Vessel (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

Vessel follows potter Rick Rudd as he protects New Zealand’s crafted ceramic heritage at Quartz Museum of Studio Ceramics while creating a new work. The documentary observes his hands-on process and the personal demands of running a world-class museum largely on his own, with help sought to bring his vision to life.

Vessel is a 2026 documentary centered on potter Rick Rudd and the fragile artistic legacy housed at Quartz Museum of Studio Ceramics. Directed by Kevin Double, the film connects the careful making of a new ceramic work with the broader responsibility of preserving studio pottery for future generations.

Rather than framing its subject through a conventional fictional narrative, the documentary follows Rudd’s work and museum duties in close detail. Its focus is both practical and personal: the physical process of shaping clay, and the daily pressures of protecting a national collection while running the institution himself.

Vessel movie details

Story without spoilers

Rick Rudd curates and safeguards the crafted legacies held within Quartz Museum of Studio Ceramics. Vessel follows the construction of one of his latest works, observing the gradual process of forming clay by hand.

As Rudd develops the piece, he also faces the challenges of single-handedly managing a world-class museum. He reaches out for assistance in order to realize his artistic vision and find some relief from the demands attached to his work. The film stays focused on pottery, preservation and the human effort behind both.

What to expect

Vessel is a feature-length documentary with a close, process-oriented focus on ceramics. Viewers can expect detailed attention to pottery-making, museum stewardship and the relationship between an individual artist’s practice and a wider cultural legacy.

The supplied synopsis points to a quiet observational approach, with the film silently capturing Rudd’s hands as they shape clay. Its subject matter also gives the documentary a New Zealand cultural context through Quartz Museum of Studio Ceramics, national archives and the Whanganui ceramics community.

Cast and creative team

Rick Rudd is the central figure in Vessel. The documentary also features Wendy Bailey, Bronwynne Cornish, Paul Maseyk, John Parker and Alice Hutchinson. Kevin Double directs, while Melita Farley is credited as the writer.

• Rick Rudd
• Wendy Bailey
• Bronwynne Cornish
• Paul Maseyk
• John Parker
• Alice Hutchinson

Release and production context

Vessel is a 2026 documentary directed by Kevin Double and written by Melita Farley. It has a runtime of 1 hour and 59 minutes, is in English, and is produced by Double Farley Ltd. The supplied metadata identifies the film with New Zealand, pottery, ceramics, museum work, national archives and Whanganui, though it does not list a production country separately.

Production companies: Double Farley Ltd

Reported production figures:
Budget $46,500

Movies Dock view

Vessel offers a focused portrait of pottery-making and cultural preservation through Rick Rudd’s work at Quartz Museum of Studio Ceramics. Its subject combines the tactile labor of creating a ceramic piece with the less visible responsibility of maintaining a living artistic legacy.

Film data:
TMDB · IMDb