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John O'Shea, 1920-2001
John O'Shea was at the centre of independent New Zealand filmmaking in the 1950s and 1960s. He believed that New Zealanders were people of “passion, character and individuality” and he set out to show it.
O'Shea joined Pacific Films in Wellington in 1950. With Roger Mirams, he produced and directed Broken Barrier (1952), the only New Zealand feature made between Rewi's Last Stand in 1940, and Runaway in 1964 (which he also produced and directed). The themes of racism and cultural difference he returned to in the following decades were already central to Broken Barrier.
In the 1970s John O'Shea produced documentaries for television, notably Tangata Whenua: the People of the Land (1974). He also went on to produce other features such as Pictures (1981), Ngati (1987) and Te Rua (1991).
Throughout his career, John O’Shea was a powerful advocate for New Zealand film and a mentor to the industry; his determination and energy drew many young people who wanted to work in film.
- Runaway [Trailer] (1,000kb)
- Don't Let It Get You [trailer] (1,062kb)
- Cookery Nook (2,058kb)
- Pacific Magazine 7 (3,400kb)
Please note: These videos are in the QuickTime format. You will need to have the QuickTime player installed in order to view these files.
