1. Gaylene Preston I 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

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 1978 ALL THE WAY UP THERE Director/Producer Valhalla Films 1980 LEARNING FAST Producer/Director Gaylene Preston Productions 1981 HOLD UP Director/Co-Producer/Screenplay Gibson Films/Gaylene Preston Productions 1982 MAKING UTU Producer/Director Gaylene Preston Productions 1983 PATU Co-ordinator Awatea Films Filmography 1985 MR WRONG (aka DARK OF THE NIGHT - USA) Director/Producer/Co-writer Preston Laing Productions 1987 KAI PURAKAU - The Story Teller Producer/Director Gaylene Preston Productions 1990 RUBY & RATA Director/Co-Producer Preston Laing Productions 1992 MARRIED Director Meridian Film Productions 1993 BREAD AND ROSES Director/Co-writer/Associate Producer Preston Laing Productions 1995 WAR STORIES Our Mothers Never Told Us Producer/Director Gaylene Preston Productions

5. 1995 ABSENT FRIENDS - Commercials Saatchi & Saatchi/Flying Fish 1996 NO OTHER LIPS Director/Co-Producer Documentary Greenstone Pictures in Assn with Gaylene Preston Productions 1997 PARALLEL PATHS Director Commercials Sacchi & Saatchi/Flying Fish 1998 SURVIVOR STORIES – Napier Earthquake Producer/Director 1999 PUNITIVE DAMAGE Producer Director/Producer Annie Goldson) Feature Occasional Productions in Assn with Gaylene Preston Productions 1999 GETTING TO OUR PLACE Producer/Director (with Anna Cottrell) Gaylene Preston Productions 2001 WAHINE REQUIEM 12mins 2001 TITLESS WONDERS Producer/Director Gaylene Preston Productions 2002 COFFEE, TEA OR ME? Producer (Director/Producer Brita McVeigh) Documentary Gaylene Preston Productions 2003 PERFECT STRANGERS Writer/Director/Producer Feature Gaylene Preston Productions 2004 LANDS OF OUR FATHERS – My African legacy Executive Producer (Producer/Director Jennifer Bush Daumec) Documentary Bushcraft in Assn with Gaylene Preston Productions

6. 2005 PUSH PLAY – The Activator Director Commercials 5 x 30 sec Pearl Productions and Y & R Advertising 2006 EARTHQUAKE Producer/Director Documentary Gaylene Preston Productions in Assn with TV3/NZOA 2007 THE TIME OF OUR LIVES Producer/Director Documentary Gaylene Preston Productions for TV3/NZOA 2008 LOVELY RITA - A painters life Producer/Director Documentary Gaylene Preston Productions for TVone/NZOA 2010 HOME BY CHRISTMAS Producer/Director Feature Gaylene Preston Productions

7. 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.“