During last week’s graduation celebrations for over 3000 students at the University of Canterbury, our WIFT member, and acclaimed filmmaker, Gaylene Preston was awarded an honorary doctorate—more than 50 years after first walking the university’s halls.
Preston, who attended UC in the 1960s but left before completing her studies, reflected on the moment in article from The Press: “Now, here I am, at 77, and I’ll finally succeed in gaining a degree.” What a full-circle moment—congratulations, Gaylene, on this well-deserved recognition!
In her speech, she shared, “I've never known the world to be quite as unpredictable as it is now. So be bold, be perilous and make sure your education doesn't stop now. Keep learning and stay awake. It is the art of antiquity that we treasure. Art is life, art is human.”
With a career spanning decades, Preston’s celebrated films include Mr Wrong, Ruby and Rata, Bread & Roses, War Stories Our Mothers Never Told Us, Home By Christmas, Hope and Wire, My Year With Helen, and Perfect Strangers (starring Sam Neill).
She also applauded the university’s forward-thinking approach to screen education, highlighting its new digital screen campus and degree: “They have set up a state-of-the-art film school here, at a time when most universities are shrinking their arts curriculum,” she said, noting the program will give students real-world skills for thriving in today’s screen industry.
*Image supplied by University of Canterbury