The following are excerpts from a selection of films produced by the students of the Postgraduate Diploma in Natural History Filmmaking and Communication (please note: all material remains the copyright of the University of Otago and it may not be sold, used or disseminated in any way without the express permission in writing of the University of Otago)

Out of Place

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Out of Place, a film by Iain Grant and Job Rustenhoven, is about the efforts of the small community of Wedderburn to return a railway goods shed – the subject of a famous painting by Grahame Sydney – to its former site. The film juxtaposes the views of the artist and community while subtly exploring the differences between reality and realism (EP: Lloyd Spencer Davis).

Tangled Roots

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Tangled Roots – filmed by Joshua Newman and Kate Sinclair – exposes the confrontation between conservation and the rights of indigenous peoples over the logging of one of the South Islands last great stands of forest (EP: Stephen Downes).

Stuffing Missy

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Stuffing Missy, by Sophie Fern, is a film about a woman’s desire to have her pet cat stuffed. It intersperses the story of the cat with the work of the taxidermist (EP: Lloyd Spencer Davis).

chasing Perfection

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Chasing Perfection is a film by Lucy Birkinshaw and Kelly Freemantle. It explores the almost mythical appeal of pinot noir and the efforts of a small band of pioneers to produce wine in the harsh conditions of Central Otago (EP: Lloyd Spencer Davis).

Return of the Sealions

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Return of the Sealions is a film by Kyle Beggs and Hannah Smith. It tells the story of the return of Hooker’s sealions to the New Zealand mainland following their virtual extermination by humans. The focus of the story is “Mum,” a female that has founded the small breeding population (EP: Stephen Downes).

All of the above movies require Apple's free Quicktime plug-in to play. This can be downloaded from Apple's website: www.apple.com/quicktime