Gaylene PrestonI believe that the

basic responsibility of New Zealand

filmmakers is to make films principally for

the New Zealand audience. If we don't,

no-one else will. – Gaylene Preston

Bibliography .

• Gaylene Preston studied at Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury for three years.

• In 1966 she moved to England for 10 years.• Gaylene Preston began making films as part of drama and art therapy at Fulbourne

Psychiatric Hospital in the UK in 1972• After her overseas travel she returned to New Zealand working for John O’Shea at Pacific

Films. She also did some freelance cartooning and photography.• From there she continued to create films and documentaries which were heavily influenced

by the current events of NZ.• In 1984 she formed Preston Laing Productions with a friend Robin Laing. The pair created

some successful films for over ten years which would go on to win overseas awards.• In 2001 Preston was honoured by the NZ Arts Foundation, becoming New Zealand's first

filmmaker Laureate. She was appointed an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit in 2002 for services to filmmaking.

• Preston's award winning work has screened extensively at international festivals including Venice, Sundance, Toronto, London, Chicago, Sydney, Melbourne and New Zealand.

In the beginning .

Gaylene Preston began her career in film by accident, while trying to give a voice to those that did not have one. Her first filmmaking experiences occoured while working at a psychiatric hospital near London. Because many of the patients could not talk, the idea of drama therapy did not seem such a useful idea however a friend proposed shooting a film instead. Preston found that the film, the first of many, offered these "people who everyone ignored" respect and a public voice.

1978 ALL THE WAY UP THERE Director/ProducerValhalla Films

1980 LEARNING FAST Producer/DirectorGaylene Preston Productions

1981 HOLD UPDirector/Co-Producer/ScreenplayGibson Films/Gaylene Preston Productions

1982 MAKING UTUProducer/DirectorGaylene Preston Productions

1983 PATUCo-ordinatorAwatea Films

Filmography 1985 MR WRONG (aka DARK OF THE NIGHT - USA)Director/Producer/Co-writer Preston Laing Productions 1987 KAI PURAKAU - The Story TellerProducer/DirectorGaylene Preston Productions 1990 RUBY & RATADirector/Co-Producer Preston Laing Productions 1992 MARRIEDDirectorMeridian Film Productions

1993 BREAD AND ROSESDirector/Co-writer/Associate Producer Preston Laing Productions

1995 WAR STORIES Our Mothers Never Told Us Producer/DirectorGaylene Preston Productions

1995 ABSENT FRIENDS - CommercialsSaatchi & Saatchi/Flying Fish

1996 NO OTHER LIPSDirector/Co-Producer Documentary Greenstone Pictures in Assn with Gaylene Preston Productions

1997 PARALLEL PATHSDirectorCommercialsSacchi & Saatchi/Flying Fish

1998 SURVIVOR STORIES – Napier EarthquakeProducer/Director

1999 PUNITIVE DAMAGEProducerDirector/Producer Annie Goldson)FeatureOccasional Productions in Assn with Gaylene Preston Productions

1999 GETTING TO OUR PLACEProducer/Director (with Anna Cottrell)Gaylene Preston Productions

2001 WAHINE REQUIEM 12mins

2001 TITLESS WONDERSProducer/DirectorGaylene Preston Productions

2002 COFFEE, TEA OR ME? Producer(Director/Producer Brita McVeigh) DocumentaryGaylene Preston Productions

2003 PERFECT STRANGERSWriter/Director/Producer FeatureGaylene Preston Productions

2004 LANDS OF OUR FATHERS – My African legacyExecutive Producer(Producer/Director Jennifer Bush Daumec)DocumentaryBushcraft in Assn with Gaylene Preston Productions

2005 PUSH PLAY – The ActivatorDirectorCommercials 5 x 30 secPearl Productions and Y & R Advertising

2006 EARTHQUAKEProducer/DirectorDocumentaryGaylene Preston Productions in Assn with TV3/NZOA

2007 THE TIME OF OUR LIVESProducer/DirectorDocumentaryGaylene Preston Productions for TV3/NZOA

2008 LOVELY RITA - A painters lifeProducer/Director DocumentaryGaylene Preston Productions for TVone/NZOA

2010 HOME BY CHRISTMAS Producer/Director FeatureGaylene Preston Productions

Significance and Impact

The New Zealand society has responded positively to these changes and she said they have “grown together”. Some of Preston’s texts have portrayed New Zealand in a positive light which is a nice change from other films.

In her own words, Preston has been long devoted to “communicating local stories to local audiences” and she loves her “the stories that hold secrets, the things that you’re not allowed to talk about”.

This has lead to her constantly pushing the boundaries of genre storytelling and take the audience to new places.

"I must say that the decision I made in 1976 to leave my lovely life in South London and come back to New Zealand as a bit of a fish out of water has ultimately given me a community of amazing artists. We’ve all developed together and we are very blessed to have each other. I love the new people and the young people coming through, and I think we’ve got a great filmmaking community.“