‘The War on Style’ was filmed and edited by Chris Maunsell and Sam Wave created the original score and songs.

“Working [with Chris and Sam] on this project has really solidified the idea for me that collaboration is much better than competition,” Hank said.

‘The War on Style’ was filmed in Wānaka, Dunedin and Gisborne.

The New Zealand tour for ‘The War on Style’ will begin on July 30 and the Wānaka screening, which will be presented by Hank, will take place on August 21.

Tickets and more information are available here.

PHOTO: Supplied