Jonathan Dennis talks to Peter Wells about his ongoing commitment to experimentation and short films. Wells discusses his influences and current attitudes toward avant-garde film making in New Zealand.
Begins by discussing how he became a filmmaker, mentions living with Stuart Main and having the film making process
‘demystified’.
Mentions Roger Donaldson and the first ‘wave of NZ film making’, and Martin Blyth’s ‘Queen Street’ .
Wells discusses the representation of NZ on screen and to foreigners, and having the clarity to represent NZ in a realistic way. Talks about ‘experimental’ and short films. Discusses the quality, construction and innovativeness of the work at the 1993 Short Film Award where he was a judge. Talks about ‘short films’ as being an ‘advertisement of skills’ which will hopefully bring success in the ability to make a feature film.
Discusses ‘Queer Cinema’ and Fassbinder, refers to his short film Foolish Things. Talks about linear film making with regard to Maori film, mentions oral traditions. Mentions the element of surprise and risk within short films. Asked about his perspective on attention span and short films, he mentions Kitchen Sink and shorts taking the audience into a trance state. Talks about the audience for short films, mentions Gregor Nicholas, Shereen Maloney etc. discovering an audience for shorts. Mentions television screening short films.
Jonathan and Peter discuss the Documentary form and Wells talks about the concept of ‘realism’. Subjects Napier and the Civic Theatre non-real subjects, ponders over the emotion of ‘realism’ and what it actually is, wants to put the ‘fiction’ back into realism. Talks about Patu!, also mentions Richard Riddiford’s doco Class of 1987 - which was heavily edited for television.
Jonathan mentions a visit to NZ by Bernard Shaw where he said ‘we need to be making our own films or we would lose our souls without even getting American ones’, goes on to ask Wells of his perception of the ‘first wave of NZ films’. In relation to the latter he mentions; narratives, the racial situation in NZ, sexuality, realism, and the general social context in which these films were made. Goes on to talk about his reaction to this. Jonathan asks about Deserate Remedies, and its narrative form, mentions AWOL as a linear film. Melodrama is discussed by Wells, and NZ’s perception of it. Talks about Desperate Remedies in depth and its genre as a postmodern melodrama. Talks about the financial constraints and having to think more radically as a result of this. Wells discusses the difficulties of obtaining funding for Desperate Remedies film because of its ‘unusual and risky’ nature.
Jonathan asks what Peter thinks it is that the NZ Film Commission want in terms of film proposals and how you go about securing funding. Wells talks in depth about the individuals that make up the Commission. They talk in depth about funding and financing films, with reference to varying political climates. Mentions the duration of A Taste of Kiwi.
Talks about the ‘type’ of films we should be making in NZ; the role of television in the NZ Film Industry; the predominant heterosexual male storytelling; and the work of Alison Maclean, Jane Campion and Merata Mita. States that the most committed film audiences in the world are women and gay men. Discusses his lack of isolation in NZ and being aware of an ‘international dialogue’ of Queer Cinema and literature, mentions Todd Haines ‘Poison’. Concludes by discussing his lack of interest in moving to Hollywood and the type of films he would make there if he were interested.
Recorded 09/03/1993