Gaylene Preston

Gaylene Preston is one of New Zealand's most valued filmmakers, with a screen career spanning four decades with writer, director and producer credits covering feature films, documentaries and TV drama series. Many, including War Stories, Bread And Roses, Mr Wrong and Home By Christmas, are classics of NZ cinema, notable for the strength of Preston's human connections and her deep commitment to telling New Zealand stories. Preston's films have been in official selection for Venice, Sundance, Toronto, London, Sydney, Melbourne and NZ film festivals and have won awards in USA, Canada, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Australia and NZ. She is an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit and NZ Arts Foundation Filmmaker Laureate. She received the WIFT Lifetime Achievement Award, the Women of Influence Award for Arts and Culture, the SPADA Industry Champion Award and the 2017 NZ Film Awards' Services to Cinema Award.