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Presented in association with the Friends of the Film Archive

DV (orig 35mm), B&W, silent/sound, 65 minutes

With live piano accompaniment by Susan Alexander performing tunes from the era.

Lloyd George promised the returning soldiers and those at home "a land fit for heroes". After the War Was Over  looks at the world that was created in New Zealand as captured on film, featuring rare archival footage of ANZAC services, memorials, agriculture, industry, the visit to New Zealand of the Prince of Wales in 1920 and a home-movie or two.

Arrival of New Zealand Troops at Cologne, 1919 (excerpt)
With jaunty stride the NZ Division crosses the German Frontier and into Cologne where they formed part of the Allied Occupation Forces after the Armistice on 11 November 1918. The Division crossed the Frontier at Herbesthal/Euphen, and reached Cologne on 26 December 1918 after 23 days trek from the start point at Beauvois and: 'Yes, beaucoup kilometres were left behind'

Maori Contingent Home, 1919
“Welcome Home to the Maori Pioneer Battalion from the front.” The return at Auckland wharves and powhiri in the Domain to the veterans of the Maori Pioneer Battalion Te Hokowhitu A Tu.

Prince of Wales in Maoriland, HC Gore, 1920 (excerpt)
HRH the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) salutes well wishers from HMS Renown, as she enters Auckland Harbour and is welcomed by the Mayor and a guard of honour provided by returned soldiers. Later on Wednesday, 28 April the Prince attends a hui at Rotorua where he is honoured with speeches, poi dance and haka.

Peace Day Procession, Dunedin, HC Gore, 1919 (excerpts)
A record of the programme for Dunedin's Peace Day on Saturday 19 July 1919 including the 2 o'clock procession which was viewed by thousands of people, and was 'a magnificent success’.  It took nearly three-quarters of an hour to pass a given point, and it can be calculated from this time that it must have been about two miles in length.’ - Otago Witness, 23 July 1919

Anzac Day Parade, Dunedin, 1921
A gloomy, wet day doesn't discourage large crowds from gathering for an Anzac Day parade in Dunedin. The horse-drawn gun carriage, clad with bouquets of flowers, and accompanying escort is part of the so-called "Boxer Service" – the RSA Dominion President Dr Ernest Boxer's promotion of a uniform nationwide observance based on a symbolic re-enactment of a military burial.

Outside Movie Theatre Dunedin, HC Gore, 1922
Unsuspecting passers-by caught on camera. The two features being advertised on the hoardings are Out of the Chorus (1921) and The Ordeal (1922), described in the AFI Catalogue of Motion Pictures... as “society” and “domestic” melodramas respectively.

Progressive Newmarket, Big Chief Film Productions, ca1921 (excerpts)
Cinematographer: MJA Wilson
A promotional film for businesses and industries in and around Newmarket in the early 1920s.

Scenes In and Around Wellington, 1920s (excerpts)
A panorama around Wellington in the early 1920s

Hapuka Fishing in New Zealand, NZ Government Publicity Office, 1925
Italian Fishermen working off Island Bay, Wellington. The small but thriving community of Italian fishing families at Island Bay is an example of chain immigration. Most of these families and individuals came from two specific fishing villages in southern Italy, some of each generation staying in Italy, some joining their relatives in Island Bay. One of the fishermen, Joe Volpicelli, fought on the Italian Front in World War One.

Family Picnic and Portraits, Laurie & Hilda Inkster, ca 1928
Laurie Inkster ran a photography business on the West Coast during the teens and twenties. He also shot a large number of "home movies.” Here Laurie filmed his wife, Hilda, relaxing in the sun with the family pets. He also experiments with trick photography.

Inkster’s Staff Again Enjoy Their Annual Picnic on the Shores of Beautiful Lake Brunner Jan 30th 1929, Laurie Inkster
The young women staff enjoy a day by the lake dressed in their swim suits, performing gymnastic display formations, taking well-earned refreshments then “Starting home tired but happy.”

Luna Park, Fred and Ted Coubray, 1928
The Luna Park venture was established by impressario Henry Hayward of the Fuller Hayward Enterprises. The scenic railway (big dipper) came from the Dunedin Exhibition of 1925-26 and was reassembled on the Auckland waterfront. Luna Park was eventually moved to Sydney after failure in Auckland.

‘Governor General Attends Consecration Of Colours Auckland, New Zealand’ from New Zealand Pictorial Reviews No 2, 1933
The presentation of the colours of the Auckland Regiment to the Auckland War Memorial Museum by the Regiment's senior officers, including Gallipoli veteran Colonel A Plugge CMG.

After the War is Over screens in conjunction with Coming Home: Te Hokinga Mai a series of nationwide services, exhibitions and events that commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Armistice of World War One.