Dame Gaylene Preston - an Extraordinary Woman - a trailblazer whose work theme reflects Rotary values and goals

Dame Gaylene Preston was guest at South Wairarapa Rotary's 50th Anniversary Celebrations and Changeover.
Dame Gaylene said it was 'an honour and a privilege to be with us on our 50th Anniversary'. South Wairarapa Rotarian, Ted Preston, introduced Dame Gaylene Preston, who is his sister. In 1969.   She went to the UK where she studied and applied art therapy. When she returned to New Zealand she hustled her way into the male establishment in order to make her own films and was a trail blazer for women in the film industry. She is a producer and writer as well as a director and her work has a theme of how ordinary New Zealanders in challenging situations do extraordinary things.
 
 
She is unique in making only her own films in New Zealand. One of her mantras is "If we don't tell New Zealand stories then who will?" She has won many awards and held many film and radio related positions and is a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Photo: Pamela Messervy who thanked Dame Gaylene and Steve Davis, chair of our wonderful Fellowship committee.

She reminisced about growing up in Greymouth and going to the movies in the local "flea pit" which was about watching movies with others as much as about the films themselves. With the advent of modern technology her generation might be the last that actually goes to the cinema. As a child she also listened to Radio NZ  which was the medium for telling  New Zealand stories, as there were hardly any New Zealand films at that time.
She said that we cannot underestimate the importance of art and that she was liberated by an art based education. Her maternal forbears could not have imagined the life she leads now which includes travelling the world. Last week she was in Sydney on the jury of the Sydney Film Festival.
Dame Gaylene then responded to questions from the audience. When asked if you have to be crazy to make films in New Zealand she said you have to have a strong sense of purpose and outrage, especially if you are a woman. Her purpose is to provide a voice and tell the stories of people who are not normally heard.
She then explained the difference between a producer and a director  - the producer makes the film happen, the director makes the film. Directors don't have to do anything but persuade others to do their best work. There are advantages to being a producer/director and she is a writer as well which gives great flexibility.
Asked which of her films she liked best, she said Perfect Strangers starring Sam Neill and Hope and Wire, a film about the aftermath of the Christchurch Earthquakes. The most rewarding films were her family films such as Home by Christmas based on her father's wartime experiences, contrasted with her mother's perspective. Making the film a Year with Helen was terrifyingly difficult as the UN makes reporting on themselves really difficult. Her next project will be a film about Rita Angus, the artist.