Here at the Film Archive we celebrate, and are mindful of, the significance and importance audio-visual (AV) heritage on a daily basis
Sometimes however it's great to take the time to consider the issues surrounding the sad fact that a great percentage of the world's AV records from the 20th century are either missing, have been willfully destroyed or exist in obsolete formats.
It’s hard to fathom in the age of YouTube and camera phones however that much more of our AV heritage is threatened. It’s not just the news of the day; it’s the great films, songs, speeches and musical performances of the past; it’s the soap operas and advertisements which so accurately chronicle social history; it’s the evocative ethnographic recordings of peoples, places and animals that now survive only in memory.
From this year on, in concert with film, sound and broadcasting archives and archivists around the world, UNESCO will mark the annual World Day for Audiovisual Heritage on 27 October. A day to celebrate our AV heritage.
In the lead-up to this international day of celebration here at the Archive we will be screening:
Wednesday 24: Smash Palace
This film starring Bruno Lawrence and directed by Roger Donaldson is hugely significant in New Zealand’s AV history. A great example of the film making revival this country experienced in the 1980s. Tickets $8/6
Thursday 25: Growing Dahlias: Gardens, Garden Fetes and Stately Homes
An evening of gardens, garden fetes and stately homes, presented in association with the Friends of the Film Archive, in conjunction with Wellington Region Heritage Promotion’s Heritage Gardens. Piano accompaniment by Davie Beattie. Entry by koha
Friday 26: Insidious pop 2 (drift) performance 1
An extended live remixing of audio and video content in association with the current exhibition by Eugene Hansen Insidious pop 2 (drift) in the mediagallery. Hansen’s work questions the role and importance visuals. Performers Gemma Syme (Audio), Richard Reddaway and Steve Rowe (Video) Daniel Shaw (Video). Entry by koha
Saturday 27: Rewi's Last Stand
Pioneer film maker Rudall Hayward’s remake of his 1925 silent version of the same name and Hayward’s first film to receive an international release, screening in England during World War II. In order to meet the strict requirements of the British Quota system, the film was re-edited and the shorter version was released as The Last Stand. Without a print to work with, the master negative of the film was cut, sadly the edited portions have not survived. Although it is still referred to as Rewi's Last Stand, it is actually only The Last Stand that is known to survive – it is New Zealand’s earliest surviving, complete, talkie feature. Tickets $8/6
We are currently celebrating the legacy of Kiwi film makers Roger Donaldson, Geoff Murphy and the talents of the likes of Bruno Lawrence, Ian Mune and Sam Neill with Sleepers Awake – a 30th Anniversary Season of the landmark film Sleeping Dogs (1977).
On display in the Film Archive mediaplex is a selection of memorabilia from the Sleeping Dogs shoot, including helmets and the famous pistol from the film. The working process for the iconic design work is also available for viewing, and some particularly nice handiwork by the costume department for a selection of police uniforms.
Check the events calendar for the full Sleepers Awake programme.
