Peter Peryer Photographer

Peter, an Arts Foundation Laureate, is one of our most acclaimed artists. Thoughtful and passionate about photography, he has great stories to tell and a wry sense of humour. Now he's in his 70s, at the peak of a long artistic career, this is the ideal time for a film.

The film's working title reflects the fact that Peter has a unique vision of the world - its people, landscapes, animals, and curiosities.

Why a film?

After more than four decades of superb work, this artist deserves to be better known and celebrated. The film will provide a permanent record of his life and work, his ideas and methods. And it will share the richness of his art with all of us. (Donors will certainly have an opportunity to see the result.)

Today the world is flooded with amateur photos snapped casually, so it is deeply important to remember that photography can also be an ART - and Peter is the perfect person to show this, as he is so patient and intense in his search for unforgettable images.

There is a great need for more in-depth art documentaries because our television channels have failed to fund them. Shirley knows from the other profiles she's created that if only a film can get made, it will have endless use.

The Team

Shirley Horrocks has been described by Bill Gosden as the New Zealand director who has been represented most often in the NZ New Zealand Film Festival. Helen Martin in the Directory of World Cinema writes, "Since the 1980s, Shirley Horrocks has undertaken the important cultural work of documenting New Zealand's arts, culture and history in painstakingly-researched, in-depth films that record, educate and celebrate."

Over three decades she has made films about Marti Friedlander, Len Lye, Albert Wendt, Allen Curnow, John Reynolds, Tom Kreisler, Lisa Reihana, Merimeri Penfold, Julia Morison, and many others, with the films winning many awards.

The team for the Peryer documentary includes editor Steve Mountjoy and production manager Lani-Rain Feltham - talented film-makers who have worked with Shirley on many other projects.

How will we use this money?

We have already shot great footage of Peter at work, accompanied him on a journey to re-trace his early life up North, talked with his former wife and model Erika, and explored many other aspects of his life and photography. We've got this far with the help of Creative NZ and a few friends, but we now urgently need to fund the process of editing, sound-mixing and finishing the film.

We're running a 30-day Boosted campaign to raise $20,000 so we can complete the documentary. Please help us reach our target by making a tax-deductible contribution. Boosted is an all-or-nothing platform, and if our target isn't reached in thirty days, we won't receive a single dollar. (In that case, donors would get their money back.)

Please spread the word by sharing this page with your friends and community. We need to get the word out there. The fact is that in-depth documentaries about New Zealand artists are an endangered species!