ScreenTalk Legends - Gaylene Preston

Renowned director Dame Gaylene Preston got into filmmaking "by accident", while teaching art therapy in Britain in the mid 1970s. Her debut feature Mr Wrong earned widespread praise for its feminist take on thriller tropes. Preston explored themes of social justice and feminism in Sonja Davies drama Bread and Roses and comedy Ruby and Rata. Acclaimed documentary War Stories Our Mothers Never Told Us was inspired by her parents' lives, as was Home By Christmas. Her 2003 feature Perfect Strangers again twisted the thriller genre. She has also helmed a miniseries on the Christchurch quakes, and a documentary about Helen Clark.

 In this extended ScreenTalk Legends interview Preston:

• Identifies the key question for any cinematic storyteller — "why?" (2 minutes in)
• Describes how being an independent filmmaker means having to be a good "persuader" (4 minutes)
• Points out that filmmaking can be a "compromise from beginning to end" but needs to retain its "centre" (5 minutes)
• Reacts to being called a "kitchen table filmmaker" (10 minutes)
• Reveals the motivation behind Mr Wrong and its serious message (11 minutes)
• Recalls a "beautiful" experience shooting West Coast thriller Perfect Strangers (14 minutes)
• Discusses her decision to stay in New Zealand following the success of Mr Wrong, rather than chase Hollywood opportunities, like some of her peers (17 minutes)
• Advises filmmakers to work with people "better" than they are, as she did with editor Dell King on early documentary All the Way Up There (22 minutes)
• Advises young directors and filmmakers to learn by doing, and stresses the need to learn the ins and outs of industry systems and funding organisations (25 minutes)

Interview Rosie Howells. Director/Camera Chris Terpstra/Rocket Rentals. Sound Recordist Michael Kerslake. Editor - Tom Field. Producer Fran Carney. Exec Producer Kathryn Quirk.