Memories of crazy days grew into book

Dame Gaylene Preston is a celebrated filmmaker whose new memoir Gaylene’s Take: Her Life in New Zealand Film takes us behind the scenes of many of her films, including My Year With Helen (Te Herenga Waka Press, RRP $40).

Your memoir is just as much about filmmaking as it is about you – what story was your favourite to tell, and what was the most difficult?

I love telling stories and Gaylene’s Take is all about my two favourite subjects – filmmaking and me. The most difficult thing was working out what to leave out.

When did you decide to start writing your life’s story, and had you always imagined you’d share it?

It crept up on me when I was invited to Jesus College Cambridge in order to think and reflect. I went with no plan or project. I had lived in Cambridge in 1969-73 and I just started remembering things. I thought I should write them down before I forgot all the crazy shenanigans that happened. When Fergus Barrowman of Te Herenga Waka showed interest, it grew into a book.

Dames Jane Campion and Fiona Kidman both described your writing as hilarious and humorous. What’s it like to get praise from such industry heavyweights, and what do you hope readers take away from your book? Those dames are fast readers! Both devoured it in two days. Praise for Gaylene’s Take is very humbling, the most important to me being from my daughter and my brother and sister. I treasure it. As for the readers – enjoy! I hope they come away with a compelling humorous colourful portrait of the life of a mid twentieth century female trying to crack into the film business with a Kiwi attitude prepared to break the rules while bringing up her daughter and trying to be the best daughter she could be.