Barry Barclay
Encyclopedia
Barry Barclay, MNZM
(12 May 1944 – 19 February 2008) was a New Zealand
filmmaker and writer of Maori (Ngati Apa) and Pākehā
(European) descent.
and was raised on farms in the Wairarapa
. He was educated at St Joseph's College, Masterton
. He spent six years from the age of 15 in Redemptorist monasteries in Australia and had begun training to be a Catholic priest in that order when he returned to New Zealand and embarked on a lengthy career in film, television and media. Later in life, he was based in Omapere, Hokianga, New Zealand before his death from a stroke at the age of 63.
of Pacific Films
and historian and writer Michael King
. Barclay wrote and directed
The Neglected Miracle, a feature-length political documentary on the ownership of plant genetic resources.
The project was shot over two years in eight countries.
After this success, Barclay left New Zealand for a time to live in Europe. He returned to make The Neglected Miracle, a documentary on the legal and societal challenges presented by assertions of ownership of genetic material, especially seed stocks, and an eponymous documentary on Indira Gandhi
, then- Prime Minister of India
. After these documentary projects, Barclay collaborated with screenwriter Tama Poata
on the feature film, Ngati
(1987), produced by John O'Shea. Ngati featured veteran Maori actor Wi Kuki Kaa
in the lead role of 'Iwi.' The film was well received at several international film-festivals, and attracted critical acclaim.
Barry's second feature film Te Rua (Pacific Films 1991), concerns an iwi's attempts to repatriate stolen carvings from a German museum back to their rightful place in Aotearoa. Te Rua was a German/New Zealand coproduction, and is acknowledged as a more complex and less successful fim than Ngati. The issues raised in Te Rua - of 'ownership' versus
'guardianship' would form the basis of much of Barry's subsequent work.
Since the 1990s, Barclay has completed The Feathers of Peace a documentary on the persecution of the Moriori people, as well as The Kaipara Affair, on the wide-ranging implications of dwindling fish populations in the Kaipara harbour.
His first book was Our Own Image (1990), about his film-making practices and the creation of Indigenous cinema. His second book Mana Tuturu (2005) makes proposals about Indigenous intellectual property rights.
Laureate Award.
In 2007, he was awarded a Member of the Order of New Zealand in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to the film industry.
After his death, Barclay's body was returned to Whangaehu Marae near Whanganui on Wednesday, 20 February 2008. His tangi (funeral) was held on Saturday, 23 February 2008.
Barry Barclay: The Camera on The Shore, (duration 102 minutes) directed by Graeme Tuckett and produced by Anne Keating, was completed in February 2009. It will screen at international film festivals, and on Maori Television Service
in 2009.
As Writer
New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
(12 May 1944 – 19 February 2008) was a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
filmmaker and writer of Maori (Ngati Apa) and Pākehā
Pakeha
Pākehā is a Māori language word for New Zealanders who are "of European descent". They are mostly descended from British and to a lesser extent Irish settlers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, although some Pākehā have Dutch, Scandinavian, German, Yugoslav or other ancestry...
(European) descent.
Background
Barclay was born in MastertonMasterton
Masterton is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
and was raised on farms in the Wairarapa
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
. He was educated at St Joseph's College, Masterton
Chanel College, Masterton
Chanel College, Masterton is a Catholic secondary school situated in Masterton, New Zealand. The school is named after St Peter Chanel, who was a French Marist priest killed on the Pacific island of Futuna in 1841. The school was established in 1978...
. He spent six years from the age of 15 in Redemptorist monasteries in Australia and had begun training to be a Catholic priest in that order when he returned to New Zealand and embarked on a lengthy career in film, television and media. Later in life, he was based in Omapere, Hokianga, New Zealand before his death from a stroke at the age of 63.
Films
His early career in radio, then in film and television led to great recognition as a documentary maker in the 1970s and 1980s. His early experimental short documentaries Ashes, The Town That Lost a Miracle, and All That We Need, led to an invitation to direct Tangata Whenua, a six part television documentary series that presented the language, culture and politics of New Zealand's Maori people to a mainstream prime-time audience (in 1974) for the first time. The series was made in collaboration with producer John O'SheaJohn O'Shea (director)
John Dempsey O'Shea was a New Zealand independent filmmaker; he was a director, producer, writer and actor.He was active from 1940 to 1970, and in 1952 set up Pacific Films in Wellington with Roger Mirams...
of Pacific Films
Pacific Films
The Pacific Film Unit was established in Wellington, New Zealand in 1948 by ex-National Film Unit staff Alun Falconer and Roger Mirams. At this time most films produced in New Zealand were documentaries made by the government’s National Film Unit...
and historian and writer Michael King
Michael King
Michael King, OBE was a New Zealand popular historian, author and biographer. He wrote or edited over 30 books on New Zealand topics, including The Penguin History of New Zealand, which was the most popular New Zealand book of 2004.-Life:King was born in Wellington to Eleanor and Commander Lewis...
