Ralph Hotere

@Sam: thanks for your further notes on your experience filming Hotere. Critic Mark Amery calls your film "“arguably the finest documentary of an artist I’ve seen” in choosing it amongst the Artists on Screen Collection (http://www.nzonscreen.com/collection/artists-on-screen/background) he selected for us. Personally I found it a revelation: a spry, patient and sensitive look at Hotere and his process, and as Ian says in his piece, it captures the bristling excitement around the work. It humbly stands the test of 40 years and is a fine testament to an artist in the zone.

Gee Ann...that's a 40 year old doco. Ralph deserves the huge love and respect he gets from me and everyone who knows and loves NZ art.

And, I only just read all this, including Ian Wedde's commentary (Ian and I did English together in the '60s at Auckland University). Weirdly, Ralph didn't keep us on our toes per se, other than that being granted the honor of access to this remarkable person in itself kept us on our toes. Ralph was warm, gentle, considerate and kindly. I have rarely felt such love for a human being, and in addition to being welcomed into his home and private life, he taught me by example that generosity about one's fellow artists is possible and rewarding. This is something I could never have learned from my colleagues in the film business!

Go Ralph! This is quite a eye-opener. No wonder I left the Waikato! The official opening crowd looks mean (in an Alabama kind of way!) Ralph certainly deserves the recognition inherent in the Order of New Zealand. Our finest artist.

Ralph deserves more than this

Very cool