On a Sunday 25 (Anzac Day) preview, Miang and I went to see the new film "Home by Christmas", made by New Zealand filmmaker Gaylene Preston. It is based on interviews with her father about his World War II experiences, reconstructed with actor Tony Barry as Ed Preston.Gaylene is a remarkable New Zealander, who first came to my notice with her documentary "War stories our mothers never told us." Recently I had the privilege of working with Gaylene who had her professional film crew capture me on HD speaking about my life and thoughts for a total of about 6 hours. Glenda Lewis made this happen, thanks to funding from the MacDiarmid Institute.
But the point of this blog is to recommend "Home by Christmas" which goes to full release on April 29. It is truly wonderful-beautifully crafted, honest and understated. It is also a remarkable tribute by Gaylene to her family, as well as being a gift to another generation.
From the film website
"Weaving strands of poetic imagined drama, and archival footage into the interview, Preston presents both sides of her parents’ wartime marriage: the horror and hardship of battlefield and prison camp juxtaposed with the loneliness and grief of a young wife struggling with a newborn baby and a husband declared missing."
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