. Barclay wrote and directed
The Neglected Miracle, a feature-length political documentary on the ownership of plant genetic resources.
The project was shot over two years in eight countries.
After this success, Barclay left New Zealand for a time to live in Europe. He returned to make The Neglected Miracle, a documentary on the legal and societal challenges presented by assertions of ownership of genetic material, especially seed stocks, and an eponymous documentary on Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
, then- Prime Minister of India
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
. After these documentary projects, Barclay collaborated with screenwriter Tama Poata
Tama Poata
Tama Te Kapua Poata was a New Zealand writer, actor, humanitarian and activist. He was from the Māori tribe of Ngati Porou. He was also known as 'Tom,' the transliteration of 'Tama.'-Background:...
on the feature film, Ngati
Ngati
Ngati is a 1987 New Zealand feature film directed by Barry Barclay, written by Tama Poata and produced by John O'Shea.-Production:Ngati is of historical and cultural significance in New Zealand as it is the first feature film written and directed by Māori. Producer John O'Shea, an icon in New...
(1987), produced by John O'Shea. Ngati featured veteran Maori actor Wi Kuki Kaa
Wi Kuki Kaa
Wi Kuki Kaa was an acclaimed New Zealand actor in film, theatre and television. He was from the Maori tribes of Ngati Porou and Ngati Kahungunu.-Biography:...
in the lead role of 'Iwi.' The film was well received at several international film-festivals, and attracted critical acclaim.
Barry's second feature film Te Rua (Pacific Films 1991), concerns an iwi's attempts to repatriate stolen carvings from a German museum back to their rightful place in Aotearoa. Te Rua was a German/New Zealand coproduction, and is acknowledged as a more complex and less successful fim than Ngati. The issues raised in Te Rua - of 'ownership' versus
'guardianship' would form the basis of much of Barry's subsequent work.
Since the 1990s, Barclay has completed The Feathers of Peace a documentary on the persecution of the Moriori people, as well as The Kaipara Affair, on the wide-ranging implications of dwindling fish populations in the Kaipara harbour.
His first book was Our Own Image (1990), about his film-making practices and the creation of Indigenous cinema. His second book Mana Tuturu (2005) makes proposals about Indigenous intellectual property rights.
Recognition and Laureate Award
In 2004, Barclay received an Arts Foundation of New ZealandArts Foundation of New Zealand
A facilitator of private philanthropy, the Arts Foundation of New Zealand supports artistic excellence through its permanent Endowment Fund. Legacies and donations help grow the Fund, with income generated enabling the Foundation to support the arts....
Laureate Award.
In 2007, he was awarded a Member of the Order of New Zealand in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to the film industry.
After his death, Barclay's body was returned to Whangaehu Marae near Whanganui on Wednesday, 20 February 2008. His tangi (funeral) was held on Saturday, 23 February 2008.
Documentary on Barclay (2009)
A documentary on Barclay's life and work,Barry Barclay: The Camera on The Shore, (duration 102 minutes) directed by Graeme Tuckett and produced by Anne Keating, was completed in February 2009. It will screen at international film festivals, and on Maori Television Service
Maori Television Service
The Māori Television Service is a state sector organisation in New Zealand that was established on 7 May 2003 under the Māori Television Service Act 2003 to replace the Te Reo Māori Television Trust ...
in 2009.
Filmography
As Director:- The Kaipara Affair (2005)
- The Feathers of Peace (2000)
- Te Rua (1991)
- NgatiNgatiNgati is a 1987 New Zealand feature film directed by Barry Barclay, written by Tama Poata and produced by John O'Shea.-Production:Ngati is of historical and cultural significance in New Zealand as it is the first feature film written and directed by Māori. Producer John O'Shea, an icon in New...
(1987) - The Neglected Miracle (1985)
- Aku Mahi Whatu Maori (My Art of Maori Weaving) (1977)
- Ashes (1973)
- Autumn Fires (1975) TV
- Hunting Horns (1975) TV
- Indira Gandhi (1975) TV
- Tangata Whenua (1974) TV Series
- The Town That Lost a Miracle (1972) TV
As Writer
- The Feathers of Peace (2000) (screenplay)
- Te Rua (1991)
- Aku Mahi Whatu Maori (My Art of Maori Weaving) (1977)
Books
- Our Own Image (1990, Longman Paul, Auckland) ISBN 0582858321
- Mana Tuturu: Māori treasures and intellectual property rights (2005, Auckland University Press) ISBN 1869403509
External links
- Arts Foundation Profile Page
- First Nations biography page
- "Film maker Barry Barclay Dies", New Zealand Herald, 19 February 2008. Online version of this article retrieved 5 June 2008.
- Drinnan, John (2008). "Filmmaker Barry Barclay dies: Ngati director was 63", Variety webpage posted 18 February 2008 (retrieved 5 June 2008).