THE TIN WHISTLE COLLECTIVE
ABOUT US
The Tin Whistle Collective started when two film-mad kiwis, Jason Ellis and Eli Hill, met at the New Zealand 48 Hour Film competition. Within weeks they owned a cinema camera, and within months they had a script for their first feature film.
But a film is so much more than a script, and it’s only through the star power of their team that the film Two Idiots and a Tin Whistle has become a reality. Click through to meet the team!
JASON ELLIS
DIRECTOR/WRITER/EDITOR/PRODUCER
Jason's film work began when he made short films with the neighbourhood kids while he was still at school. This then progressed into running his own YouTube channel, with varied content such as travel videos, daily vlogs and other short form content.
After this Jason began working with filmmakers in both Palmerston North and Wellington, covering everything from comedy shows to sporting livestreams to a 24 Hour Endurance Yacht Race around Wellington Harbour.
While Jason enjoyed this work, he was always more interested in getting involved in narrative projects but they were quite hard to come by, so he decided, along with Eli, that they would just make their own work, and that’s how Two Idiots and a Tin Whistle came about
Outside of the film business Jason likes to travel as much as he can, with a goal of eventually visiting every country. He also enjoys keeping fit at the gym, hanging out with friends, and embracing his inner geek by attending conventions and trying to keep up with all the latest movies and tv shows.
ELI HILL
DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER
A journalist by trade, Eli has produced stories for many of New Zealand’s major news outlets including Stuff, the Herald, and Newstalk ZB, as well as regional papers such as the Wairarapa Times-Age, the Waikato Times, and the Matamata Chronicle.
He runs the Youtube channel Dearfutureme, plays chess, hikes as much as he can, and writes fiction in his free time.
Eli grew up in the ‘wop-wops’ of Taranaki in a solar powered house that can only be described as ‘rustic’. The bush and the sea are his natural habitat. In film, fiction, and life he is always looking to explore new ideas, opportunities, and adventures.