Dame Gaylene Mary Preston (born 1 June 1947) is a New Zealand filmmaker with a particular interest in documentary films.

Early life and family

Born in

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coas ...

on 1 June 1947, Preston was educated at Colenso High School (now

William Colenso College Onekawa is a suburb of the city of Napier, in the Hawke's Bay Region of the eastern North Island of New Zealand. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "salty soil" for ''Onekawa''. Onekawa houses a high propo ...

) in Napier. She went on to study at the

Ilam School of Fine Arts The Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury was founded in 1882 as the Canterbury College School of Art. The school became a full department of the university in the 1950s, and was the first department to move to the suburban Ilam ...

at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

from 1966 to 1968, and then the St Albans School of Fine Art in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

, England, where she completed a Diploma of Art Therapy in 1974. Preston's sister is the pianist and songwriter Jan Preston. She has one daughter, the actor

Chelsie Preston Crayford Chelsie Florence Preston Crayford (born 1987) is a New Zealand actress. Early life Preston Crayford was born in Wellington to film maker Gaylene Preston and musician Jonathan Crayford. Apart from appearing in a water safety commercial at the ag ...

, who was born in 1987.

Career

Preston's first film was ''All The Way Up There''. As a producer she has contributed to the award-winning feature documentaries ''Punitive Damage'' (1999) and ''Coffee, Tea or Me?'' (2001) and ''Lands of our Fathers'' (executive producer). Her feature film ''Home By Christmas'' was a dramatised oral history based on her father's memories of his wartime experiences, contrasted with her mother's perspective. The music for the film was composed by her sister Jan Preston. Her other feature films include ''Mr Wrong'', '' Ruby and Rata'', and the mini series ''Bread & Roses'' (with producer Robin Laing). She was writer, director and producer of '' Perfect Strangers'', a

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

starring

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's near-50 year career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one o ...

and

Rachael Blake Rachael Morelle Blake (born May 26, 1971) is an Australian actress. Early life Blake was born in Perth, Western Australia. At the age of 18 months, she moved to England with her English parents, only to return to Perth at age 11. Blake was b ...

. In 1982 Gaylene directed a documentary called Making Utu about the making of Geoff Murphy's iconic feature Utu. Preston chaired the Academy of Film and Television Arts (1997–99) and was a member of the board of the

NZ Film Commission The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC; mi, Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga) is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films. It was established under the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978 (as amended ...

(1979–85) as well as chair of the Film Innovation Fund (1981–85). She has been a member of the Board of

New Zealand On Air NZ On Air (NZOA; mi, Irirangi te Motu), formally the Broadcasting Commission, is an autonomous Crown entity and commission of the New Zealand Government responsible for funding support for broadcasting and creative works. The commission oper ...

(The NZ Broadcasting Commission), and in 2001 she was the first filmmaker to be made a

Laureate In English, the word laureate has come to signify eminence or association with literary awards or military glory. It is also used for recipients of the Nobel Prize, the Gandhi Peace Award, the Student Peace Prize, and for former music direc ...

by the

New Zealand Arts Foundation 'The Arts Foundation of New Zealand Te Tumu Toi is a New Zealand arts organisation that supports artistic excellence and facilitates private philanthropy through raising funds for the arts and allocating it to New Zealand artists. The concept ...

, recognising her contribution to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

film and television. In the

2002 New Year Honours New Years' Honours are announced on or around the date of the New Year in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supplements to the London Ga ...

, Preston was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to film making, and in 2016, she received the

New Zealand Women of Influence Award The New Zealand Women of Influence Awards are an annual set of awards which recognise women who make a difference to everyday New Zealanders' lives. The Awards were first made in 2013 and were initially sponsored by Westpac Bank. In 2016, Stuff N ...

for Arts and Culture in recognition of her work on New Zealand-focused films and documentaries. In May 2011 she publicly protested plans for

Wellington Airport Wellington International Airport (formerly known as Rongotai Airport) is an international airport located in the suburb of Rongotai in Wellington. It lies 3 NM or 5.5 km south-east from the city centre. It is a hub for Air New Zealand an ...

to erect a

Wellywood Wellywood is an informal name for the city of Wellington, New Zealand. The name—a conflation of Wellington and Hollywood—is a reference to the film production business established in the city by ''The Lord of the Rings'' film director Sir ...

sign on the hill beside the

Miramar Cutting The large Miramar Peninsula ( mi, Te Motu Kairangi) is on the southeastern side of the city of Wellington, New Zealand, at the entrance to Wellington Harbour, in Wellington's eastern suburbs. According to Māori legend, it was formed when the ...

, the highest-profile industry opponent of this initiative. Preston was awarded the Lia Award at the Stranger with my Face film festival in Tasmania in 2017. The award recognises an influential and innovative figure in the field of genre storytelling. At the festival they screened Gaylene's film Mr Wrong and Perfect Strangers, which were reviewed in depth by Lauren Carroll Harris fo
Real Time
She wrote, directed and produced ''

Hope and Wire Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

'' (2014) a drama mini series about the aftermath of the 2010/2011 Christchurch earthquakes. Preston's most recent documentary feature film '' My Year with Helen'' (2017) premiered at the Athena Film Festival in February 2018. Gaylene Preston DNZM investiture

In the

2019 New Year Honours The 2019 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

, Preston was appointed a

Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to film.

References

External links

* * http://www.perfectstrangersthemovie.com
biography
on

NZ On Screen NZ On Screen is a state-funded online promotional showcase of New Zealand television and film. Funded by NZ On Air, it provides free worldwide access to NZ-produced television, film and music videos. Content is streamed and the webpages provide ...

screenography
on

Gaylene Preston Archive & Reference Project

Women's Gallery The Women's Gallery was a collectively established and run art gallery in Wellington, New Zealand, showing only the work of women, that ran for four years between 1980 and 1984. History In 1977, artist Joanna Paul developed a project called " ...

Inc., 2012
The Dame Gaylene Preston Legacy Collection Finding Aid v1.1
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Gaylene 1947 births People from Greymouth Living people New Zealand film directors New Zealand film producers Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit People associated with the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa New Zealand Women of Influence Award recipients Ilam School of Fine Arts alumni Alumni of the University of Hertfordshire People educated at William Colenso College New Zealand women film producers