Shirley Horrocks: arts documentarian...

Interview – 2018

Shirley Horrocks has created many documentaries focusing on key figures from the New Zealand arts scene. Among her works are docos about photographer Marti Friedlander, artist Len Lye and playwright Roger Hall. She has also directed science-related films Venus: A Quest and Paul Callaghan: Dancing with Atoms.

In this ScreenTalk, Horrocks talks about:

Overcoming the challenge of filming in prisons for Miranda Harcourt documentary Act of Murder
Introducing Len Lye's amazing talent to New Zealanders in documentary Flip & Two Twisters
Profiling the delightful, far from bossy Marti Friedlander for Marti: The Passionate Eye
Bringing tears to the eyes of poet Allen Curnow at a screening of Early Days Yet
The personal connection behind Venus: A Quest
How an innocent question led her to the title of Tom Who? The Enigma of Tom Kreisler
Using comedy, cartoons, and her own grandson to tell the story of Paul Callaghan: Dancing with Atoms
Being surprised to hear she has had more films invited to the NZ International Film Festival than any other director

This video was first uploaded on 19 September 2018, and is available under this Creative Commons licence. This licence is limited to use of ScreenTalk interview footage only and does not apply to any video content and photographs from films, television, music videos, web series and commercials used in the interview.

Interview, Camera and Editing – Andrew Whiteside

Len [Lye] was known to artists for sure, but he wasn't known to the wider public at all. And so my reason for making the documentary . . . was to introduce people to this amazing man who was not only a sculptor but a filmmaker and a painter.
– Shirley Horrocks on creating Len Lye documentaries Flip & Two Twisters

Shirley's Full Profile